Flopping to Victory

We're currently able to play in online poker tournaments one or two times each week.  And Saturday night it paid off -- as we won a National League of Poker "No-River Hold 'em" tournament for the second time this year!

The tournament had 165 players, and we were "low man on the pole" with 23 players left.  But then big cards came several times, and we roared to the top in the middle of the final table.

 The win came in a surprising way -- as we were dealt three suited cards for the 11th time in the night.  They failed to convert to a flush nine previous times (we folded one hand which ended early).  But here diamonds turned into a flush on the flop -- and our opponents went all-in with a mere pair of 10's.

Notice who our final opponent was -- someone named "ontheflop64."  We joked in a comment that he might have stolen our blog name.  But he assured us: "I do not steal."

If that's true, good for him.  We're not supposed to do that at any time....

You shall not steal. - Exodus 20:15

Some people (even some Christians) argue that commandment of God and the rest of the Old Testament law were "done away" by Jesus.  Yet the New Testament reinforces several of those commandments:

The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," or whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." - Romans 13:9

Do you steal at the poker table?  Do you wait for a moment when everyone's stepped away on a break, then do a "chip adjustment" in your favor?  Most players in tournaments are smart enough to know their chip count and catch any changes -- but away from there, you could be asking for trouble.

And by the way: you also can "steal" in poker by playing when you shouldn't.  Are you sneaking in online cash games on the job, stealing time away from your bosses?

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. - Ephesians 4:28

It's one thing to "steal a pot" with a misleading bet.  (We did it at least once in Saturday night's tournament.)  That's part of the game.  Beyond that, stealing is unethical at least -- and could put you in jail at worst.  Resist the temptation to do it.  And do something useful with the hands you're dealt -- even if it means you occasionally have to fold for a while.

Shall We Gather at No-River?

Some poker pros are described on TV as "cash game specialists" -- which apparently means their record in tournaments isn't very good.  In the last couple of years, we've found one particular form of online tournament which could be our "specialty."

We won with it Friday afternoon at National League of Poker!  A huge comeback from about 320 chips (helped by quad 5's and some timely Ace pairs) brought us victory in a 97-player "No-River Hold 'em" tournament (formerly called Knockout Hold 'em, when UFC was a sponsor).  The winning hand was pocket Jacks -- not usually much in this format, but good enough heads-up.  It's our second win with this format since we started it in February 2011.

No-River Hold 'em deals each player three cards, instead of two.  There's a flop and a turn card -- but no river card (thus the name).  Yet in a way, we think it removes some Biblical symbolism from poker.  Consider what we mean....

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead.  Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them -- to the Israelites." - Joshua 1:1-2

After decades of wandering, the "promised land" awaited Israel on the other side of that river.  When the people crossed it, they saw miraculous help:

Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.  Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.  It piled up in a heap a great distance away.... So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. - Joshua 3:15-16

It was a "dry ground" crossing (verse 17) without any makeshift bridges -- and not unlike what occurred decades before when leaving Egypt.

Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back.... Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.... Psalm 114:5, 7

Many songs have been written comparing that journey to our own lives.  For instance, believers walk with God until death, then trust Him to lead them across "the river" to eternal life.  You may be able to think of other comparisons.

The river card in poker is decisive.  It can determine winners and losers - who thrives and survives, and whose hopes will end in heartbreak and disappointment.  Are you seeking God's help in dealing with the "rivers" of your life?  Even the greatest one of all, waiting at the end?

Poker Night 299: A Perfect Fit

We've heard other poker players declare the best cards to have before the flop are not high ones, but mid-range connected ones.  We're told you can make more hands with them.  Let's see if that worked for us tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: 8-9 offsuit

We've been biding our time since the evening began - getting in small during several pots, but not connecting with anything yet.  Holding about 7,000 chips, that "mid-range connector" theory is worth a try here.  We call; no one at the table raises.

