Poker Night 582: Escape Acts

The evening seemed to start perfectly. The drive to Lawrenceburg, Indiana had almost no slowdowns - a change from last Wednesday, when a wreck made the trip 70 minutes long. We found lots of big boxes to collect outside a drug store. And thanks to a birthday special, Hollywood Casino let us eat the Epic Buffet dinner for free (well, OK, we tipped the server).

The only thing missing was a night of triumph in the poker room. Could it happen....?

BLINDS: 1,500/3,000 (as best we remember)

IN THE POCKET: K-K

It's the third hour of play, and we've had another night of drama. After early losses, A-10 brought a 10 on the flop which won a big pot. We reached the first break at 13,775 chips (starting from 12,000). Big bets with pocket Aces and A-8 in Hour 2 led us to 20,400. But misses then set us back to 11,700 - enough to reach the final table at Break 2.

Now six players remain. Since 20 entered, only two will win money. The blinds are steep. We have a big pocket pair, early in the betting order. So we go for broke - going all-in with 18,400 chips left. Who will dare to take us on?

We watch players to our right fold. Then we notice a woman to our left. She called.... and she has pocket Aces! This classic clash happens only 2.4 percent of the time.

"I probably won't win this," she says. Oh really? She's an 81-percent favorite to knock us out.

ON THE FLOP: 2-3-5

No third King, and even more trouble. Now Ms. Aces has a straight draw.

ON THE TURN: 4

Oh well. "There's the straight," we say. "and that's the ball...."

ON THE RIVER: 6

"Wait!" other players say. Amazingly, there's a straight on the table! We stay alive, and gain about 1,000 chips on the split because of the blinds.

We offer our opponent a long-distance fist bump. "I'm not sure her fist would have been friendly," a player to our right jokes.

"More like a Five-Finger Death Punch," we joke in agreement.

We had other big moments like that, including A-Q which matched another player and resulted in a chop. The field dwindled to five players, then four. We reached Break 3 with 15,000 chips. Then a miscalculation by a player left us in the top three!

We hinted at the "C-word" (chop) and "BB-words" (bubble boy), but our opponents ignored it. Finally with the Big Blind at 6,000, we were forced to push with a lowly 4-10. This time the board didn't bail us out, and a woman to our right hit it big with her own pocket Kings. A long night with some close calls ended with no money, but a thrilling third place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man who started the tournament to our immediate left said he was feeling good.

"I try to be good," we told him - and he seemed to understand. Then we paraphrased a Bible passage about that effort....

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do.... no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. - Romans 7:15, 19

The apostle Paul explains in this complex-sounding section that he's not inherently good (verse 18). In fact, we all have a sinful nature - so deep down, none of us are good. We continued the paraphrase:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! - Romans 7:24-25

A distraction then happened, which prevented us from asking the man what he thought of this. So we'll ask you. Have you come to realize you do a lot of evil things - sometimes because you have no choice? Those evil things leave you doomed to death. But like that poker hand, there's an escape hatch here as well:

For the wages of sin is death., but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice - taking the penalty for sin that we're supposed to face, so that we might gain eternal life in God's Kingdom. Be thankful for that sacrifice, and ask God in prayer to have it applied to you.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 224 final tables in 582 games (38.5%) - 48 cashes. Oh, about those boxes.... we'll explain why we collected them very soon.

The Old Numbers Game

A recent post presented one winning poker player's opinion about why children should be taught the game. But there's one positive aspect she didn't mention - that poker can teach young people math skills.

We found a column explaining why mathematics matters in a poker room. For grade-schoolers, there's the obvious truth that a 10 is (worth) more than a 6 and that three of a kind is better than two.

But the math gets more complicated from there. For instance, did you know (based on our link) that a pocket pair turns into "trips" on the flop about 11.5 percent of the time?

This column reminded us that some people aren't always logical with their math skills. One example occurred only a couple of weeks ago. Consider the words of Jesus....

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. - Matthew 12:40

Jesus was answered demands from some people for a "miraculous sign" (verses 38-39). He took them back to a classic Old Testament tale....

But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. - Jonah 1:17

(The Bible never calls the fish a "whale," but that's not our point here.)

By comparison, Jesus was talking about His death. After three days and three nights, He would be resurrected (16:21) - and the Bible records that actually happened (Luke 24:21 and other verses).

The really big problem (to borrow from a math-centered show on public TV) is that many people think Jesus died on "Good Friday" and came back to life on "Easter Sunday." Even with common core, that's bad math. That timeline only allows for one full day and two full nights.

Some Bible scholars try to explain this by saying part of a day counts as a day. Yet they never seem to apply that principle to another moment in the Bible....

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. - Matthew 4:1-2

We've never found a Christian preacher who claims this fast was shorter than that - say, 28 days and 27 nights. So why do they condense it when it comes to Jesus's death and resurrection?

The short answer is: tradition - and much like not all math figuring is good, so not all traditions are good. We think the right answer is to start a new tradition. One that's biblically sound and mathematically accurate.

If you have fuzzy math when it comes to this, here's a chart that may help.sort things out. Search the Scriptures carefully with it. As some ministries like to say, "Good science supports the Bible" - and we think good mathematics and traditions will as well.

Faith at Work

We mentioned to a table at a recent poker tournament how everyone should be a "person of faith." No one asked about it then, but perhaps it a question with you: what is a "person of faith," anyway?

Baptist preacher Charles Stanley said years ago, "Everybody has faith.... in something." You may have faith in your poker-playing skills, and how they can make you money. Perhaps your faith is in your money - that you have a big enough bank account to survive a personal or national trial.

