Poker Night 526: When Stars Stop Shining

"You've brave and courageous having poker tonight," we told the Tournament Director after stepping inside Five-Star Billiards. "Considering Wichita isn't having school tomorrow."

Only a thin layer of ice/snow covered the parking lot, so we were being humorous (even though school indeed is canceled). But minutes later, the Director had some sad news. Tonight was the final night of business for the billiard hall. Not many people apparently stopped by to play pool. So the drinks were half-price, but the poker blinds were the same as usual....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 9-K of hearts

It's the very first hand of the night - and the table is small. We're one of five players; cold weather may have combined with the closing news and the national holiday to kept people away. We're in the Big Blind, and the man with the deal raises to 400. Since these cards are suited, we'll take him on. The Small Blind calls as well.

ON THE FLOP: Qc-Jc-10d

Not our suit, but still quite handsome! We have both ends of a straight, but we politely check to the raiser. Sure enough, the Dealer bets 400. The Small Blind calls, but that's not enough for us.

"Raise - 1,000," we announce. Our two opponents call. Are they chasing what we have?

ON THE TURN: Qs

The board pairs - but if someone has a Queen, we're still in front. The Small Blind checks, and we bet 1,000 again. Both men call again, and we feel good.

ON THE RIVER: 5c

Now things aren't so good. Three clubs are showing, which opens the door for a flush. The Small Blind checks. We cautiously check. But the Dealer checks as well, giving us hope.

"I have a straight," we reveal.

"I have a boat."

What?!?!? The Small Blind turns over Q-5! Yes, he had three Queens - but the river brought him a full house. (The Dealer had A-J, and missed a higher straight.)

We lost the second hand we entered as well, and it looked like our night would be brief. But then we won a couple of pots, and tripled our stack to 19,900 when A-J led to three Aces. We reached the first break at 17,900.

We won another small pot in the second term, then lost two hands in a row to a man who first fooled us by bluffing a big hand, then actually made one. Yet we reached the final table with 6,000 chips.

At that point, we went all-in with K-J of spades. A woman called with A-5, but received an Ace on the flop. She took us out in eighth place - but at least we can say we reached the last two final tables at Five-Star.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The holiday marked today was Martin Luther King Day, and we referred to it a few times. "How about equality, with an extra 1,000 chips for all?" we joked - referring to the bonus WPT League VIP members receive at every tournament.

"Be known not by the color of your chips...." a man to our right offered.

"But the content of your character," we said when he couldn't remember the end of the sentence. "Character matters," we added.

It's been intriguing in recent days to hear U.S. right-wing conservatives turn that line from the "I Have a Dream" speech against Democrats. But we're not here to play politics. Instead, we wish more people emphasized what Dr. King mentioned. How is your character?

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. - Romans 5:3-4

Our hardbound dictionary has more than 15 definitions of "character." They include, "The combined moral or ethical structure of a person or group" and "Moral or ethical strength; integrity; fortitude." We think that's what these Bible verses have in mind.

God wants to build strong moral character in you. If you think you don't need God's help, we think you could be sadly mistaken....

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.... - Isaiah 64:6

That's especially true compared to God. So what can we do? Isaiah goes on to hint at an answer:

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. - Isaiah 64:8

It starts with believing in God, and allowing Him to do His work in you. God can provide His Holy Spirit to help.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those that live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.... the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. - Romans 8:5-6

We've mentioned before that receiving God's Spirit to develop His character begins with repenting of your sins (Acts 2:38). That "turn" is bigger than any poker card you'll ever see - and it can bring great victory, in this life and the next.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 191 final tables in 526 games (36.3%) - 39 cashes. Final score at Five-Star: three final tables in eight tournaments.

The First Trump

We used to write jokes for a living (well, at least we tried). So we offer this riddle:

Q: Why are Democrats switching their card games from poker to bridge?

A: In bridge, you can bid "no-Trump!"

But seriously, a lot of people who made wrong predictions about Donald Trump winning the U.S. presidential election now are making predictions about what he'll do as President. And the guessing game even extends to poker.

One analysis posted Wednesday night says the President-elect may face competing ideas from Republicans. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who's leading the government transition team, supports online poker. But Nevada billionaire Sheldon Adelson does not.

Of course, Mr. Trump has a history when it comes to gambling. He owned the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City - except it shut down four weeks before the election. It led to one of the most famous questions of the 2016 campaigns, as opponent Hillary Clinton asked how a casino can go bankrupt.

In fact, one religious magazine cited Mr. Trump's bankruptcies as a sign that he "fall[s] short of biblical character standards...." The implication is that if you file for bankruptcy, you've committed some kind of sin. Since the article doesn't give any Bible verses to support that implication, we'll take a guess....

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first, and counts the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. - Luke 14:28-30 (KJV)

These words of Jesus contain a classic Biblical principle - "counting the cost." But read on, and you'll find the principle extends to something far bigger than building a "Trump tower"....

