Too Long at the Fair

We were due for a night like this.  We went to Kansas Star Casino hoping again to make quick money playing Ultimate Texas Hold 'em - but lousy cards came our way four hands in a row.  At a ten-dollar table, we lost $90 in no time.

We left and walked around the casino, pondering what to do.  Do we cash in our remaining $10 in chips and go home?  Do we dare risk that $10 on a cheap blackjack game?  (No, we concluded -- every time we passed a blackjack table, the dealer was getting heartbreaking wins.)  Do we reach into the "envelope of blessings" we carry for the remaining money inside?

After several minutes of sports-watching and pondering, we decided to reach.  We made change for the remaining $100, and only plunked down $50 at the table.  And what do you know -- the tide turned in our favor!  Several quick wins transformed our $60 into $160.  We had the money back, plus $10.

We knew that streak had to end eventually -- and it did on the next hand.  We could have packed up, left with a $10 loss and thanked God for a good comeback.  But we stuck around, hoping to get back on the "plus side."  Only we didn't.  The losses returned -- and we wound up going home with a $160 loss.

At that moment we were reminded of a man at a regular poker table who talked of losing $300 in a cash game.  "Why don't we ever get out?" he moaned.

That's a very good question.  Perhaps part of the answer can be found in a very familiar Bible verse:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. - I Timothy 6:10

Notice carefully: the love of money isn't the root of evil.... but it's certainly one of them.  We can be so eager after winning a little that we stick around, dreaming of winning a lot -- and the law of averages comes back to bite you.

You want something but don't get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.  You quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God. - James 4:2

This may sound strange -- but looking back to the start of the night, we probably didn't pray enough about what was going to happen inside the casino.  We certainly didn't pray for God's wisdom in being a light to other people. (We tried to be in the second trip; that's an item for another post.)  Ignore God in prayer, and He well could ignore you....

Come near to God, and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. - James 4:8

We take the blame for not following the advice of fictional TV anchorman Ron Burgundy: "Let me out at the top." That door was open.  We didn't take it.  We needed to keep a wise godly head at that moment -- instead of waiting until we drove home, confessing our faults to God and resolving not to go back to that casino for awhile.

The Big Giver

Getting a seat can take some waiting.  But we're finding we like "Ultimate Texas Hold 'em" games in casinos a lot.  This weekend we scored our third cash gain in as many tries.  And on top of that, the atmosphere around the table seems friendlier -- since everyone competes against the dealer, not each other.

"What I'd like," said a man to our left Saturday night at Kansas Star Casino, "is a royal flush or a straight flush.  I'd give everyone at the table $100."

Aha -- sounds good!  But then he added: "The last time I made a straight flush was 1987."

"So you're due," we told him hopefully.

"Overdue," a woman to his left added.

Straight flushes don't happen very often, of course.  And for that matter, neither does the attitude of that man -- especially when it comes to poker.  It's an attitude of giving, and it's downright Biblical.

Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. - Luke 6:38

In a typical poker room, giving is the last thing on people's minds.  A gain in a cash game normally means taking money from other players.  Winning in a tournament requires getting all the chips in play from the competition.  Sadly, many people live their lives with the same mindset.

What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don't get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.  You quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God. - James 4:1-2

God is ready to provide your needs -- if you ask Him.  Oh, and don't forget....

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:3

Maybe we should all try asking God in prayer for blessings that we can share with other people -- especially with people in more difficult situations than our own.  That approach can fulfill something we hinted at in our last post....

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. - Ecclesiastes 11:1

On this night, the royal flush and straight flush didn't come.  But a good example of Christianity did -- at least in word.

Poker Night 395: Looking for Something?

Did you ever search and search around the house for an item -- only to discover it was sitting right in front of you all along?  That can happen at a poker table, too.  Look carefully at this hand from tonight's tournament at Lil Kim's Cove:

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: Queen-7 of diamonds

As best we remember, we haven't won a pot yet -- but we haven't bet much, either.  From a starting 13,000 chips (3,000 extra for soda, 5,000 for arriving on time), this is a safe inexpensive hand to play.  We call, and no one at the table of six raises.

ON THE FLOP: 10x-Kd-6x

A third diamond offers hope of a flush.  We're helped by the fact that the table checks.

ON THE TURN: J (not a diamond)

There goes the flush -- and our interest in this hand.  We're ready to fold to anything.  But the table checks again.

