Poker Night 572: Well AJ-usted

Our last trip to Hollywood Casino Indiana was a confusing mess, with a "six game mix" tournament. Wednesday night, it was back to basic Texas Hold 'em. Maybe that's too boring for some people....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: Ace-Jack of spades

How slow was it Wednesday night? So slow that cards weren't even dealt until 18 minutes were off the clock! Not enough people were at the two tables for play. But the usual latecomers eventually arrived to get things going.

Now we've folded a blind, and have our best cards so far. But we see these nice cards sitting in the leadoff seat. We limp in, and a couple of people at the table of five call.

ON THE FLOP: Jh-10x-Qx

A high-end flop gives us a pair and a big draw. Other players check, so we don't wait. We bet 400. One man calls, while the other folds.

ON THE TURN: 5h

This card seems harmless, but what is our opponent holding? We check for a clue. He checks. So much for that.

ON THE RIVER: 6h

This complicates matters, because now three hearts are showing. We could keep it slow, but decide aggression is the better response. We bet 500, and get a call. If he has a Queen....

"Jack with an Ace?!?" we say hopefully.

"You're good," he answers! He never shows his cards, and we take a nice pot.

Patient waiting for good cards paid off after that, as our stack grew - to 13,825 at the first break, then a near-high of 25,800 heading to the final table! But then big cards turned back for us - as A-K lost to a woman with 6-6, and A-J lost when the same woman with 608 caught an 8 on the river.

With five players left and our stack down to only 3,800, we saw 2-2. One player was all-in for much more, but we decided we couldn't wait for something better. We made it two pushes at the same time - but a man with (we believe) Q-8 hit a bigger pair, and took us both out.

Only the top two made money in a night with 16 entries. Bbut we finished strongly in fifth place (officially; by our reasoning tied for fourth).

MINISTRY MOMENT: At one point, we pretended to cool off a man who was winning hand after hand. "He's on fire," we said.

Surprisingly, that led the dealer to mention the recent devastating fire at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Something's been on our mind about that.

"What surprised me about Notre Dame Cathedral was how many people acted like their grandpa had died," we told the table.

"It's like if the Washington Monument caught fire," another player explained. He pointed out that monument is a symbol of the U.S., as the cathedral apparently is to France. (We visited Paris years ago, and don't recall anyone ever mentioning it as an icon for tourists.)

We understood the man's point. But we responded, "It's a very nice building - but ultimately, it's just a building. It's going to be rebuilt. They're worshiping the creation more than the Creator." That comes from the King James Version of this verse:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen. - Romans 1:25

We've heard ministers apply this version in a number of ways - going after environmentalists and animal rights supporters, among others. But religious people can do the same thing, if they aren't careful. God's hand can be seen in nature or great art - but that does not mean the nature or art should become our god.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.... Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man's design and skill. - Acts 17:24, 29

The other poker player seemed to understand our point as well. "But try telling that to the Catholics," he replied. Indeed, the Roman Catholic Church seems to put a lot of emphasis on icons - such as the "crown of thorns" in the Notre Dame Cathedral that the ministers there presume came from Jesus Christ.

Our point is simply this: put God first. Not a minister. Not a church building. Not a national or local politician. As Jesus put it....

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. - Mark 13:31

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 218 final tables in 572 games (38.1%) - 46 cashes. We're currently at six finals in nine tournaments this year!

Poker Day 566: Flop-House

We arrived at Hollywood Casino Indiana today for an unusual (for us) Tuesday midday tournament, then discovered we could pick up a nice consolation prize.

A snack shop across the hall from the casino was offering free dessert, to mark National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! This was a $4.95 value - and c'mon, how many casinos offer free ice cream? If only we could survive to the first break, and not have to wait around for the coupon….

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-10 of clubs

At this point, the ice cream coupon is secured. It's the middle of Hour 2, after we overcame an early setback with pocket Kings to close Hour 1 at 13,475 from a starting 12,000 chips. We tend to fold K-10 when blinds go up and things get risky. But these are suited, so we try them. Two other players at the table of eight call.

