About That Name....

We realize people are at all levels, when it comes to poker. A woman asked via email the other day:

What’s the meaning of “on the flop” anyway?

If you're new to Texas Hold 'em, "the flop" is a key part of many hands. After you're dealt two cards and bid on them, three cards are spread face-up on the table. Then players bid again.

In a perfect world, your pocket Aces are greeted on the flop by two more Aces so you have quads. Or Ace-King of spades are met by Qs-Js-10s, giving you an unbeatable royal flush.

But of course, poker is far from a perfect world. Your hand probably will be something less - perhaps no pair at all. Then it's a real "flop" for you, under a different definition: "a failure."

And that brings us to the name of this blog. You see, it has a double meaning - not only about poker hands, but the person who's writing about them. We can be a "flop", too....

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. - Romans 3:23 (NLT)

Jesus Christ told believers they are to be perfect, even as God in heaven is (Matthew 5:48). But if when we sin, we're not perfect anymore. Come to think of it, doesn't that make us all "flops" in life?

But the good news is that we don't have to live forever in the "flop house"....

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. - I John 1:9 (NLT)

God wants to forgive your sins and clean your records. But you need to "'fess up," as they say in the U.S. South. That means admitting God exists, then asking Him to have mercy for the sins you admit doing. After that....

So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbor the truth.... If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work.... Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful.... - Ephesians 4:25-29 (NLT)

Yes, we know what some of you are saying: "That's easier said than done! I'll go right back to being a flop again!"

But there's more good news. God wants to help you become perfect. We'll explain how He does that in a future post.

Poker Day 551: Going Greens

It's been about six years since we were off on Labor Day. So were took advantage of the privilege to enter a holiday morning poker tournament at Jack Casino - making sure we thanked the dealers and cashiers who were on duty. So was it a paid holiday for us?

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: Q-J of spades

Early efforts have not gone well for us. Our starting stack of 15,000 chips eroded to about 9,500, before we won a modest pot to begin a comeback. Now we're in the Big Blind at a seven-player table with 11,450, and have set out four stacks of lime-green chips worth 25 each.

"You don't like greens?" a man to our left asks.

"Sometimes I don't have any choice," we say. Such as now.

After the cards are dealt, that man raises to 1,200. "You don't seem to like orange," we point out. (An orange chip is worth 1,000). But with strong suited connectors, we call - taking back some of those greens as we do. We're now heads-up.

ON THE FLOP: Qc-2d-Qd

A Big Blind Special, if there ever was one! But we humbly check to the raiser. He offers 2,000.

"Raise," we say. We go up to 5,000. Our opponent calls, with a bit of a shrug.

ON THE TURN: K

This card is a bit concerning. What if he has something like K-Q? This time, we're not waiting.

"I'm all-in," we say - pushing in our last 5,250. This puts our opponent in the tank.

"So you're saying you have a Queen."

"I could be saying a lot of things," we tell him. The last thing we want to do is say his read is right.

"But I can't really get off these," he muses. After several moments, he calls with fewer chips - and shows pocket Aces. Our three of a kind will win, if we dodge one card.

ON THE RIVER: 7

Yea - for a change, we do! The man arrived late to the table, and leaves early - while we expand to more than 24,000 chips.

More success came minutes later, as K-J brought K-J-9 on the flop. We dared to call an opponent's push for more than 13,000, and our two pair wound up eliminating two men! It brought our most massive chip harvest in years, and led to a high of nearly 48,000.

That helped us through a dry period, and we reached the two-hour break at 35,350. But then, an amazing evaporation happened. We lost 3,000 to a pre-flop raise, then another 9,000 in the Big Blind when our pair of Kings lost to the Small Blind's 7-5 which made two pair.

Then with a push across the table and a caller, we saw A-J and dreamt big. We went all-in for about 19,000 - but a woman with Q-Q topped both us and the pusher with A-7. A day where we thought we could cruise to the final table ended with us falling short, finishing with a head-scratching tie for 15th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Jack Casino is a stickler when it comes to playing out of turn. A man at our first table received a one-hand penalty simply for a checking motion. So we waited later to be sure the player ahead of us acted, before doing anything.

"Don't want to wind up in the sin bin," a man sitting to our left said when we explained it. That phrase gave us a thought.

"You know, we've all sinned," we told the man, "and come short of the glory of God."