ON THE RIVER: A

As they say in hockey, now the gloves come off.  A woman who calls herself a "newby" player bets 3,000.  A man across from her raises to 10,000.

"I'd better get ready to fold this," we say -- but then with our cards above the table, we suddenly see it.  Hey, there are four cards for a straight on the board!  And we have the Queen for a "Broadway" straight!

The cards come back, and we're glad we didn't simply say "fold."  We call the bet of 10,000.  The new player next to us struggles to figure out her chips, but she calls as well.

"I've got a Queen," we say as we show.  And it turns out the other two big bettors did, too.  It's a three-way split of the pot, and only a modest gain for us.

The lesson for us here: keep watching a hand carefully until you're completely out of it.  Surprising "runner" cards came to give us a straight -- and we almost missed it, by assuming the worst.

We won a couple of pots outright in the first hour, including an 8-9 which turned into two pair on the flop and took out an opponent.  Then a longtime Tournament Director quit the game with a huge stack of chips, and we gained about 5,000 more in a six-way split.  Our high was 23,500 -- but then good cards quit coming.

An attempt to make something happen with a pair of Jacks fell victim to a flush we didn't have.  Finally at the start of the third hour with only 10,000 chips left and the blinds at 5,000/10,000, we folded 7-10 -- only to watch cards come which would have given us a winning straight.

The next hand was a forced Big Blind with J-6.  The river brought a 6 -- but a man across from us had A-6, and his kicker topped us.  We again fell barely short of the final table, finishing 10th.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I read a passage from the Bible every day," the new female player told us before the game began.  That led to a short discussion around the table about sin.

"Everyone sins," a man across from us said.  "There are little sins and big sins."

Big and little to us, maybe.  But in the eyes of God, we're still.... well, "all sin."

For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. - James 2:10

The discussion reminded us of a Bible passage we'd read earlier in the day....

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. - I John 1:8

Are you claiming that?  If so, take another look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5.  Have you gone throughout your life without ever telling a lie -- even once?  Have you never longed to own something one of your friends has?  That can be coveting.  Yet here's the good news....

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

After you seek God's forgiveness of your sins, ask for His help in coming out of sin.  His Holy Spirit can help you resist and win, if you let Him live within you.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 136 final tables in 395 nights (34.4%) - 20 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 283 point wins in 1,388 games (20.4%), 92 final tables, 10 cashes, 12 wins.  No-River Hold 'em - 28 point wins in 108 games (25.9%), 23 final tables, 2 cashes, 1 win.

It appears we were wrong about NLOP ending the monthly Senior Championships.  Qualifying is underway for the March event -- but we'll have to miss it, due to another commitment.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games -  $85,649, down $747.

Are You Cleaning Up?

The Wednesday night poker tournament is still on in our city, even though some local colleges canceled evening classes.  It was the result of a day of rough weather, which had a couple of tornado warnings.  A strong cold front brought us high winds and hard rain.

The storm could bring flooding and erode land.  But there's one thing rain cannot wash away -- the stains caused by sins in our lives.

In a post earlier this week, we noted some of the definitions of "sin" in the Bible.  If you lie to other players at the table about your hand, that's a sin under the Ten Commandments.  If you even become fixated on your opponent's big chip stack, that can be sin as well....

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.  You shall not set your desire on your neighbors house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. - Deuteronomy 5:21

There actually was a time in human history when God used rain against sin -- not really washing it away, but drowning it:

I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it.  Everything on earth will perish. - Genesis 6:17

God did this because our planet had become violent and corrupt (verses 12-13).  Yet Earth still has life and breath, because God made a big exception.  He spared Noah, his family and animals taken aboard an ark (verses 18-21).

Trouble is, our planet probably has more violence and corruption today -- if only because Earth has more than seven billion people.  So sin remains in our lives.  How can we get rid of it these days?  By something better than rainwater....

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. - I John 1:7 (KJV)

The atheist we met at the final table last week probably doesn't think she needs that blood, and might not even think she needs to be cleansed of anything.  But if the Bible is right, we'll all come before Jesus Christ for judgment someday.  Will you accept His blood sacrifice in your behalf now, by repenting of your sins and seeking forgiveness from God?  Will you "come clean" with God -- and by God?

Poker Night 347: If It Feels Good....

People come across this blog for all sorts of reasons.  We met a man tonight who said he found out about poker games in the Columbus, Georgia area through our blog.  He sat across the table from us at The Red Barn, and he won a few pots through aggressive betting.  But would that approach work for us?