ON THE FLOP: 10-10-K

No clubs. But no problem! We build an instant full house! A man to our right plays first, and offers 1,200. This reminds us of our last tournament in Kansas City.

"I can do 12," we say matter-of-factly. The third man can't; he folds.

ON THE TURN: 7

We doubt this helped our opponent at all. This time he checks. We want him to stick around and keep feeding our beast, so we make a hesitant-looking bet of 1,500. He calls. We're glad about it.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We should have the TV "check-mark" at this point. Now our opponent is ready to bet again - but backs off a little, to 1,100.

"No," we say. "Not enough." Forgetting it's an ice cream day, we raise to 3,100. Will our opponent take the dare? After a moment.... he does!

Then we remember the famous words a man said to oust us at a Alabama poker night years ago. "I flopped it," we say. When we show the full house, our opponent folds without showing.

"Was it that ice cream?" another player asks.

"I haven't eaten the ice cream yet," we answer with a smile.

Thankfully, the ice cream had to wait a long while. Big timely cards kept coming our way - never pocket Aces, but several winning A-K's and a couple of successful flushes. We ballooned to 36,200 after two hours of play. then reached the final table at 42,200.

Marvelous moments kept happening there. Even though we fell to 32,200 at the three-hour break, we won a sidepot with A-10 and made a big flush with 6 of hearts. Then we had three hands of 3-3 4-4 and 3-3! The first pocket pair was blown up for a full house on the river, but the other two led to double-ups - and we survived to the final three, to make the money!

After a few hands of chip shuffling, we asked a question. "Is it time to say 'chop'?" The other two men agreed to that. We wound up with $360 - seven times the $70 buy-in! We were thankful for God's guidance in making money. And since it's January, we were able to drive the free ice cream all the way home to enjoy later.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When we turned over 6-6 at the final table, one talkative opponent declared: "Satan's hand."

"Actually, that's three sixes," we said in correction.

"You'll need three sixes," he predicted in response.

That man turned out to be wrong, as the 6 of hearts led us to a winning flush. But this is a reminder that some people don't know the Bible as well as they think. Let's review his reference....

Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. - Revelation 13:18 (NLT)

Many people have made guesses about what 666 means. We will not do that here. But the prophecies of Revelation indicate the future "beast-man" will require everyone to worship it, and receive some kind of mark for trading (verses 15-17). But believers in the true God should do something else....

….This means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. - Revelation 13:10 (NLT)

You don't have to wait for an end-time beast to come to do these things, you know. The best time to start practicing these traits is now:

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. - II Timothy 2:12-13 (NLT)

By the way, there's one other 666 in the Bible - the size of a Israelite family (Ezra 2:13). We didn't find any 66's in the text. But there's one big overarching one - as the standard Bible has 66 books! Can you name all of them? And even more importantly, have you read through all of them?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 214 final tables in 566 games (37.8%) - 46 cashes. Since we crossed the 500-tournament mark in April 2017, we've had 31 finals in 66 tries.... not far from 50 percent!

Aaron Sells-Out

At our last live poker tournament, the name "Aaron" came up - and we noted that's a famous name from the Bible. We meet him first in Exodus 4, as the older brother of Moses and a spokesman for both of them.

Aaron accompanied Moses in several showdowns with Egypt's Pharaoh. They ended with Israel coming out of Egyptian slavery - and the support was more than vocal:

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amaliekites were winning. When Moses's hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up - one on one side, one on the other.... - Exodus 17:11-12

How many "poker wives" support their spouses quietly and loyally - whether in big tournaments or small? They may not literally hold the cards up so the players can see them, but they can give moral support and encouragement in many ways. It's easy to overlook them, but we shouldn't.

God set up a line of priests through Aaron (Exodus 28:1/Leviticus 8:21-30) - but then he made a big mistake:

Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.".... He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it into a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf.... - Exodus 32:3-5

It's one thing to win a gold bracelet, at an event such as the World Series of Poker. It's another thing to idolize it - making it a god and presuming it's like the God of heaven. Even though God was displaying His power in amazing ways to Israel, Aaron defaulted to something Egypt had done. And then....