The Bible offers several definitions of faith. Here's a common one:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. - Hebrews 11:1

Come to think of it, doesn't that rule out faith in money? You can pull that out of the bank or investments and stash lots of dollar bills under your mattress.

But the Bible is talking about a different kind of faith here....

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. - Hebrews 11:3

Not even the strongest believer in reincarnation would dare say he/she remembers what happened at creation. It admittedly takes faith to believe that happened, although there's some scientific evidence to support it.

But here's the biggest "faith matter" for you and me....

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6

God actually wants you to come to Him, as Jesus encouraged (Matthew 11:28). But it takes faith to believe Someone you've never directly seen.

Many poker players ought to know a little about faith. How many times have you called bets with a straight or flush draw? You have faith (or, better put, hope) that the key card will come to give you a winning hand - even if the mathematical odds are against you.

 It may seem like even more faith is needed to believe God. But what other hope do you have of advancing past this life?

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.... If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. - I Corinthians 15:14, 19

Yet the Bible records the resurrection of Jesus Christ, from several reports. Put your faith in them, and by extension in a God who raises the dead. After all, He wants to raise you to eternal life.

Poker Day 567: On the Outs

"You can move over to make yourselves comfortable," a dealer suggested during today's final table at Hollywood Casino Indiana.

"At the final table, you're never comfortable," we responded. Indeed, even reaching that point had some stressful moments....

BLINDS: 2,000/4,000

IN THE POCKET: 5-6 of spades

The blinds are this big because we're in the third hour of play. It's had highs and lows, but gone well for us so far. After about 45 minutes of action with 11 players out of 24, we finally and patiently reached the last ten with 30,800 chips.

Now we're in the Big Blind with low suited connectors. A lot of players are pushing to force the action, but no one does here. We can check, and we're heads-up with the Small Blind.

ON THE FLOP: 7c-8s-Qs

Three cards with a lot of potential for us - an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. The Small Blind to our right offers 6,000. We start this hand with about 28,900, so any bet is steep. Yet we call in hope.

ON THE TURN: 10d (perhaps not precise)

We missed - and our opponent raises the stakes to 8,000. Now it's time for some quick math:

• Nine missing spades would make a flush.
• The other three 4's or 9's (other than spades) would give us a straight.
• TOTAL OUTS: 15, out of 46 unknown cards. The odds are almost one in three.

Would you take a risk like this? We'll be in serious trouble if we miss. But we've made the final table, so we decide to call.

ON THE RIVER: 2s

Victory! Or is it? The Small Blind ponders for a moment, then bets 8,000 more.

"I'm all-in," we say - with 8,900 left. The Small Blind calls.

"Did you hit the flush?" we ask. "Because I did."

We show it to prove it. The Small Blind turns over.... K-K! He fought for his big pocket pair, but our stubbornness gains us a double-up to more than 52,000 chips!

"Big risk," a man to our left says. Indeed, it was - but this time it worked.

Yet on the very next hand, we lost with our own big pocket pair - as Q-Q fell to A-Q when an Ace came on the turn. We survived to the three-hour break at 21,500. But with seven players remaining, we called an all-in bet with A-7 and 12,900 chips left. Our opponent's 6-6 held up, and we left in seventh place. (Only three were paid money.)

MINISTRY MOMENT: "You gave those chips right back," the man to our left said after we lost that Q-Q hand.

"The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord," we told him.

That man didn't seem to acknowledge that famous quote. Do you know who said it? It's a Biblical quote, of course. From a modern translation...

He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" - Job 1:21 (NLT)

Read the first chapter of this Old Testament book, and you'll see Job lost a lot. Due to a challenge from Satan to God, Job lost his farm animals, farmhands, shepherds, camels, servants.... and all ten of his children.

If you lost even one-tenth of this, could you say what Job said? For many people, it might seem impossible. Yet in that moment, Job worshiped God (verse 20). How did he do that?

There once was a man named Job who.... was blameless - a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. - Job 1:1 (NLT)

Job worshiped God through it all, because he "feared God." Note his words above about nakedness. He realized God was the source of all he had, and God would be his hope through it all.

If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed life will I wait, till my change come. - Job 14:14 (KJV)

While the entire book of Job reveals he was not a perfect man, he truly was strong in faith. And we can understand the "change" that's coming is a change from human flesh to eternal life for believers in God.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Matthew 24:13 (NLT)

Jesus said those words. Then He did them. He's now the resurrected Son of God in heaven, and the Bible indicates He'll soon come back to resurrect faithful believers as well. Is that the source of your faith? If not, what is - and do you really think it's any better?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 215 final tables in 567 games (37.9%) - 46 cashes. That's five final tables in our last six live tournaments.

Poker Night 550: The Ace Looks Familiar

"Aces only win 30 percent of the time," a man told us Wednesday night at Hollywood Casino Indiana. We learned that the hard way on our last poker night there. So imagine what might happen if history repeated itself....

BLINDS: 75/150

IN THE POCKET: A-A

We won an early pot with K-5 when two 5's came on the flop. Now we've been moved to a newly-formed table on this two-table tournament night - and look at what we've found on the very first hand! In mid-position at a table of six, we modestly raise to 300. A man across the table calls, but the rest aren't interested.

ON THE FLOP: A-2-Q

An auto club flop for us - as we have A-A-A. But the other man is first to act. He checks. We make a modest continuation bet of 500, and he calls. If this is like our last tournament and he has pocket Queens, the tables truly will turn.

ON THE TURN: 7

We can't imagine that helped our opponent at all. But he pulls a surprise, by betting 2,500. There's no straight or flush threat here - yet we pause for a moment simply because we're baffled. Why is he betting so much, especially considering what we have? We conclude there's nothing to fear, so we call.