In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:33

Now hold on here. Jesus said to be His disciple, you have to "give up everything" you have. Doesn't that sound a bit like declaring bankruptcy? At least to the things of this world?  Jesus was consistent on that point....

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." - Luke 18:22

A ruler who heard this and had "great wealth" was saddened by this advice (verses 18, 23). Other Bible accounts indicate he went away from Jesus (Mark 10:22).

In poker, "going bust" is a bad thing. In a tournament, you're out of chips and out of the running. But in spiritual terms, giving away the "stack" can be a good thing:

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way.... - II Corinthians 9:10-11

Be willing to give up your seat at the table - whether in a poker room or otherwise - and God may bless you with much more than you ever dreamed. We'll talk more about Donald Trump in a future post.

Poker Night 338: The Lucky Loser

The schedule finally worked out tonight, so we could stroll over to Lil Kim's Cove where poker night is currently Tuesday.  But many things that we tried to do went wrong.  For instance, we reached over to make change from the pot for a player -- and spilled our cup of soda on the table.  But could we clean up later, in a different way?

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: K-K

We were generously given 5,000 extra chips by the Tournament Director for that cup of soda -- and that's the biggest gain we've had all evening.  The players at our table are betting like they're trying to match one of Judge Marilyn Milian's lines on The People's Court: "Quien es mas macho?"  But they're surprisingly tame in this hand -- only calling in the last hand before the one-hour break.

After several missed flops, we have 6,050 chips (by our count) -- and we've dealt ourselves Kardashians.  Other players might have thrown out thousands.  Instead, we raise to a modest 1,000.

"I've got to do that," the player to our left says as he calls.  Several players jump in, but don't re-raise.

ON THE FLOP: 6-A-7

Ugh.  That Ace was the last thing we wanted to see.  Sure enough, a man bets 1,000.  There are callers.  We choose to call, and hope the next card is better.

ON THE TURN: 8

Nope, it's not.  And the man who offered 1,000 before now spreads out 5,000.  That would put us all-in, and we don't dare risk that.  We fold, while a couple of players call.

ON THE RIVER: 8

The betting escalates without us, until one player is all-in for 32,000.  He gets called -- and shows 8-6!  Running cards came for a full house, and our fold winds up being wise.

We erred during the "color-up" which followed -- not noticing one of the black chips we had (worth 1,000) really was blue (worth 100).  Blame the bar's dark lighting.  But the Tournament Director had mercy on us when we offered it for a Big Blind, and exchanged blue for black.  We lost with that hand, too.  And we were down to 2,000 lowly chips.  But then....

"Final table," the Director declared.  On an evening when only about 18 players showed up, despite our mistakes and bumbling, we reached the last table of seven without winning a pot!

Playing carefully and without ego paid off -- but when we saw A-9 in the Small Blind, we had to put our last 500 in.  It failed to pair, while a man paid two pair with Kings and Jacks.  We finished seventh, but thankful to God for wisdom in knowing what not to play.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Poker used to be fun," a woman moaned to us before the tournament.  She said it's not that way anymore, because some players are becoming "bullies."

We agreed it's not nice to be a bully.  "We should be compassionate," we said in a spur-of-the-moment sermonette; "we should we caring, we should be kind."

There's one character trait we didn't mention in that list -- being godly.  But the traits we mentioned are part of that.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.... And over all these virtues put on love, which bids them all together in perfect unity. - Colossians 3:12, 14

The apostle Paul compares these virtues to putting on clothing.  That's because, as strange as it may sound, they're not the sort of things most people naturally have.

The sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. - Romans 8:7

Our human nature is sinful.  So we need to put on godly virtues every day.  How can we do that?

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. - Romans 8:9-10

Is that Holy Spirit dwelling in you?  Are you sure?  Review Peter's standards mentioned in Acts 2:38, and make sure there's no doubt.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 121 final tables in 338 games (35.8%) - 19 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 257 point wins in 1,090 games (23.6%), 81 final tables, 10 wins, 9 cashes.

We mentioned our fourth-place finish in an afternoon tournament last week.  We haven't mentioned it was followed by a sixth-place finish the very next day!  That means we won NLOP cash two days in a row, after a drought of more than a year.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $80,578, up $1,014.

My Bi-Weekly Reader

The flop was 9-8-2.  We had 9-8.  So when our turn came, we bet several hundred.


"You have 9-8," a woman across the table from us said.  We said nothing, as the hand went on to the river.


"Who said I have 9-8?" we asked.  "You're right."  We showed the cards and claimed the pot.  But howwww did she know that?


"I read you.... how you play," the woman explained.


"We play too much d**n poker," a man next to her said with a laugh.


That man has a good point.  Play poker often enough with the same group of people, and you learn tendencies and habits -- not only about how they handle cards, but what sort of music they like and what they do for a living.


From a Biblical standpoint, there are two ways to look at this.  A believer should have a reputation for character that's above-board....