"They said to me, Make us gods who will go before us'.... Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" - Exodus 32:23-24

Really.... really?! Aaron lied by denying he'd "fashioned" the gold, and claiming it looked like a false god by sheer coincidence. It's easy for us to say it now, but Aaron should have stood his moral ground and pointed the people to the God who was talking with Moses on Mount Sinai.

If poker consumes a lot of your time, either in person or online, you might have turned the game into your god - and you have a false god. You might need to do what Moses did for Israel....

So Moses went back to the Lord and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin...." - Exodus 32:31-32

Seek God's forgiveness, and make Him the true God of your life. After all, He was around long before poker - and He offers the gift of eternal life, to last far beyond it.

The Folks at the Rail

In a recent post we brought up a thought-provoking list of "dont's." If you think the rules in a casino are stiff, consider these....

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. - I Corinthians 6:9-10

Some of the items on this list may seem outdated and offensive, but they're still in the Bible. And you might encounter some of them the next time you enter a poker room. In fact, you might even see them in the mirror before you go in.

For instance, if you're fixated on getting rich playing poker, you could be an idolater:

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

Stay too long in a cash game, and you could lose every penny you have. Stick around too long after making a nice game, and you could qualify for the "greedy" part of that list. Lie about how you're playing, and you could be swindling people out of pots as well -- not to mention disqualifying yourself from God's future Kingdom.

Yet if this describes you, the news is not completely bleak. You don't have to head to the rail and watch the rest of your life as a loser. Go back to that list in the Bible, and read one verse beyond it....

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. - I Corinthians 6:11

The apostle Paul wrote these words to a church group which had come out of wickedness. The members did it by turning to Jesus:

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts  2:38

Repentance means turning around from one way of life to another. Pray for God's help in doing it, and He'll not only forgive you - He'll start a process which leads to the Holy Spirit helping you walk in the opposite direction. It might mean giving up poker as you know it. But knowing God and Jesus Christ - potentially for eternity in God's Kingdom - is a lot better.

Poker Day 436: Ace is Enough?

Life can become very busy at times.  For us, it's been so busy that we hadn't played in a poker tournament in five weeks.  So we went to Arrowhead Poker this afternoon, after practicing a bit in an  online cash game.  Would absence make our play better or worse?

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: A-8 offsuit

Only 11 players have shown up for Sunday action on a holiday weekend, giving us hope for "small table" success.  We're at the table of five, but have yet to win a hand.  With nearly our full chip stack, we take this cautiously and limp in.  Most of the players are in.

ON THE FLOP: A-Q-6

Top pair is nice -- and when the table checks, we get the feeling we're leading.  We bet 500 to see how serious the opposition is.  One man calls; the others fold.

ON THE TURN: 4

That seems harmless - and something tells us our opponent is chasing something, perhaps with a Queen.  We bet 1,000.  He doesn't hesitate, and calls.

ON THE RIVER: 5

That complicates things a bit.  Now there are three cards for a straight.  We check with caution - but our opponent offers 1,900.  This strikes us as a "get lost" bet.  But with top pair, we really can't.  So we call -- and he shows A-9!  His kicker card topped ours to take the pot.  And our read on that man turned out to be very wrong.

It was that sort of day for us -- betting on promising hands, only to lose to better ones.  Our stack of chips drained rather quickly.  An all-in moment with 9-9 brought a third 9 on the flop to allow a triple-up to 8,200 chips.  But it didn't last -- and a final push with J-9 when a Jack came on the flop led to an opponent making two pair, while we did not.

We finished 11th out of 11, which is technically in last place.  But if the tournament had not allowed re-buys, we would have been a couple of spots off the bottom.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed our "Lord's Supper" card protector to a man at our left -- the one with a depiction of a long-haired Jesus on the other side, when he turned it over.

"That's awesome," he said.

"I think Jesus is awesome.  Do you think Jesus is awesome?"

"Yes, he sure is," the man said quietly as he refocused on the game and his smartphone.