ON THE RIVER: 9

"I'm all-in," our opponent says. Now we're convinced he was trying to bluff us away. That won't work, though; we take less than five seconds to call.

The opponent shows.... A-4. (We believe they were suited spades.)

"You've got an Ace. That's good," we say. "But I've got two Aces."

The opponent groans. He overbet, and his night is finished. Our chip count jumps to more than 24,000 in only one hand. Talk about a "turbo" tournament.

We tried to play carefully from there, and reached the first break at 24,750. Pocket Aces came twice more (once unshown), and we used them to knock out a second player. Despite some second-hour efforts which didn't pay off, we cruised to the final table at 22,300.

But then the cards started drying up for us. At the second break, we still had 18,100. But rising blinds were our undoing; we finally were forced to go all-in with Q-J, and a caller with pocket 10's won the race when the board didn't pair for us. At least we improved to sixth place out of 13 players, after the last early bust.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Let the Big Blind Special shine its light on me...." a large man sang when his turn in the Big Blind came.

"I think that was originally a gospel song," we said to him. We checked later, and must admit that's not true - although there is a gospel version of the Midnight Special tune (which some of you may know best from an old Friday night concert series on TV).

But our comment sparked a discussion about Christianity, and we found the man knew a number of Bible verses. At one point, he quoted this....

Death and life are in the power of the tongue... - Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)

"I'm 'speaking life' over my chips," the man added.

At that point, he turned from sounding like a believer to sounding irreverent and far-fetched. Some Christian preachers admittedly say if you pray hard enough or faithfully enough for something to grow, the growth will happen. And in fact, the man's chip stack improved from about 2,300 to the 10,000 range after we joined his table.

We'll save what happened from there for another post - but let's get back to that Bible verse. The man only quoted part of it....

….and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. - Proverbs 18:21b (KJV)

What does that mean? Doctors know if you swallow your physical tongue, you're at risk of dying. But we think a good Biblical explanation is found one verse earlier:

From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest of his lips he is satisfied. - Proverbs 18:20

The words we say (or write on social media) can cause a big impact. They can bring insight to other people. They also can incite them to anger, and even violence. And at the end of the day (or better put, our days), God is keeping track of it all.

But I tell you that man will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. - Matthew 12:36-37

Our final table turned for a while into a comedy hour, with several people sharing jokes and stories. Sadly, most of them would be rated R or worse at the movies. So what are you saying when you play poker? And more importantly, how would Jesus judge it?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 203 final tables in 550 games (36.9%) - 41 cashes. Since hitting the 500-game milestone in April 2017, we've made 20 final tables out of 50 (40%).

The Hands of God: How Full Is Your House?

"A flush beats a full house!" said a truck near us the other day.

But then again, it was a truck for a plumber.

Poker players know better, of course. Full houses always top flushes and straights. But have you ever stopped to consider why?

A website we've grown to like gives the answer. In classic Five-Card Stud, you're mathematically more likely to develop a full house than a flush or straight. That's how the odds work.

But do you have a "full house" in the game of life, away from poker tables? You can look at that in a couple of ways....

How joyful are those who fear the Lord - all who follow his ways!.... Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. - Psalm 128:1, 3 (NLT)

Some people have taken this psalm (perhaps along with Psalm 127) as a promise from God's Word. But sadly, we wonder if some women have been heartbroken by it - women who have unable to conceive, despite their best efforts.

We write this from the perspective of lifelong singleness. We've thought "Ms. Right" crossed our path several times, but things simply did not work out. Yet we think believers in God can be "fruitful" in other ways....

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! - Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

When the Holy Spirit enters a believer, life can become more "full" overall. The spiritual fruit can be shared with other people in many ways.

Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.... - Matthew 25:34-35 (NLT)

Care obviously must be used in letting strangers (such as people you meet on poker nights) into your home. But we've dared to do it a few times over the years with people asking for help on street corners. They may not grasp what we're doing or why, but hopefully they see a spirit-guided example in the process.

Let's open this up for your comments. What have you done to create a "full house" - in the place where you live, and the life that you live?

Poker Day 527: The Perfect Storm

The old cliché says lightning never strikes twice in the same place. But is that really true? Before we answer, take a look at an amazing hand today in the tournament at Kansas Star Casino.... and yes, there will be a connection:

BLINDS: 300/600

IN THE POCKET: K-Q offsuit

We won two nice pots in the first hour, including one with pocket Aces. Then A-J paid off to eliminate a player, and move us to 7,700. But a couple of hands before this one, an amazing thing happened. We pushed with K-K, ran into a man with A-A - yet we caught a King on the river to stay alive!

So we start this hand with more than 14,000 chips. The man we beat moments earlier is sitting two seats to our right, and going all in for 2,500.

"I'll help him out," we say as we call - realizing he could be pushing with anything. But two other men at the table call. This could be huge.

ON THE FLOP: K-Q-8

We're quietly thrilled by this - top two pair! We're first in line and bet 2,000, expecting the other men in the hand to concede. Trouble is, they both call. Do they have pocket Kings or Queens?

"This could buy you right back in," a man out of the hand says to the player who went all-in.

ON THE TURN: 9

Seemingly harmless - but now we want to make sure, and we have the chip stack to back it up.

"Four-thousand," we say - emphasis on the four. A young man at the end of the table ponders it for a moment. Then he goes all in! And if that's not enough, the other man in the hunt pushes behind him! Have our worst fears become reality?

"I'll do it," we say - becoming the fourth player to go all in. After all, we've committed a lot of money to the pot and our hand is strong.