ON THE FLOP: 6-7-10

A split in bowling, but a solid strike for us!  We have a straight, and there's no flush threat showing.  A man across from us who admittedly hasn't played in several weeks tosses out a feeler of 300.  Keeping in mind what happened to us with A-A last week, we raise to 1,000 to take charge.  Three players call, including the bettor.

ON THE TURN: Js

This puts two spades on the board, and increases our sense of urgency a bit.  The man who bet before us a moment ago now tries 1,000.  A man to our immediate right calls.  Nice try, but we're raising -- up to 3,000.

"That would put you all in," we say to the original bettor after a couple of players fold.  He doesn't count his stack (it looks like around 600), but he calls anyway.  The player between us calls as well.  What is he chasing?

ON THE RIVER: 3s

Uh-oh -- maybe that.  Three spades now are showing.  The man to our right checks.  We cautiously check as well.

"I hit it on the flop," we say as we show.  The other men didn't hit anything close.  Our stack more than doubles to the 15,000 range, eliminating a player.

We thought we had another big winner minutes later, when K-Q brought top two pair on the flop.  A woman across from us saw our big betting (1,100 on the flop and turn) and actually guessed what we had.  But a Jack on the river gave another player with 9-10 a winning straight.  In poker, what goes around truly can come back around.

We didn't have any great chances after that, and had to go all-in for our last 2,000 in the second hour with K-J of diamonds in the small blind.  But a player with 10-10 received a third on the river and kicked us out. We were close to the final table again, but finished 11th.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Where did you get that - the world monetary fund?" the man across from us said earlier.  He'd seen our card protector -- the cased depiction of the Biblical "last supper."

"Do you think that happened?" we asked the man minutes later.  "Is Jesus your Savior?"

"There's too much historical evidence to say He didn't exist." he answered, going on to call Jesus an extraordinary individual.  "But we don't know if things exactly happened that way."  He referred to the rendering on the card protector, but he went on to suggest humans have made adjustments to the Bible over time.

We agreed with him that changes in interpretation can happen.  While we didn't bring it up, there's one timely example in the book of Acts:

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. - Acts 12:4, KJV

The King James Version says "Easter" - but we challenge you to find any other Bible translation which uses that word.  The original Greek refers to Passover, which makes sense considering verse 3 refers to "the days of unleavened bread." (Even the New King James corrects verse 4 to say "Passover.")

But while translators can make human errors, and even reflect personal biases, the Bible claims the original writers did not:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. - II Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV

Is that how you look at the Bible?  Do you read it with all four of those "profitable points" in mind?  If you don't, we invite you to look at God's Word from those perspectives.  It's OK if you take what you read a bit personally.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 108 final tables in 299 nights (36.1%) - 17 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 194 point wins in 847 games (22.9%), 66 final tables, 7 cashes.  "No river hold 'em" - 4 point wins in 18 games (22.2%), 3 final tables, 1 cash win.

NLOP's midday "turbo tournament" with a $100 prize pool quietly disappeared Wednesday.  Instead, the former "UFC Knockout" game is back with a new name -- the version with three cards pre-flop, then a three-card flop followed by only a turn card.  We made a final table there Wednesday afternoon, finishing eighth.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $72,957, down $2,640.

Poker Night 281: High (Card) Anxiety

The pace of a live poker tournament is nowhere close to the speed of online games.  Yet sometimes it can be faster than some players can handle.  Consider what happened tonight at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: K-Q offsuit

We're in the big blind after gaining a big blessing -- as the bartender gave us 6,000 bonus chips simply for our buying diet cola.  But we lost a lot of that early, and now have about 8,200.  And the dealer puts more of that at risk, by raising to 250.  With pretty high cards, we call.  So do a couple of other players.

ON THE FLOP: K-10-4

We reach for 300, as we have top pair and are first in line to....

"You didn't let me bet, man!" says a player to the immediate right of the dealer.  He'd put in 50, but was passed over for the raise.

We put the 300 back in our tray.  The dealer tries to cover the flop cards with one hand, and a short discussion ensues across tables about the rules.  "If you call, the flop goes back.  If you fold, the flop stays out," one player (not the tournament director) advises.