We think the word awesome gets overused today.  We've even heard church pastors say it to describe young people playing music a bit less than perfect.  The ministers may be trying to encourage young talent.  But consider how that word is used in the Bible....

Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? - Exodus 15:11

This verse comes from a song celebrating God's miracle for the Israelites at the Red Sea (verse 4). We think God showed a bit of that glory in providing a "pillar of fire" for Israel to keep moving away from the Egyptians (Exodus 13:21).

The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the land. The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land. - Zephaniah 2:11

This moment of "awesome-sauce" (to borrow from that credit card commercial) is written for the future.  The "Lord God" plans to destroy all other gods. How will that happen?

Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." - Revelation  19:15-16

To borrow from a carol at this time of year, the return of the "Lord of Lords" Jesus Christ will not be "tender and mild."  Jesus will strike down all opposition - and we suspect that will include the gods of those opponents as well.  Now that's one awesome Lord.  Agree?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 155 final tables in 436 games (35.6%) - 25 cashes.  We missed a final table for the first time since mid-August (five tournaments ago).

The Perfect Tens

Congratulations to Martin Jacobson of Sweden, this year's winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event.  And the way he won the bracelet Tuesday night was quite noteworthy.

"Tens for ten!" Jacobson's supporters chanted when he turned over 10-10 in response to Felix Stephensen of Sweden's all-in bet.  Stephensen had A-9, but a third 10 on the flop did him in.  So talk about numerology - three 10's earned Jacobson ten million U.S. dollars.

The number 10 is important for believers in God as well.  Why?

Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire.... He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. - Deuteronomy 4:12-13

God summarized the basic rules for righteous living in ten points.  Have you looked at those points lately, and considered whether you're following them?  For instance....

You shall have no other gods before me. - Deuteronomy 5:7

If you decide to take a "week off" from worship because of a big poker tournament, or if you're too busy with online games to spend time reading the Bible, you might have a false god.

The "gods of poker," as some players call them, can't come close to the God of the Bible.  Can poker gods do this?

...Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. - Psalm 103:3-4

What does "redeeming your life" mean?  The poker gods also can't resurrect you to eternal life....

...In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. - I Corinthians 15:52

That's why it's important to keep the first commandment. We encourage you to look through the rest of God's "winning ten" and see where you stand compared to them.

In the meantime, let's have a little fun with that winning number. What other 10's can you find in the Bible? Leave a comment with your answer, and we'll compare notes in an upcoming post.

Whose Luck Is It, Anyway?

Today is a day when many people think about Ireland.  Poker rooms could have green far beyond the felt on the tables -- and players might talk about having the "luck of the Irish."

But if you think about it, how lucky are the Irish?  Consider some examples:

• The Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" men's basketball team lost in the Big East Conference semifinals Friday night.  The football team went undefeated last season, but was trampled in the title tilt.
• Basketball's Boston Celtics (with the little man and the shamrock on their logo) won a lot of titles years ago - but only one since 1986.
• The country of Ireland had devastating and deadly famines during the 18th and 19th centuries.

We don't cite all this to demean Ireland or people of Irish ancestry.  Our point is that "luck" really has nothing to do with where you live, or who your ancestors were.

An article we found online analyzes the idea of luck, as it relates to Saint Patrick's Day.  It's a concept we've mentioned here several times, in considering the factors involved in winning at poker.  But that article includes a Bible passage we hadn't noticed before:

What will I, the Lord, do if any of you reject me and my holy mountain?  What will happen to you for offering food and wine to the gods you call "Good Luck" and "Fate"? - Isaiah 65:11 (CEV)

Luck isn't simply a Western concept, you know.  Perhaps you've eaten at restaurants with names such as "Lucky Buddha" -- as Chinese culture includes a god of luck.  But what does the Bible say will happen, if you present offerings to such things?

Your luck will end!  I will see to it that you are slaughtered with swords.... you did what I hated, knowing it was wrong. - Isaiah 65:12 (CEV)

God wants the people He created to look to Him for their needs, not false gods.