The dealer sorts out all the chips, and it turns out we have fewer than the man at the far end. So there are two sidepots. But who has what? It's time to show....

Man at far end: A-K
Man across the table: A-K
Man who pushed for 2,500 to start all this: A-Q

"I have two pair, though," we point out. No one else does, so we have a big lead!

CORRECTED: Let's take a moment to analyze this. All four Kings are showing. If a Queen comes on the river, we make a full house to beat the first pusher's three of a kind. No straight or flush is in play. The only thing that can hurt us is the lone remaining Ace. We can knock out two players out, win a massive (estimated) 40,000 chips and probably cruise to the final table - if we dodge one card.

ON THE RIVER: A

"Yes!" understandably says the man at the far end. Based on what's showing, the odds of that Ace coming are 39 to one!

The two men with A-K split all the chips. The two players knocked out include us - as we finish tied for 22nd place, out of 56 entries.

So yes, in poker lightning can strike twice at the same table. And in real life, it can happen as well. The Empire State Building gets it several times a year.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A man sitting next to us mentioned the time he walked past a slot machine modeled after TV horror movie host Elvira. "Suddenly it said, 'Come here and play with me.'" That shook the man up a bit.

"Try the voices," we advised him, "to see what sort of voices they are."

We were reminded on Christian radio this evening of a young man in the Bible who faced somewhat the same situation.

The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am!" And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me".... - I Samuel 3:3-5

But Eli explained he didn't call Samuel, and sent him back to bed. Then the call by God happened a second time, with a similar response....

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord.... Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. - I Samuel 3:7-8

Eli was one of God's priests (I Samuel 1:3), so he was clearly sensitive to such things. He sent Samuel back to bed with different instructions (3:9).

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." - I Samuel 3:10

That marked the official start of a long and beautiful relationship between God and Samuel. In perhaps the same way, we would ask: Is God calling you - perhaps not through dreams, but through other people or events in your life?

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call. - Acts 2:39

If God "makes the call" on your life, "call" as in poker. Go heads-up with Him, but in a humble way. After all, He holds all the cards - but we think going all-in for God is the best decision you'll ever make.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 191 final tables in 527 games (36.2%) - 39 cashes. Experiment update: Down $75.

Right or Wrong? Part 2

We continue our meditations from a radio ministry's sermon on gambling.

2. Investing and gambling are different things. The preacher argued purchasing stocks is a way for both businesses and shareholders to produce wealth, while the vast majority of gamblers lose.

We agree with the pastor on this, to the extent that there are good and bad investments every bit as much as there are good and bad "gambles." For instance, we know a couple which lost a lot of money after being persuaded to invest in pineapple farming.

We can't think of any poker players who say they've made money from slot machines at casinos. The odds of winning at those things simply are too steep. But wise poker players realize when they have the best chances of winning a hand. They "do the math" in their head, and compute the odds of making a flush draw or filling a full house.

The minister referred in passing to a classic parable of Jesus. It hit us along these lines a couple of years ago, like it never had before....

To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. The he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.- Matthew 25:15-16

The parable doesn't say exactly how that man doubled his money. But what happened when the giver returned from his journey?  Did Mr. Journeyman he call the "double-up" man greedy and covetous?

The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more." His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" - Matthew 25:20-21

The double-up man was praised for his gain - and given an extra reward of being "in charge of many things!" Compare that with another man in the parable, who took a much more "conservative" approach:

But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money... "Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you."  - Matthew 25:18, 24-25

Mr. One-Talent admittedly was motivated by fear - not only because he might lose everything, but he apparently knew some dark secrets about Mr. Journeyman.

His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant!... you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest." - Matthew 25:26-27

Mr. Journeyman wanted at least a little something for his talent. Doing nothing with it was not an acceptable option.

"And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 25:30

The fearful man was declared disqualified from the "master's happiness" others received. As a man told us simply during a poker night years ago: "Scared money don't win."

Sitting at a poker table all night without playing a hand eventually will cost you money. You'll be "blinded out" every few hands, and maybe lose antes as well. The object of the game is to make "money" or chips, by handling it properly when the moment comes - a lot like stock investing. That's one big difference we see between playing poker and generic "gambling" on slots or greyhounds.

(NOTE: This will be a series of posts, so keep checking here for the next part.)

Poker Day 455: Eight is Enough?

On some days, the dealer in a poker tournament is your friend. On other days.... well, you have to get a bit creative.  Today's tournament at Arrowhead Poker definitely was the latter.

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: 5-6 of clubs

Two rounds are down, and we haven't won a pot yet. Promising starter hands such as K-10 have brought no success, especially after the flop.  Our starting stack of 62,000 chips is still not bad, starting at 55,500. And now we're in the Big Blind, with a chance to represent anything. But a player ahead of us raises to 2,500. We choose to defend, and about half the table of 10 is in.

ON THE FLOP: 7s-9c-3c

We're first in line to bet, and check.  A man on the other end of the table tosses out 16,000. Another man alongside him calls -- and we add up the score. There are nine cards that could give us a flush, plus three other 8's that could bring us a straight. That's 12/47 outs, a bit better than 25 percent. Based on that, we dare to call.  All other players are out.

ON THE TURN: 8s

Yes! We make a straight, but we check to the big bettors again -- and now the pushing comes.  Both opponents go for it, one holding around 55,000 chips.

"I don't have that much" but I'll call," we say - committing our last 37,000.

"I've got two pair," the man in the middle admits. He shows 8-9.

"I've got a straight," we say as we show.  The man in the middle exclaims an expletive at this sight.  The third man turns over A-J of clubs.  In a way, that's good; we feared someone might have J-10.  But now we're rooting against a flush, because the third man would have us topped.  One card to come....