The man pondered a moment. "Did that come from a 2,000-year-old book? That's been translated about 5,000 times?"

Why yes.... yes, it did. Do you know where we found that?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.... - Romans 3:23

"But that book [the Bible] has the way out of sin," we responded.

We waited for a reaction, but the statement brought nothing but silence. We're not sure if the man knows what that way is or not. Do you know?

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

A lot of applications are embedded in these words. But let's focus on Jesus being the way. He likened Himself elsewhere to being a door (as the King James Version puts it) or a gate....

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. - John 10:9

We enter God's holy throne through Jesus the Son (Hebrews 10:19-22) - and salvation comes to us through Jesus Christ. But there's something you need to do:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

Confess them, then repent of them - turning your ways and life over to God, and away from the sins you've been doing. Perhaps you do them while playing poker. Search yourself, asking God for His help in discovering what they are. Then act on what He shows you. There's no penalty for doing that.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 203 final tables in 551 games (36.8%) - 36 cashes. After six months in our new area, we're still at 10 final tables in 18 tries!

Poker Day 533: Donut Bites

Our current situation (which we're not really comfortable posting here right now) presented us with a wide-open Sunday afternoon. And the pricey "deep stack" tournament at Kansas Star Casino might be our only opportunity to play all week. So we drove down the turnpike today, to be amazed by how packed the place was - in the poker room and outside.

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: King of hearts-King of diamonds

Even though we arrived 20 minutes before the starting time, we were third on a waiting list to play. We've barely sat down with our 12,000 starting chips, but clearly the stacks and small blinds have the full table in a betting room. So with K-K (which we call "the donuts"), we raise to 400 in late position. Three players call.

ON THE FLOP: 9d-4h-5h

So far, so good. The players check to us, so we bet another 500. As we remember it, two players call.

ON THE TURN: 6h

Now hold on here. Three hearts in a row open the door for all kinds of trouble. A man across the table seems to stir up some, by betting 800. Did he make a straight? A flush? Or both? We suspect the real answer is "none of the above," and he's testing the newcomer. So we call, since we have an overpair and our own flush draw. We're now heads-up.

ON THE RIVER: Ac

No flush, but not much more comfort. We're pleased when our opponent checks. So do we.

"I have Kings," we say. To this moment, we don't know what the opponent had. He folds, so we're left to guess it was a bluff. We win a nice pot of more than 2,000.

We won a couple of other hands, to hit a high of 14,800. Then we took our own chances with small blinds and a big stack, but they didn't work. We were 25 above our starting total at the first break.

Then in the second term, everything went wrong. A-Q missed the flop for us twice, and raising players made us fold. Pocket 8's lost as well. We endured the entire 80-minute period without winning a single hand! Our stack deteriorated to a lowly 900 at the break, leaving us one remaining hand. We tried with Q-5 of hearts, but diamonds showed up and a flush fight knocked us out.

We ended the day around 44th place, out of 79 entries. But at least we followed up on our blackjack success of Thursday night by going to a table and recovering $20 of our $95 entry fee.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I'm an honest man," a young man said as he turned over his cards to end a hand.

"Not to mention humble," we added. This brought a few chuckles from our end of the table.

Then we remembered a story we'd heard on Christian radio. "A congregation gave a pastor a trophy for being the most humble man in town. He brought it to church the next week.... and they fired him."

That's the funny thing about humility, isn't it? The Bible says we're supposed to have it....

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger. - Zephaniah 2:3

....and yet the seeking of humility can turn into a trap. Jesus told His own story about that:

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." - Luke 18:10-12

The Pharisee prayed, thanked God, fasted on a regular basis and tithed to the temple. Those are all good traits. But Jesus continued....

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. - Luke 18:13-14

Translation: the Pharisee prayed with a sense of pride - even arrogance toward the despised other man in the temple. The tax collector humbled himself before God, admitted his sins and pleaded for God's mercy.

It's easy to get a "big head" in a poker room when you win a tournament or make a lot of money. We should thank God for whatever blessings come our way - but be careful to do so in a humble way. Give God the glory from start to finish. The result could be even greater blessings than you expect.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 192 final tables in 533 games (36.0%) - 40 cashes. Experiment update: Down $260.

Breaking Badness

"The Pope is a bad person, isn't he?"