I, the Lord God, will give food and drink to my servants, and they will celebrate.... My servants will laugh and sing, but you will be sad and cry out in pain. - Isaiah 65:13-14 (CEV)

The last part of this chapter indicates these words will be fulfilled when Jesus comes back, to create "new heavens and a new earth" (verse 17).  Put your trust in the real God and follow the Bible's instructions, and you'll be there.  The alternative sounds more blood red than "emerald isle" green.

Lessons From a Frog

It's a rare day when a fellow poker player offers a suggestion for this blog.  So we thank a woman named Laura for telling us about a meditation she did recently -- not on poker, but on frogs.

"Frogs are small and pretty helpless," she explained.  They also spend a lot of time each day sitting on lily pads.  So she concluded the letters in "frog" can teach us all a lesson - to "Fully Rely On God."


Frogs actually are mentioned in the Bible a few times, and not in the nicest ways....

The the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.  If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.  The Nile will teem with frogs....'" - Exodus 8:1-3

Frogs?!  Why a plague of frogs?  Some Bible scholars say Egyptians worshiped a "frog god," believing it helped women during childbirth.  So the real God was making a point here....

He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.  They performed his miraculous signs among them.... Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers. - Psalm 105:26-30

The Israelites' God showed He was true, by controlling the "frog god" which was false.  But believe it or not, that false god could make a comeback.

Then I saw three evil spirits which looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  They are spirits of demons, performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. - Revelation 16:13-14

These "frogs" (or whatever they really are) apparently will be far from small and helpless.  They'll organize world leaders to gather at Armageddon (verse 16) -- but chapters 17-19 indicate Jesus will return to Earth and smite many of them.

Bottom line: yes, we recommend Laura's advice.  Fully rely on God - even when you're playing poker.  And have nothing to do with green hopping lookalikes.

Father Figures

Today is Father's Day in the U.S.  It's a day to celebrate Dads who are living, and perhaps reflect on memories of those who are deceased.

Laurence A. Burkard: 1921-2001

How do you remember your parents?  Do you have anything special around your home -- or maybe in your wallet or purse?  It's a question that ties in well with one we asked in a recent post: do you carry any reminders with you of God?  After all....

Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? - Deuteronomy 32:6b

Are you surprised by the location of that Bible verse?  All the way back in the Old Testament, God was referred to as a "father" -- long before Jesus the Son appeared on Earth and recommended:

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...." - Matthew 6:9

We can't really carry a picture of God or Jesus in our wallets, because all we have are artist's depictions -- and there's plenty of debate among religious groups over how accurate those depictions are.  But the Bible shows there are plenty of things in this world which can symbolize God, and remind us of Him.  For instance:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. - Psalm 18:2

We've never taken a rock or a horn to a poker night, to use as a card protector.  (After looking up this verse, that might change!)  But regular blog readers know we take other things -- admittedly more as conversation starters than physical reminders of God.

There's one big thing Jesus provided for stirring up memories of Him, and of heaven....

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you do this in remembrance of me." - Luke 22:19

Christians know this as the "Lord's Supper," communion or the New Testament Passover -- introduced by Jesus on the night before His death.  The church group we attend only does this "remembrance" once a year.  It's considered that big a deal -- so big that our Pastor tends to lead up to it with three months of Passover-related sermons.  Of course, the world only tends to make Father's Day a once-a-year event as well.

So how do we remember our fathers at other times of year -- especially our heavenly Father?  We wrestled with this topic here a couple of years ago.  Despite what some ministers say, we still see nothing wrong with carrying reminders of God -- as long as you don't worship those things.  Doing that crosses a Biblical line:

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.... - Exodus 20:4-5

We realize bowing before a little bottle of Liquid Paper would look very silly.  May you honor your physical father in a way which doesn't dishonor your heavenly Father -- the One who gave both of you life.

Just One Look

At a poker night last week, we mentioned a man's suggestion that we should envision Jesus as "looking like you."