ON THE RIVER: 10s

He still makes a higher straight, thanks to his Jack! He had 10/44 outs, and made his odds much as we had ours.  Two players had gone bust but took re-buys; we don't re-buy and wind up leaving the table first -- tenth out of 10 players.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The player to our left was a young man who's a member of a local Catholic college baseball team.  So when another man won a pot with three 6's, we said, "He's got a beast!"  Then we quietly said to out left, "As a.... student, I figure you'd understand that."

The young man laughed a bit and nodded a little at that, but said nothing.  We checked later, and found a General Education degree at his college requires taking at least one theology course -- not necessarily the New Testament. That's where our "beast" reference is found:

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. - Revelation 13:18

The problem with this verse is that many people claiming to have "wisdom" have interpreted that number in various ways.  In fact, some ministers consider the "beast' to be the Roman Catholic Church.  We'll leave that identity for you to study and examine. But we'd ask you to keep this in mind....

...There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. - Revelation 14:11

The "mark" is forced on everyone who wants to buy or sell (13:16-17). What should we do instead?

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. - Revelation 14:12

Two things are critical: obey God's commands and being faithful toward Jesus. Check yourself against the Bible on a regular basis, to see if that's what you're really doing.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 169 final tables in 455 games (37.1%) - 29 cashes.

It admittedly seems unfair to score this as making a final table. But only one table of tournament players showed up (a separate table went directly into a cash game) -- and if not for the two re-buys before us, we would have finished eighth.

Poker Day 447: Free-Falling

The wonderful thing about a freeroll poker tournament is that you can win money without making a big investment - and if you wind up with a big bust, there's no sting over money lost.  We were reminded of that today at Winners Cardroom, because of this hand....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: A-K offsuit

It's the fourth hand of the day, at a packed table of ten. We tried to sneak into the prior hand with J-10, only to see big raises chase us off.  That was too bad, because a 7 on the river would have given us a straight.

Now we have big cards, and are first to act.  We limp "under the gun", as we normally do.  Sure enough, the raises come across the table - first to 600, then 1,600.  We call that.  But then a man across the way makes the "four-bet shove," as our dealer would say. Other players bail out.

"I have to call this," we say in contrast.  Our remaining stack of 10,200 chips comes out.

"He has you covered," the dealer notes while counting the stacks.  Of course he does; our opponent bought 20,000 extra chips for $10, while we've only spent one dollar on a can of soda worth no extra chips.

"You'll see why I had to call it," we say as we wait.

"Your Aces are good, sir," a man in the middle of the table says in a guess.  Then we see our opponent's cards: 8-8.

"I don't quite have that," we say as we show.  But we have six immediate outs - a 13% chance.  "Be nice to me," we say encouragingly to the dealer.

ON THE FLOP: A-10-2

"I like you," we say.

ON THE TURN: 8

"I don't like you," we turn around and say.  Just that quickly, our top pair is trumped by a "two-out" third 8 (a 4.5% chance).

ON THE RIVER: K

A second pair is not enough.  Our big risk becomes a big bust - as we're first out of the tournament, in 20th place.  But let's face it: what thinking poker player would not have done what we did?

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our card protector of the day led to a pre-game discussion with a man about the Holy Spirit.  He indicated he believes in that Spirit.

"What's the Holy Spirit done for you lately?" we asked him.

"The trinity watches over me every day," he answered.

We know some people who would raise the offside flag at that statement.  They don't believe God is a "trinity" of Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and they'd challenge the idea of the Holy Spirit watching anyone.

We did a quick Bible review, and admittedly couldn't find any verse to indicate the Holy Spirit looks or watches people. (If you find out, leave a comment and let us know.) But consider these words....

...The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. - I Corinthians 2:10b

This was written long before Google searches with computers.  If you went searching for something the old-fashioned way, such as a missing card in your poker deck, wouldn't you look for it - utilizing eyesight?

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. - I Corinthians 2:12

The Holy Spirit can help you understand deep things about God. But perhaps you have trouble understanding how the Holy Spirit works. Review our Bible study on the Spirit with an open mind - and if you have questions, ask them in a comment.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 162 final tables in 447 games (36.2%) - 26 cashes.

Following Suit

You can learn amazing things about poker from the most unlikely places.  For instance, a recent article on the business website Forbes provided some key numbers to consider when playing a hand.

If you're dealt two suited cards (such as 5-4 of spades), your chances of winning the hand only go up about two percent.  Yet how many losing poker players have we heard make the famous statement, "They were suited"?

Yet if you're dealt a high pair pre-flop, such as "Jacks or better," your chances of taking the pot are one in 72.  The odds are better - but note they're still quite long.  We've also heard plenty of losing poker players complain about Q-Q or K-K being deceptively bad.

So following a suit doesn't help you much, and following up a big pair still offers no guarantee of success.  Yet we think there's one Person you should follow, who offers a guaranteed return:

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." - Mark 10:21

Jesus Christ invites us to follow Him, giving up anything that might stand in the way.  Sadly, the person who heard these words directly from the Lord didn't do that (verse 22).  But look at what can happen if you do:

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age.... and in the age to come, eternal life." - Mark 10:28-30

How far are you willing to go to follow Jesus -- especially if it means eternal life at the end of the road?

God may be asking you to give up something you consider important.  Perhaps it's full-time poker-playing.  Perhaps it's a poker buddy who drags you into bad behavior.  Perhaps it's something else.

Whatever is holding you back from a relationship following Jesus Christ, don't be afraid to let that thing go.  Jesus promises blessings in return - in this life and the life to come.