Talk about an unexpected question at a poker table.  We had already brought up our faith in Jesus.  Now a player was going "all in" about religion in a different way.

We stammered a bit, in trying to answer with a bit of humor. "I've never met the guy."

The other player went on to explain why he said that.  "This Pope believes in abortion.  He believes in homosexuality.  Things I don't agree with."

We were aware of some of Pope Francis's remarks about "not judging" homosexuals.  But we didn't know what the man meant about abortion - and a quick online search we did for this post indicates the player's statement was in fact an overstatement.

But let's go back to the player's original question.  Is Pope Francis a "bad person?"  There's a better answer to that, which we admit we didn't give at the time: Is anyone not a bad person?

We've met people at poker rooms and other places insist they're "a good person."  Yet the Bible says....

For all have sinned, and short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23

All humans sin.  Even the Pope has gone to a confessional -- although you don't have to do that to admit your sin.  Jesus made an amazing statement along these lines:

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered.  "No one is good - except God alone." - Mark 10:18

Was Jesus saying even He was bad?  We don't think so.  Jesus was God in the flesh, after all (John 1:1, 14).  But since only God is good, what do the rest of us need to do?

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

Confess the sins to God, as opposed to a minister.  After all, a minister can't purify you.  Only God can do that, through the blood of Jesus (verse 7).  And then....

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.  Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. - Isaiah 55:7

Forsake (as in give up) ways that are wicked and bad -- even thoughts that are evil.  Ask God to help you walk in a good and better way.  You'll be starting on the road to goodness -- a road that can lead to eternal life.

Seeking an Edge

If you're looking for ways to cheat at poker and win - sorry, you've come to the wrong website.  But it's noteworthy to us when even top-level poker players are accused of cheating.

That's what an Atlantic City casino is accusing Phil Ivey of doing.  Not at poker, but another card game.  He's accused of closely watching the edges of playing cards in baccarat for flaws, and using that knowledge to win millions of dollars.

We admit we've never played baccarat; we might have confused that word with a legendary composer of music.  We'd also never heard of "edge sorting" - but we're amazed at the things some people might use to gain, well, an edge at a card table.

Some people think they need to cheat to get an edge in life.  They might cut corners on their job, or even do deceptive things at church to "get ahead" with God at the expense of other members.  But God is too smart to be fooled by that....

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. - Proverbs 15:3

That "knows if you've been bad or good" stuff.... well, God was doing that long before anyone thought of a Santa Claus.  And beyond that....

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.... This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. - Romans 2:12, 16

When judgment day comes, Jesus could remember things about you that you've forgotten (or maybe wished you had).  But there's a way to escape that "true confessions" moment:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

God already has seen your cheating -- whether it's at the poker table, or other places in your life. Isn't it better to admit it to Him now, receive forgiveness and turn to a more ethical way of life?  Or would you rather dare to go "all in" against Jesus, and lose?

Friday Night Lights, Part 3

This series of posts began with an unusual Friday night for us -- as we deliberately went to a casino and played Ultimate Texas Hold 'em poker on a Friday night, to avoid doing anything that might show love for God on Valentine's Day.  But we realized the only way this action would accomplish anything is by sharing it with other church members.

So we had an awkward worship service the following day -- telling people we'd broken God's seventh-day Sabbath the night before, and why.  But that action had Biblical backing....

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. - James 5:16

If you do something at the table which upsets other players, do you walk out and hope the whole thing will blow over?  Phil Hellmuth once did that for a few minutes on national TV.  But good poker players have long memories -- and if they remember classic hands, they probably remember the attitudes of the people playing them.

Many a politician has learned the hard way that confessing faults and sins resolves matter faster, and may even improve their career chances.  So we all need to admit we're not perfect.  It keeps us all on the same level relationally -- even if our chip stacks are very different.

One woman at church took issue with how we interpreted the magazine article which started all this.  She said if anything, it was poorly worded.  On that, we agreed.  All of us need to be careful about that, because....

For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned. - Matthew 12:37 (KJV)

It's interesting that no one in our congregation condemned us, after we admitted to sinning on the Sabbath.  Perhaps they were too stunned by the news. Or perhaps they practiced the instruction of Jesus, when a supposedly-adulterous woman was brought before Him:

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." - John 8:7

No one threw stones at that woman.  Everyone left, perhaps convicted of their own sinfulness.  Are you able to do that, when trouble happens at a poker table?  It beats pointing fingers and making the "I never would...." claim.

