Mom-Sense

The World Series of Poker normally starts a couple of weeks after Mother's Day in the U.S. But this year, one man played with his mom on his mind.

John Racener won the "Dealer's Choice Championship" early this morning, while wearing a "Unibomber" style black hoodie. After he won, he took off the hoodie and showed a "FOR MOM" t-shirt. Racener's mother died from cancer four years ago, and broke the news of her diagnosis to him only after he played in the Main Event final table in 2010.

We can't fault Racener for this tribute at all. He's doing what a classic guidebook recommends....

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. - Exodus 20:12

Honor for parents should begin in our youth:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. - Ephesians 6:1

Of course, we realize some parents do things which are less than honorable. But when their commands fall within the rules of God's instruction, children should follow them:

My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. - Proverbs 6:20

Racener also seems to realize the "honor" for parents can go far beyond this life. We personally wondered for years how to honor a mother who died when we were a young adult. We've tried to do it through respectful words about her - and in recent years by annual graveside trips, as we've lived closer to her grave.

But we respectfully disagree with Racener's comment that his mother is now his "biggest fan.... from up above." That's a view of the afterlife which the Bible does not teach....

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man. - John 3:13

Jesus said these words. As the Son of God, we think He would know about such things.

But we congratulate Racener not only on his success at the table, but the statement he made in victory. May he enjoy the winnings, the WSOP bracelet - and the hope that he and his parents will be together someday in a resurrection.

Poker Day 429: Bama Jammed

What does an occasional poker player do on his vacation?  He plays a little poker, of course - so this afternoon found us at Winners Cardroom.

That place now has a Sunday freeroll for $500.  But it starts at 4:00 p.m., and our all-night work schedule has made us hesitant for us to play since we didn't know how long the tournament would last.  Vacation week means no work concern, no money to play -- so would everything else go right for us?

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-J of spades

We scored an early big gain with pocket Aces, when a third Ace landed on the turn.  Then we gave a big chunk of it back.  It's been that kind of up-and-down day.  Now we've just been knocked down again, with 8,500 chips out of a starting 10,000.

The man sitting to our right is wearing a University of Alabama cap, reminding us of where we used to live.  He raises to 1,000, and gives us a challenge.

"I'm probably asking for it," we say, "but I'll call."  A couple of other players at the table of 8 call as well.

ON THE FLOP: 6-4-8 (third card may not be precise, but it didn't pair)

Was anyone really looking for that flop?  Apparently not, because the table checks.  We check as well, with no flush draw.

ON THE TURN: 3

Is there a jackpot card now?  Perhaps not, because the table checks again.  Suddenly we wonder about the value of our Ace.

ON THE RIVER: J

Too bad - our Ace missed.  The man who raised pre-flop finally takes a plunge, tossing in 5,000.  Only at that moment do we realize something - we still have a Jack!  We have top pair and top kicker!  And even though we only have 7,500 left, we have to give it a try.  We call; the other players fold.

"I hit the river," we admit.

"With an Ace?!?" Our opponent sees our cards, barely flips over his (we think he had Q-J) - and he leaves.  Only then do we realize something else: he was all-in.  He never said so.  But our kicker card kicks that Alabama fan packing like a last-second kick return by Auburn - and we regain to nearly 20,000 chips.

We reached the second hour of play with 18,000 chips.  Then a few minutes into hour 2, we saw J-J with 14,000 chips and pushed.  That pair had brought us one of those big gains earlier.  But this time a man called and showed K-K.  The board didn't come to our rescue, and our not-so-big pair sent us to the rail.  We finished in about 90 minutes, in 30th place on a day with four-plus tables.

MINISTRY MOMENT: For the first time since moving to our new home, we pulled out the "Lord's Supper" card protector with a depiction of Jesus on the flip side.

"What do you think of Jesus?" we asked a man to our left.  "Is he your Savior and Lord?"

The man gave a very indirect answer.  "I haven't been to church in a couple of years.  My mom keeps trying to get me to go."

We think Mom is on the right track - because that's what the early New Testament church did:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.... All the believers were together and had everything in common... Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. - Acts 2:42, 44, 46

We heard a church message this weekend along those lines.  The theme was community -- people joined together by a common interest and belief.  But we think you have to be careful about which church community you join.

"It's important," we told the man, "to attend a church which really preaches the word of God."

The man agreed: "It's not about a man, but about the word of God."  But how will you know if a man is really preaching Bible truth?