The Unlikely Order of Being

Have you ever been at a table where a player called for a card to come out of the deck, perhaps for the river -- and that very card came out?

We've seen it happen a few times at poker tournaments.  But we only realized recently that you can do something like that every night to win big money.

Oklahoma's state lottery has a "Poker Pick" game.  You buy a card with five playing cards from a standard deck on it.  If it makes a good poker hand, you win an instant prize -- and you can win a second time if the cards drawn by the lottery every night match yours.

But there's a big catch.  You apparently CANNOT pick the cards you play; a machine gives you something randomly on a ticket.  And you can't use cards on your ticket to supplement the cards drawn by the lottery, to improve your winnings.  Perhaps that's why Poker Pick only seems to have a few hundred winners every night.

If your ticket matches the five drawn by the lottery, you can win $100,000 - and you defy some pretty huge odds.  The state lottery website actually shows you the chances of doing that: one in almost 2.6 million.

Would you enter a lottery with unlikely odds that high?  Plenty of people do it when games like Powerball have a huge jackpot.

But here's the thing - you're living on a place which defies those odds right now.  It's called Earth.  Wherever you're reading this on Earth.  That's because our solar system defies logical odds -- with the Earth making a constant regular orbit around the Sun, and turning in a predictable way so that a day lasts 24 hours with slow adjustments for seasons.

Why doesn't our orbit go out of control, and go more "on tilt" than it normally does in a year?  We dare to think we know the answer:

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heaven and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. - Psalm 19:4-6

King David wrote this psalm, and noticed the regular pattern of sunrises and sunsets.  So did other Biblical writers.

The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. - Ecclesiastes 1:5

You might argue things on this earth have "evolved" over millennia and centuries. But how do you explain this orderly pattern of the days, seasons and years in the heavens?  Why doesn't that "evolve," with the sun rising earlier and earlier year-round?  Again, we think we know the answer.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. - Psalm 113:3

Scientists and writers smarter than us have noted this Earth could not sustain life without the orbit it has, and the location it holds related to the Sun.  Astronomers can chart what will happen - day by day, year by year.

Unlike cards from a deck of poker cards, the paths of the solar system are sure.  And they lead us on only one logical path for an explanation.

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.... his understanding no one can fathom. - Isaiah 40:28

We know of no better explanation than this - an explanation that defies human logic and odds.  Do you?

Favorites or Longshots?

Since we've been talking about numbers lately here, try this one: 2,598,960.

That's reportedly the total number of five-card combinations possible in a 52-card deck.  We learned this from a Business Insider article on poker odds.  It's an article that's pretty clunky to us, with lots of photos -- and we're not sure it's helpful for players, because it doesn't figure in two-card combinations you might be dealt.

But here's another number to ponder: the odds of a single card turning into a straight flush are 0.00154%.  That statistically is a longshot.

And to be honest, the odds of you reading this may be even higher.  You have to be alive.  You have to be at a computer, tablet or smartphone.  You have to have this blog called up, out of millions of websites.

We thank you for defying those odds and reading this entry.  But how about even bigger odds than that?  You're on a planet that isn't too close to the Sun, so you melt - or too far away, so you die from extreme cold.  In fact, you may be on a part of the planet that has a range of seasons and temperature changes.

The odds of that happening are so ridiculously high that we think there's only one sound conclusion for it:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

The odds of everything evolving into the position you're in probably are even higher -- because there's no guiding hand to put everything in a proper place.

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree than will never pass away. - Psalm 148:5-6

So far as we know, the Earth and other planets have kept the same orbit around the Sun for thousands of years.  Can any evolutionary theory really explain that?  Consider what "wisdom" poetically proclaims:

"I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep...." - Proverbs 8:27-28

This is Thanksgiving week in the U.S.  We hope you take time not only this week, but every week, to thank God for all he's provided you -- whether it be a big win at the poker table, a living body for playing poker, or a world where it's physically possible.  Make God your favorite, and show it in living a life that's pleasing to Him.

Chances Are....

For some reason, poker never came up  Nor did other "games of chance" you might play in a casino.  But we were drawn to a public radio series this past week on "Risk and Reason" - examining how statistical probability plays a factor in many things we do.

One basic example is the weather forecast.  How do you prepare for a "20-percent chance of rain"?  Your answer may say a lot about you.  Let's translate that to some examples at a Texas Hold 'em poker table:

* If you have a "gutshot" straight draw - such as 5-6-_-8-9 - your chances of making it with a 7 on the turn are 4 in 47, or 8.5%.  The chance of making the straight on the river is actually slightly better, because there's one fewer mystery card.  It becomes 4 in 46, or 8.7%.

* If you have four cards to a flush after the flop, the chance of completing it on the turn is 19.1% (9 remaining cards in a suit out of 47).  On the river, it's 19.6%.

(Yet a flush beats a straight at showdown.... but that's another topic completely.)

Good poker players constantly figure the odds and probability in their heads.  Yet the NPR series showed if you avoid casinos because you don't like "games of chance" -- sorry.  You live in a world where the figuring of probability and chance abound.

If you're looking for a sure thing, consider this: 100 percent of all human beings who lived in the 18th century died.  And unless something unusual happens, so will you.  So will we.

But believers in God and Jesus Christ keep a "long shot" in mind -- that something unusual can happen.  In fact, the Bible offers it as hope beyond this life.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel  and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. - I Thessalonians 4:16-17

Did you notice the apostle Paul wrote those verses somewhat in the present tense?  "We who are still alive...."  From all we know, Paul eventually died -- but he had that "long shot" hope.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet shall sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. - I Corinthians 15:51-52

The chances of hitting a straight flush card on the river (if you have the other four) is only two percent.  Believers in Jesus should live each day in faith, keeping the "chance" in mind that God could prove His word true and send Jesus back to Earth at any time.  That will be hitting the sweetest "jackpot" of all.