At first thought, that sounds sensible -- since God made humans to look like Him.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness".... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. - Genesis 1:26-27

The Bible also shows Jesus came from heaven not as an animal or a bird, but as a human being.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:11

Did Jesus look extraordinary while He walked the earth? Did He have a halo around His head, so everyone could recognize Him? Apparently not....

They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. - Luke 4:29-30

How could Jesus do this if He looked different than everyone else?

So the man's comment on poker night is well taken. Jesus probably looked like any rank-and-file Nazarene of His time. But there's something else to consider, when it comes to this topic....

All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols -- worship him, all you gods! - Psalm 97:7

Having a picture of Jesus (or some other god) in your home for worship purposes actually are violating one of God's Ten Commandments.

So how should we envision God the Father and Jesus -- for example, when we pray? The apostle Paul may have offered the best advice....

....God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lord, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light.... - I Timothy 6:15-16

Paul was blinded by a light when he first encountered Jesus (Acts 9:3, 8-9). May we all look to that "light of the world" for wisdom, guidance and help when we need it.

National Heads-Up Week 5: How Many Outs?

We had a different topic in mind for today's National Heads-Up Poker Championship quarterfinal telecast. But then Andrew Robl said something familiar at the end of his match with David Benyamine - familiar, yet provocative.

"It's in the hands of the poker gods," he said Robl A-10 of hearts (which turned into a winning flush). Uhhhhh -- no.

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. - I Chronicles 16:26

If that offends you -- well, we can't really apologize. That statement comes from the Bible, which is inspired by God. The One true God (II Timothy 3:16).

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. - Deuteronomy 6:4

Yet Jesus came as the Son of God and declared:

I and my Father are one. - John 10:30 (KJV)

Don't simply appeal to generic "poker gods," which aren't really gods at all. Develop a close relationship with the real God and the real Jesus Christ, through prayer and exploring the Bible. That's the only real way out of this life, to a life that never ends.

Heads Up?

In our last post, we mentioned a man gave us a card protector with an artist's depiction of the "Lord's Supper" on it. But as they say, there are two sides to every coin. That depiction was really the "tails" side.

This is "heads" -- what we assume is an artist's rendering of Jesus.

Artwork along these lines dates from the Renaissance. Trouble is, we really don't think this is an accurate depiction. We don't say this based on photographic evidence (since cameras did not exist 2,000 years ago) -- but based on the Bible:

Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. -- I Corinthians 11:14-15

Experts say the apostle Paul wrote these words about 25 years after Jesus was crucified. While modern fashion trends may change by the decade, we really don't think they changed that quickly in the first century -- so we're led to conclude Paul had short hair, and so did Jesus.

(Some people use Numbers 6 to contend Jesus had long hair -- but that passage refers to a separated Nazarite vow, where no grape juice of any sort is consumed. Jesus was a Nazarene, which is different. And He actually drank wine at that Lord's Supper on the other side.)

But there's another thing which concerns us about that depiction of Jesus....

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God...." -- Exodus 20:4-5

The King James Version of these verses warns against "any graven image." Bowing down to an idol can be a picture of Christ. Or Buddha. Or even losing control at a poker tournament and bowing down to a big stack of chips.

We appreciate the man's generosity, in giving us this card protector. But we're probably going to modify the "heads" side somewhat. Any suggestions about what we should do?

By Any Other Name

We told you earlier this week about the young woman at our poker table who brought the ancient Greek god of wine, Dionysus. And we quoted a warning from the true God to Moses in Exodus 23:13. "Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips."

Does this mean the woman sinned by saying.... uh.... the D-word? This is where we sometimes might not want to take the Bible 100-percent literally.

Do a concordance check for the word "Baal" and you'll find it appears in the King James Bible more than 60 times. If a minister or worship leader simply read the Bible aloud, would he violate the warning of Exodus 23?

If so, then Elijah broke that warning when he challenged a crowd: "If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." (I Kng. 18:21) Yet God answered Elijah's prayer later in the chapter with a victorious and certain confirmation (verse 38) -- not punishment for saying the wrong name.