As it happened, the sermon that day was about "The Commandment of Men."  It included this reference, which seemed to directly challenge what we'd been doing:

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.  Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. - Romans 14:22

The context of this chapter involves eating habits and the observance of certain days (such as Valentine's).  The message seemed to be: if you choose not to do what we preach, shut up and don't talk about it.  To which we'd respond: how else is bad teaching or Biblical guidance to be corrected?.

Another person took our issue directly to the magazine's editors -- and was told via e-mail we should review the author's sentences about expressing love on Valentine's Day, in relation to the entire article. 

We invite you to do that, and tell us what you think about all this.  Were we wrong to hit a casino for Friday night poker?  Were we wrong to bring it up to others -- or even to you here?

Friday Night Lights, Part 2

When we left a previous post, we had $30 left at the casino - only enough for one more Ultimate Texas Hold 'em hand at the $10 table.  Since the $5 table was full (proving more casino gamblers are economy-minded than you might think), we did something we hadn't done it years. We sat down at a blackjack table.

With $30 to spend and a $10 table, we figured we'd finish things quickly.  But a remarkable thing happened.  We won a hand.  Then another.  Then another. It wound up being a run of five wins and one push -- and suddenly we were $20 from breaking even!

But when the dealer dealt himself A-K, we knew it was time to get out near the top.  We left with only a $30 loss, stopped for a burger dinner, drove home and worked on our tax return a bit (even turning on TV for some of the sin-laden 10:00 p.m. news) before going to bed.

Keep in mind why we did this -- because we were consciously not showing love for God on February 14, including the start of a seventh-day Sabbath.  We admittedly had prayed Thursday night (the 13th) explaining to God why we were doing what we did.

The next morning was Saturday, the 15th -- and we resumed our normal routine, praying to God first thing in the morning.  We sought His forgiveness for anything we may have done wrong in the process.  (We could have acted much worse -- but we didn't curse, or even eat "unclean meats".)  And we have confidence from the Bible that it was granted....

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

We should stop here and ask: have you done this?  Even poker players sin, you know....

....For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23

We all need God's loving forgiveness -- and that's admittedly one big problem we have with the magazine article which started all this.  Does God suspend His love for humans on February 14, simply because some people have turned that day into a pagan "love feast?

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23

If God can forgive our "love is wrong today" fling, even if it's suggested by a church group's teaching which seems to be ridiculous, He can forgive your sins at the poker table.  But you must confess them -- which we think means admitting they were wrong, and asking God to forgive them.

There's one more part to this story.  A worship service Saturday afternoon allowed us to share our actions with other church members.  Could we start a conversation on exactly what love means -- including when to do it?

(NOTE: This story will continue in a future post.)

Telling It Like It Is

We aren't playing much online poker these days (although an upcoming schedule change could allow more).  But one opponent we've met over the years has the screen name "FloodofSins."  One recent day at National League of Poker, he was eliminated....

Dealer: 　mks wins Main Pot ($3,400) with Two pair, aces and fours
Me: 　Sins purged. :-)
kingkupkake: 　its a confessional
Me: 　I confess....
Me: 　I have no pair here. :-)
We wrote that final line during the following hand -- and we told the truth; we had no reason staying there long.  But that word "confessional" started an interesting conversation.  We'd ask you first: are you a confessor?

Plenty of people keep their poker hands secret, both when they fold and when they win before a showdown.  The general rule is that you don't have to show your cards unless a showdown requires it.  To have a relationship with God, that won't work at all.  For starters....

"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord.  "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 23:24

You can try running from God.  The prophet Jonah did, in the first chapter of the book named after him.  But Jonah quickly realized he can't hide.  God can see everything we do -- even the sins you think you're hiding from everyone on Earth.

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. - Proverbs 28:13

This sort of confessing can work on many levels.  If you do something which upsets another poker player, going to that player with a humble apology can heal a damaged relationship.  That can be true in our dealings with God as well:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

The "he" in this case refers to God.  There may be times when you need to confess your faults to other people (James 5:16) - but only God can ultimately forgive sins, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. - I Timothy 2:5

Our online chat will continue in a future post.