Improving the Odds

There are all kinds of "poker games" for people who don't want to play, well, real poker.  We've mentioned in recent months our occasional interest in "Ultimate Texas Hold 'em," played at a table similar to blackjack.

But are those alternatives any better, when it comes to winning money?  We found a web page which offers revealing answers.  We were puzzled by the lack of Ultimate Texas Hold 'em on their list of table games, since those tables always seem to be the most crowded at casinos.  Yet surprisingly, you're more likely to beat the dealer at basic blackjack than at games such as "Caribbean Stud".

In every case, though, the odds are in favor of the house -- not you.  And if you think about it, this world works the same way.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you use to lived when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. - Ephesians 2:1-2

The "ways of this world" tend to follow a "ruler" -- but who is that ruler?

The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers.... - II Corinthians 4:4

Is that the God of creation?  No -- because the rest of the verse says:

....so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - II Corinthians 4:4b

Why would the God of creation blind people to seeing Jesus Christ?  We have to admit a few church groups say God does this, perhaps without realizing it.  But Jesus referred to someone else along this line....

Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. - John 12:31

Back in Ephesians 2, some Bible translations say "prince" instead of "ruler."  So that prince is at work in disobedient people.  Would God work people toward sinning?  We don't think so.

The circumstantial evidence points to Satan the devil as that "ruler" and "god of this world" and "prince."  But did you notice something else about Ephesians 2 -- that people were dead?  Past tense?  That means they're not any longer.  How did that happen?  What turned their odds to a winning victorious life?

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.... We are from God.... - I John 4:4, 6

We need Someone in us to overpower Satan.  There's only One who can effectively do that....

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

Is Jesus Christ in you, giving you a win at the table of life -- and hope for eternal life beyond this one?  We believe turning to Jesus turns the odds in your favor.  If you need help with that, please leave a comment and let us know.

Remember As You Play....

Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. - Ecclesiastes 11:4

Some poker players get reputations as "rocks" or "tight," because they only get involved where they have a strong chance of winning.  Sometimes that approach gets results; sometimes it doesn't.

We were reminded the other night through Christian radio of an interesting section of Ecclesiastes.  It includes our verse above, which sounds like it relates to farming -- but one poker players might summarize this way: "Scared money doesn't win."

Wait for the perfect moment to make a move at the poker table, and you might run out of moments.  The odds of being dealt pocket Aces (or, for that matter, any card combination without regard to suit) are 220 to 1.  Since most tournaments have quick-rising blinds, the patient approach ultimately hits a wall of time and reality.  So what's a poker player to do?

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.... Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. - Ecclesiastes 11:1, 6

Despite the commonly-used phrase "Christian conservative," God inspires these words to encourage a certain amount of risk-taking.

Where do you draw the line with that?  Ahhhh - that's the hard part.  Different people set different lines which they don't cross.  Those lines about when to stay in and when to get out get drawn through years of experience.

So let's open this up for discussion.  Where do you draw lines in what poker hands you play -- either pre-flop or beyond?

Against All Odds

Why do you never hear about professional poker players winning slot machine jackpots in casinos -- or scoring a big win at the blackjack table?

Perhaps they know something ordinary "high rollers" don't.  An essay in the Wall Street Journal has a revealing analysis of gamblers in online casinos.

Since the newspaper might put the essay behind a "pay wall," we'll sum it up this way: over a two-year span....

Just 11% of players ended up in the black over the full period, and most of those pocketed less than $150.... Big losers of more than $5,000 among these heavy gamblers outnumbered big winners by a staggering 128 to 1. 

But wait, you say -- poker is different from ordinary gambling.  This report took that argument into account.  From "Sitting at the Virtual Poker Table"....

About one-third of the poker players classified as "most involved" by the Harvard researchers ended up winning money over time, while just 10% of the rest ended up in the black.

So when it comes to poker, it can pay to play on a regular basis.  But when it comes to other casino games, the opposite is true:

The lightest gamblers—the 10% of customers who placed the fewest wagers over the two years—also had the highest winning percentage. About 17% of them ended up in the black—tough odds but still better than the dismal 5.4% winning percentage of the heaviest gamblers.

There are many conclusions we can draw from this study.  One of them is contained in the book of Proverbs:

Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom? - Proverbs 17:16

That verse sounds harsh.  But how many casino players take time to study their chances of winning at the games they play -- for instance, at a slot machine?  With a little thought and research, some money could be saved.

(We should note here the proverb "A fool and his money are soon parted" is not from the Bible -- but it rather surprisingly does have church roots.)

The study also indicates in poker, practice can make perfect -- but not completely perfect.  We'd compare it to a baseball player.  If he gets a hit three times out of ten, he's considered very good.  he Bible talks about "practice" as well....

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them to practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundations on the rock. - Matthew 7:24-25

Practicing the teachings of Jesus does not make you immune from storms - but you'll be able to weather them better.

There's one more Biblical point to make from this study.... but we'll wait to see if you can find it.  We'll bring it up in a future post.

Odds Are....

We heard a thought-provoking radio commentary recently which can relate to poker, and many bigger things.  It started with a look at probability.

Flip a typical coin, call heads or tails, and you have a 50-50 chance of making the correct call.  If you flip the coin twice, the odds of it landing "heads" twice are one in four.  Flip it three times, and the odds of three "heads" are one in eight.  And on it goes.