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: A-10 of clubs

The first hour of play went fairly well for us.  A high pocket pair gained us one pot.  Then K-9 right before the break brought a winning pair of Kings and a "Rodney bonus" of 5,000.

We began Hour 2 at 18,000 chips, but lost a good bit chasing big hands after that.  Now we're in the Big Blind with 12,000.  Only five players are at our table.  Others are coming, to make it a semifinal table.  No one has raised in front of us.  Even though these cards are high and suited, we choose to lay low and check.

ON THE FLOP: 9s-Qd-Jd

This is a tempting flop, as we have a "gutshot" draw for the top straight.  (We don't even notice an 8 would work every bit as well.)  We check in lead position, but a man to our immediate left offers 1,500.  He's bet into several hands with mere speculation, and we have this feeling a big hand is coming.  So even though two players call in front of us, we call as well.

ON THE TURN: Jh

Close, but not quite.  We check again.  The man to our left offers 1,500 again.  This is low enough to keep us in the hunt.  So we call, as do the other two players.

ON THE RIVER: Kd

Jackpot!  Our hunch is proven right.  So we don't hesitate.  "I'm all-in," we declare -- plunking down our remaining 9,000 chips.

The man who had been betting is taken aback by this.  He ponders a moment, then shakes his head and folds.  The woman next to him folds as well.  The dealer calls -- but we still feel good, and we've got our clinching line ready to go.

"You can call me...."

"I've got a flush," the dealer says without listening to us.  He flips over two diamonds.

"....the Rivercenter, because I'm on...."  We fade out the reference to Broadway before the sentence ends.  To our surprise, our straight is topped and our night is over in 16th place.

Yet the dealer isn't satisfied.  "I was one F****NG card away from a royal flush!"  One of his diamonds was the 10.  So he doesn't get a 5,000-chip bonus for that, but he still gets the win.

Of all the Kings to come out of the deck, the one which landed on the river was the worst.  And to be honest, we never realized that card put three diamonds in play.  We loved the letter, but didn't notice the suit -- although if we had, we probably still would have risked all our chips had the dealer forced it.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "What do you have over there?" that winning dealer asked us a couple of hands earlier.  Did he mean the size of our chip stack?  The 4-4 in our hand, with 5-5-6 showing on the flop?

"I've got a Life Saver," we said holding up our wrapped card protector.  That answer was meant as comedy relief.  But we then explained to a woman sitting to our right, "It reminds me Jesus is my lifesaver -- my hope of salvation."

We didn't ask the woman what she thought of that statement, but she seemed to understand.  It's a desire believers expressed long before Jesus came to Earth.

I wait for your salvation, O Lord, and I follow your commands.... I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. - Psalm 119:166, 174

Did you notice what's connected to salvation in Psalms?  There's commandment-keeping, and delight in God's law.  A poker tournament admittedly can test your loyalty to that law.  For instance....

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.  You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. - Deuteronomy 5:21

This tenth commandment is why we're admittedly reluctant to play cash games for real stakes (even though we've done it several times).  There's a desire for gain.  But it comes with a price -- as other players have to lose money for that gain to happen.  Financial markets work differently; people who buy stock could pay enough to leave the seller with a profit.

As Constitution Day approaches in the U.S., we ask: how much do you delight in law?  Not only the laws of the land, but the ones God established long ago?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 123 final tables in 347 nights (35.4%) - 19 cashes.

The Big Tenth

Do you play poker simply for fun? Are you a pro, playing to make a living? (And if you're reading this at the World Series of Poker, we'd love to hear from you - please leave a comment.)

Wherever you are in the poker spectrum, you could be tempted to covet your opponent's chips. Or success. Or bracelet. Or perhaps something else. If you face that temptation, this message from a church in Colorado may help you. If you succumb, we pray it turns your life around.

All the Money's on the Table?

It may not be at big poker tournament finales anymore, after what happened this weekend in Berlin. An organized group of robbers reportedly stormed into the event, and stole tens of thousands of Euros which was destined for the winner.

Let's be honest here: don't big poker events put the money front-and-center at a final table to get your covetous nature going? The very thing the Bible warns against, in verses such as Romans 13:9?

But it's really no different from a loan office commercial -- the ads offering needy people much smaller amounts of dollar bills.

Are poker events inherently dangerous? Not if the organizers take proper security precautions. Remember, there's also plenty of cash around every time you visit the national bank.