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. - Proverbs 22:1

If you say you're a Christian, your life should reflect that name -- especially in the public arena, such as a poker tournament.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. - II Corinthians 5:20

But on the other hand, Jesus warned some people that you might "read" as Christians actually might be something else:

Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. - Matthew 7:15

We came across an online article offering tips on finding "tells" in online poker tournaments.  But we disagree with most of the author's conclusions.  For instance, quick bets can come from high-quality hands as much as junk cards.  It's the same way in life.  Even with believers in Jesus, their lives could be a big ol' bluff.

Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment. - John 7:24

Sadly, one minister who prophesied Jesus would return in late May wound up being convicted of federal tax evasion two weeks later.


During the tournament we won Monday night, we made one "bluff bet" on the river which convinced our one opponent to fold.  (No, we won't give further details.)  It was a case where we went against our "reputation" of tight play, and it worked to our advantage.  But going against a reputation of godliness certainly will not.


Let's conclude with a few discussion questions, open for your comments:


1.  Do big-betting players have an advantage in tournaments over tight players, because they're seen as more unpredictable -- and thus harder to read?


2.  Do you wind up with better results when you play poker outside your home area?  (Our quick count shows we've made final tables on road trips four out of five times.)


3.  What secrets do you have for "reading" opponents at a poker table, in person or online?  Is online reading really possible?

Correction or Insurrection

Let's return to the "Forgotten Face-Card Foul-Up" from Thursday night's poker tournament.  We overlooked a K-Q on the board, and let another player's A-10 take a pot over our A-9 even though both of us had three Aces.

We didn't spot the mistake until minutes later.  And when we did, we realized it was too late to reset the matter and make things right.  The time to object was at that moment -- before the cards were swept up from the table for the next hand.  There's a lesson here, which could apply to many aspects of our lives.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.  Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. - Matthew 5:25

Jesus is using an example of legal matters to say disagreements should be settled quickly -- on the spot, if you can.  If they fester and grow, the damage could spread.  And the final outcome could be worse than the original act.

Admittedly, in our case a trained poker room dealer would have settled the issue in only a moment.  But in a free tournament, other players at the table should notice what happened and speak up....

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.  If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.  But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that "every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." - Matthew 18:15-16

At the poker table, the players might haggle in front of everyone else around.  Away from the table, disputes should be addressed peacefully and privately.  People have done that with us on poker nights over the years; in fact, we've mentioned a couple of those cases.

But the true test of someone's character shows in how he or she responds, when a decision doesn't go their way....

Why not rather be wronged?  Why not rather be cheated?  Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. - I Corinthians 6:7-8

Paul is writing in relation to legal action as well.  But there's a good principle in what he explains here: take the loss and move on -- and as you move on, don't do anything illegal to get even.


(Going "on tilt" at a poker table is not illegal.  It can annoy other players to pieces and make you look selfish -- which is also questionable from a Biblical standpoint -- but it's not illegal.)

In the case of Thursday night, we accepted the mistake -- and our role in allowing it to happen.  Hopefully we'll remember the lessons of it all.  And in future poker games, we'll try to avoid forgetting any faces.

Mr. Big

Poker tables can be filled with interesting characters -- and not merely in Las Vegas or on televised tours. Our city has one player who, well, has a big persona.

He usually goes by the name Buddha -- but when he wins a major pot, he declares himself "Big Daddy." He says he makes some money from poker. But now he's in training to do something very different.

Read Buddha's story in today's entry at our other blog, The Blog of Columbus. And for a glimpse of what he thinks about matters of faith, click on the "Buddhism" tag below.

Stay Classy, You Loser

"Worst. Bad Beat. Ever." That's what we wrote in an online chat Tuesday, describing what happened in our last post -- our quad Queens getting cracked by a royal flush.

"Ohhhhh! Ohhhhh!" That's what the Tournament Director said in disbelief when he saw the hand, seated across the table from us.

So what did we do in response? And what would YOU do? Would you do what a man did last Thursday night, when we topped his all-in bet with pocket Kings -- throwing them across the table in disgust and uttering an expletive?

Instead, we simply dropped our jaw wide open. We may have said "Amazing" a couple of times (not really sure) -- and we knuckle-bumped the woman who topped us.

We kept our cool because we think that's what God would have us do. Remember the discussion with that woman about being a "light of the world" (Mt. 5:14)? Part of that involves reacting as Jesus would react.

"Do not give the devil a foothold," Paul advises in Ephesians 4:27. He goes on to explain: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.... Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice" (4:29, 31).

The woman with the royal flush didn't sin against us. She simply beat us in a poker hand -- and to her credit, she did not rub it in after that. (In fact, she didn't even go all-in on the river to take us out of the game!)

"We also rejoice in our sufferings," Paul wrote elsewhere, "because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:4).

We've heard ministers say a main goal for Christians in this life is to develop godly character. That's what we tried to display with that bad beat. We believe that comes from having God's Spirit at work inside us. Without it, things admittedly might have been very different -- especially if that happened at a cash game or big-money tournament.