If you play a thinking person's style of poker, you may compute your "outs" as you go.  An open-ended straight draw (let's say 3-4-5-6) gives you eight outs -- as four 2's or four 7's could come up on the turn or river, to complete the straight.  Four cards of the same suit provide nine outs for making a flush, as each suit has 13 cards (13 - 4 = 9).  That's a 9-in-46 chance for a flush on the river, or 19.6%.

So what's our point, you ask?  We'll answer with our own questions: have the odds for making a straight or flush changed over the last 20 years, since the online poker boom began?  Have they changed since the World Series of Poker began in 1970?  Have they changed at all from the days of "riverboat gambling" and the Wild West?

Unless there's cheating, the obvious answer is no.  Decks of standard playing cards still come in 52's, with four suits with an order of Ace-through-2.  The chances of completing big hands have not changed.  That's why they're called laws of probability -- they're constant, like the law of gravity.

If believers in evolution are right, shouldn't those laws have changed at some point?  The only way to improve your chances for a flush is to change the rules of the game.  But the creators of poker (we really don't think Jesus was among them) set "laws" in place, which apparently have been constant for more than 100 years.  God's Law works the same way, too:

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I gave you. - Deuteronomy 4:2

Moses was given a set of laws by God. including the Ten Commandments mentioned in chapter 5.  He said again for emphasis in his farewell address....

See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. - Deuteronomy 12:32

The U.S. Constitution can be amended; it's happened 27 times.  A world governing board over poker could change the rules of the game as well.  But we don't know of one, and "house rules" at each individual poker room deal more with details such as how you bet or claim a pot.  Yet despite what even some ministers claim, God's Law has not changed.

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. - Matthew 5:18

Those words came from the mouth of Jesus.  He was the Son of God -- but yes, He was a real "game-changer."  We'll explain what He changed in a future post.

The Strait Draw

In a post last week, we asked for your thoughts about two familiar Bible verses, quoting Jesus:

Enter you in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it. - Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)

A "straight" in poker is spelled differently from these verses -- five cards numerically in a row, such as 5-6-7-8-9.  But achieving that straight sometimes requires a "strait" card to fall.

For instance, you may have 8-9 and see 5-6 on the flop.  The missing 7 you're seeking can have many slang names in poker, such as a "gutshot" or a "belly-buster."  But a "strait" shot is fitting, because that spelling of the word can mean "narrow or constricted."  A 6 or an 8 will not do to complete the straight; you must have a 7.

Plenty of players pursue that kind of straight, even though the chances of hitting it even on the river are only 8.7%.  Yet how many take a "strait gate" approach to their living?  Jesus is indicating that pursuit will pay off in eternal life -- and He's indicating the payoff is guaranteed.

So how do you "go strait?"  Our American Heritage Dictionary notes another definition of that word: "Strict, rigid or righteous."  The first two words in quotes go against the thinking and desires of many people.  But thankfully, God provided help with the last one....

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. - I Corinthians 1:30

See what He did there?  Jesus becomes the righteousness for people who believe in Him.  While some ministers define "righteousness" simply as commandment-keeping (Psalm 119:172), the apostle Paul dares to say Jesus can fill that role as well.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. - Ephesians 5:1-2

Read and study the Bible each day to see how God functions and Jesus lived (still living in heaven, in fact).  Following what you read will help you squeeze out the greatest of narrow victories.

A Player Outside the Door

It was well after dark Monday, when we stepped outside to go to the car and drive to a poker tournament.  Four people were chatting in two separate conversations near or apartment door.  We thought little of it, said "Hello" when someone greeted us and walked on by.

"Hey," one of the four people then said when we were halfway down the sidewalk.  Instinctively we stopped, knowing he was talking to us.  It was based on years dealing with beggars whose path we crossed -- strangers who summon up the courage to get your attention, so they can make a pitch for money.  A few times, they've even gone door-to-door at our apartment complex.

We turned around, walked back a little -- and found the man who called us was someone who attends other poker tournaments.  He explained he used to live in our apartment complex.  "I wondered why you didn't say hello to me," he said.

Well, we had in a quiet way.  But we never looked at the group, to see who was standing outside the door.  (It was hard to see in the darkness, anyway.)  We also presumed the four people outside were talking with a neighbor -- and that none of the people in his circle of friends would also be in our circle of poker players.

We drove to poker night and became increasing upset -- with ourselves.  By simply walking past a group of people, we had failed a command of Jesus:

You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.... let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:14, 16

One way to be a "light" is to be friendly toward others.  Yet for some Christians, who read their Bibles closely, this can be a challenging concept.  Why?

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendly with the world is hatred toward God?  Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. - James 4:4

The man who stopped us Monday has challenged our belief in God at times.  Some might contend he's no "friend" at all.  But consider the example Jesus set....

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." - Matthew 9:11-13

We never even looked to see who any of the people outside the door were.  We actually didn't want to interrupt them.  But Jesus probably would care enough to check, and engage with that group -- doing the work of calling people to walk with Him.

Based on the population of our area and the number of regular poker players we face in live tournaments, the odds of a "regular" standing outside our door on a Monday night were about 4,500:1 -- far higher than the odds of hitting a "one-out" straight flush on the river.  Yet it happened.  And not only did we miss it, we were totally unprepared for the possibility.

When we see that man again (wherever it might be), we plan to ask for his forgiveness.  And we hope to learn a lesson from it: "checking" and "reading" other people goes far beyond the poker table.  It can be all about building good relationships.

As we finished writing this, we heard an old song on Christian radio which seemed perfectly timed to put an exclamation point on this personal lesson.  Maybe you could use it, too....

NOTE: We'll have more to say about "light" in a future post.