"I wanted to call," says the ignored player.  We quietly hope he doesn't now -- and after some thinking/grumbling, he folds.  Now the flop is official, and we put 300 back out.

"I didn't want you to have a King, man."  Now the dealer is grumbling.  "I've got Jacks."

"Oh.  That's too bad," we say -- then quickly realize what those words might reveal.  "But it might really be good," we add, "because I might have nothing."

"He wouldn't have bet unless he had something," says another man across from us.  (We took advantage of that mindset to win another hand later with a bluff.)  So does the dealer.  A woman to our left calls, and we're heads-up.

ON THE TURN: J

The dealer grumbles a bit louder at the potential three-of-a-kind he lost.  But we press on: "300 more."  The woman folds, and the pot is ours.  But someone wants to see what the last card would have been.

ON THE RIVER (not counting): 9

"I would've had a straight!"  A player shows the Queen he threw away.  We then show our cards -- and we would have split the pot with matching straights.  Instead, we gain around 900 chips.

We won a couple of pots, then tried to hold on from there in the second hour.  But with five players left at the semifinal table and A-9 in our hand with rising blinds, we were compelled to go all-in for our last 1,500.  The board didn't pair for us, and a man on the other side took out another player along with us.  We missed the final table by one hand again, finishing in a tie for ninth (ninth place in Big Dog Poker points).

MINISTRY MOMENT: We showed our "Jesus as your Savior" coin to the woman who took us on early in the evening.  "A man in a motorcycle club gave that to me," we said.

"We had our bike blessed," the woman responded.  It belonged to her and her ex-husband, and it was blessed at a motorcycle rally.

Does that sound strange -- having someone "bless" your motorcycle?  It's a growing trend in some religious groups to hold "blessing" services for all sorts of items, from vehicles to pets.  We have yet to find anything in the Bible specifically about blessing those things -- but Jesus set an example along that line:

He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these".... And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. - Mark 10:14, 16

We've attended many congregations which have "blessing of children" ceremonies at least once a year.  May we dare suggest young people need God's blessing much more than motorcycles?

(Some of you may be saying at this point we skipped over a verse.  Don't worry -- we'll get to that in an upcoming post.)

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 102 final tables in 281 nights (36.3%) - 16 cashes.  This makes four times since mid-September that we've missed the final table by one hand.  Had we made them all, our percentage would be close to 38.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 176 point wins in 779 games (22.6%), 60 final tables, seven cashes.

NLOP seems to be eliminating the three-card "knockout" poker tournaments, as UFC sponsorship appears to be gone.  But we'll never forget the first time we played it on a Saturday night -- and won the tournament!

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $67,207, down $1,045.

Three For the Money

"Three cards???" we asked tonight when we tried the latest addition to National League of Poker. "UFC Knockout Hold 'em" is unlike any breed of poker we've seen. You're dealt and bet on three cards, not two. Then the flop comes as usual. Then a turn card. And that's it. No river.

So how did we do in our first try? All we did was ACE the exam! We finished first out of 106 players, to win $25 - our second NLOP cash win in two weeks!

After a slow start, we started winning good pots. (And we hit flushes on the turn to save us from elimination a couple of times.) We reached the final table in eighth place out of nine -- but as we hung around, two players who abandoned the game were forfeited. That left five. Then we were down to three - with only about 3,500 chips compared to two players in the 45,000 range.

Yet careful play allowed us to climb the mountain, despite a couple of stumbles. It took 163 hands for us from semifinal table on, but we grabbed the lead from "karatemonkey" with a run of several big hands while blinds were at 2,000/4,000.

Our camera batteries died at the crucial moment, but here's how the final hand looked. We played 5-Q-6 against our opponent's K-7-7, and made a straight on the flop while he made fatal "trips." His all-in bet was only natural. But so was our call - and an Ace on the river gave us victory!

There were plenty of PTL's on our part along the way. And this is a great example of how no deficit in poker is impossible to overcome. Hmmmm -- overcoming would be a great topic for another post.