If all scripture is "given by inspiration of God" (II Tim. 3:16, KJV), we're led to conclude the warning of Exodus 23 is not an absolute for us today. After all, the Bible says the Lord is supposed to be a stumbling stone (Isa. 8:13-14) -- not the names of embedded false gods, which also appear in scripture under God's inspiration.

So you don't have to scold another poker player who might bring up Baal, Zeus, Dionysus or some other false god. But that moment might open a door for you to explain the One real God -- as we tried to do.

By the way: did you know the name Dionysius appears in the Bible? We found it in Acts 17:34 -- for a man who converted to Christianity at the preaching of Paul, and may have become a bishop in the first-century church at Athens. There's nothing in the New Testament to indicate he changed his name.

Poker Night 135: Room at the Top

Sometimes the biggest isn't always the best -- whether you're at the used car lot or the poker table. So when a moderately big hand comes our way, we tend to be skeptical. Take this one, from tonight's game at Club Eighty-Five....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: A-Q offsuit

We've just sat down at a table where several players are betting big, and talking about as large. Sitting in the middle of the order, we decide to limp and simply call. Several others join in.

ON THE FLOP: Q-J-8

A woman across from us bets 200. With top pair and top kicker, we raise to 400. She calls, and two other players remain with us.

ON THE TURN: 10

Oops -- now the door is wide-open for a straight. Everyone checks, including us. But is someone hiding a 9?

ON THE RIVER: K

If that 9 was hiding, it doesn't matter now. The play checks to us again -- and holding the "Broadway" straight, we bet 1,200 in the hope that will tempt some people with lesser hands to call. Two people do, and they're left disappointed.

We only gained one or two small pots after that -- yet we hung on to make the final table for the fifth Monday night in a row! But we arrived there with a short stack, and our last-gasp all-in try with 8-8 was topped by a man making Q's and 4's. We finished eighth, but continued quite a Monday run.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "The poker gods are not with me," a young woman to our left complained as she folded a hand. She seemed to be a newcomer to poker, yet she lasted until the semifinal tables.

"I believe there's one God," we told her. The young woman looked over our "Jesus as your Savior" coin which we use for a card protector.

"Do you agree with that message?" we asked after she gave it back.

"Yes," she answered -- then made perhaps the most literate comment we've ever heard at a poker table. "My god is Dionysius."

The woman pointed to her mixed drink -- and indeed, she knew what she was talking about. That name is a form of Dionysus, the god of wine in ancient Greece. She was joking, of course. But the reference was absolutely unexpected. (Yes, we had to double-check it in a dictionary.)

But here's a Bible verse to think about, as you consider what this woman said. Exodus 23:13 says, "Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." So did this woman sin by bringing up Dionysius? We'll address that in an upcoming post -- and be warned, it'll be both deep and thought-provoking.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 55 final tables in 135 nights (40.7%) - 10 cashes.

Conversation with "god"

This god is in lower case, because he sat next to us at an online poker table this week. The man's table name includes the phrase "pokergod." For someone involved in poker ministry, this was too good to resist.

"So do you think you're a god?" we asked by chat.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, that's in your name."

Pokergod explained the name scares some opponents. Well, not us. As we chatted, we won a pot from Pokergod, and gave thanks to "the true God."

"I choose to stick to reality," he eventually said.

That's a crossroads point, when it comes to the true God. Is He real to you? Do you see God at work in your daily life?

Believers probably don't look for God's hand in the middle of poker hands. Missed flush draws happen. A lot. But believers see God's hand in plenty of other things -- from a beautiful sunrise to the wonders of animal life large and small.

To see that takes what Paul calls the "spirit of faith" in II Corinthians 4:13. He went on to write: "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (verses 17-18).

Do you have that sort of vision? A vision of the real God, not someone who simply takes that name -- and many ministers would warn take God's name in vain? (Ex. 20:7)

By the way: Pokergod wound up winning the tournament. We did well, finishing 14th out of 136 players. As we parted, Pokergod asked us to go easy on him here. Whether or not we have ultimately is a matter of perspective -- but we'd ask you which "god" is more worthy of fear and worship.