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. - Acts 17:11

The people in Berea double-checked what the apostle Paul preached, against the Old Testament Scriptures they had -- and scrolls of the Old Testament were valuable items in those days.  In our day, you can read the Bible online or on a smartphone.

However you do it, it's important that you do it.  Make sure church pastors, radio preachers and even poker bloggers are accurately presenting truth from the Bible.  If they are, be thankful and learn from them.  If not.... well, if we're off-base in something, please let us know.  We don't claim to know everything about the Bible, much less victorious poker.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 151 final tables in 429 games (35.2%) - 25 cashes.

Poker Night 404: One Step or Two

We're getting settled down in our new city, but find the schedule for local poker room tournaments doesn't fit with our current work schedule.  So on Mother's Day, we returned to Betty's Runway for an afternoon game -- and were surprised by how many women (even moms) showed up.  But it wasn't a mother who corrected our ways....

BLINDS: 400/800

IN THE POCKET: Ace of spades - 9 of spades

We won a couple of early pots with timely bets, but not the best of cards.  Now we're in the Big Blind with about 7,500 chips.  No one at the table of seven raises ahead of us.  It's tempting to raise right now with these fairly big cards and scare players away.  But we opt for caution and check.  About half the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: J-9-5 (no spades)

There's no Small Blind, because that player was eliminated on the prior hand.  So we're up first, with middle pair -- and we try to seize on it with a position bet of 1,000.

To our left sits a younger man in a wheelchair, who seems to have some sort of developmental disability.  He could call -- but instead he goes all-in!  The table folds, leaving it up to us.

"I have a feeling I jumped offside here," we say while hoping for a sign from our opponent.  He smiles a bit, but says nothing.

If that man has a Jack, he's ahead of us -- and he's already taken one pot from us with a better kicker on a pair of Kings.  After a moment, we opt for caution again.  "I'm going to fold."

He's then nice enough to turn over his cards: J-9.  He had us dominated, and we made the right decision.

Good cards didn't come for us after that until we were in the Big Blind with A-J.  A man doubled the blind ahead of us.  We responded by going all-in, and getting called.  That man had a pair of 7's.  Only low cards came on the board, giving him the win.

We had a short day, finishing in 20th place.  But at least we took home a piece of butterscotch candy as a consolation prize -- certainly the most unusual "pot sweetener" we've ever seen.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We defer on this day to the Tournament Director, who noted it was a special day.  He gave every women at the tables small boxes of chocolate, whether they were mothers or not.

"I plan to be here on Father's Day," we joked -- hoping to receive a matching gift.  But seriously, it's proper to do such things for the parents who give us life:

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. - Exodus 20:12

Our study Bible lists four ways you can show honor: "Prize highly.... care for.... show respect for.... obey." If your mother is old and inform, the care can come in meeting her physical needs -- even when events in life intervene.

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. - John 19:26-27

Jesus said these words while He was crucified (verse 18).  The Son of God was giving His life for the sins of all mankind -- and yet He took a moment to think about His mother nearby.  (The disciple who took her in probably was John, who wrote this account.)

If Jesus cared this much for his human parent, even at such a momentous and excruciating time, how much should you care for your mother and father while they're still alive?  What act of honor and love could you show -- large or small?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 139 final tables in 404 games (34.4%) - 21 cashes.

National Heads-Up Week 4: The Family That Plays

It's Mother's Day in the U.S. -- so how timely of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship to feature a comment about mothers from Michael Mizrachi. All four Mizrachi brothers finished in the money last year at the World Series of Poker Main Event. But "The Grinder" declared his mother plays poker more than anyone else, by doing so online.

It's good for a family to do things together. But poker?! We can imagine some hard-line ministers scolding mothers, by turning to verses such as....

But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. - I Timothy 5:6

But hold on. We have nice memories of family game nights from our youth (although it was Rack-O and Chinese Checkers instead of poker). That same section of Scripture speaks well of such things, when it comes to mothers who have lost their mates:

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. - I Timothy 5:4

In other words: your ancestors cared for you, so pass it on.

Care for the family should take many forms. See the last half of Proverbs 31 for some examples of how women can do this. But it doesn't have to be 100-percent drudgery and chores. Sometimes lessons learned in fun and games can stick with a young person for life. It can be a "time to build," as Ecclesiastes 3:4 puts it -- building strong moral values and character.

So if you're a "poker-playin' Mama," have a Happy Mother's Day. Be sure you take time to care well for your children. The queen of the house might even find ways to care while holding a pair of Kings.