Luck or Something Like It III

We've been going over an article our church pastor wrote several years ago about whether you should really give "luck" any credit for things going well or badly - in poker or anywhere else.

In our first post on this topic, we noted God provides "blessings" as opposed to luck. Now for a third time, we point to this part of the pastor's article:

When blessings come upon an individual, they typically are linked to physical and/or spiritual obedience and good works. God plainly tells us that blessings are a result of our actions.

But here's a problem with that statement. God not only provides blessings to whomever He pleases - He expects you to provide blessings, too. Here's proof:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. - Romans 12:14

How often do you see that in a poker room? Especially in some tense cash game?

It's easy to trash-talk your opponent when he hits a two-out river card to win a big pot or stay alive in a tournament. Yet the proper approach in God's sight is the approach that isn't natural. It means biting your tongue, if that's what it takes.

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool.... - Matthew 5:34-35

Swearing and foul language can happen often at a poker table. God wants your response to borrow from a recent hit country song - be "humble and kind." (Which strangely comes from an album with an old-school "four-letter word" in its title.)

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.... - Matthew 5:43-44

Jesus Christ offered this advice. Then He lived it....

When they hurled their threats at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. - I Peter 2:23

Can you do that - not only keeping quiet and calm during a poker tournament, but even offering blessings to opponents along the way? It might not be easy. But with the help of God's Holy Spirit, it can be done.

So we close by borrowing from a late preacher whose voice is still heard on radio. Instead of counting on something lucky to happen, "walk with the King today.... and be a blessing."

Super (For Us) Sunday

NBC Sports used to show a poker tournament on this day.  But today, NBC actually is showing that big U.S. football game with a trademarked name.  So it was up to us to have poker fun -- and with errands to run at midday, we skipped the poker room and entered the National League of Poker no-river game.  NLOP lets players register a bit late now....

....and that was good news for us, because we wound up winning the 206-player tournament!  This was the winning moment against "Crazyguy1", as we both made heart flushes on the turn (you're dealt three cards, and there's no river card).  He bet the minimum 6,000; we raised all-in with only 433 to spare -- and he seemed resigned to end the game and move on.  Our "nuts" won the pot, and a $10 prize.

This was our first NLOP win since December 2013 (also a no-river game). And the final table turned on a hand with three players left, where a pair of 2's was showing.  We had a third 2 with a K; a player named Grayzo took us all-in with a third 2 and a Q.  His surprise loss led to this exchange:

Dealer: 　flopblogger wins Main Pot ($195,024) with Three of a kind, deuces
grayzo: 　om *** god
crazyguy1: 　wow
Me: 　PTL!
grayzo: 　?
Me: 　praise the Lord!
grayzo: i don't do church
How interesting.  This player doesn't "do church," yet he/she actually brought up God before we did.

Of course, lots of people bring up God's name every day.  But many of them use it in exclamations and cursing.  The Bible has a warning about that:

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. - Exodus 20:7

This is one of the basic Ten Commandments.  But a close look at the Bible shows there can be many ways where the name of God can be misused.  For instance....

Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. - Leviticus 19:12

This can deal with giving false testimony in court - or simply saying "swear to God, I had a flush" when you really didn't.  But Jesus seems to take this a step farther:

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. - Matthew  5:34-36

Some people "affirm" their words to be truthful in a court of law, instead of being "sworn in.... so help you God."  These verses are a main reason why.

It seems to us the overall lesson is to be careful with every word we say.  Be truthful. Be accurate. When you can, be loving.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. - Proverbs 18:21

The Greatest Ghost We Know

west59:  f*rtblogger you stink

Oh, what encouragement and kindness in an online poker chat.  We faced that from another player recently -- but then another came to our defense.

Toddlar:  another fan

Me:  What?!?!!?

Toddlar:  hes popular

Me:  You can visit my poker blog later: ontheflop.blogspot.com .

Toddlar:  hope u have a ghostwriter

Toddlar:  cause it looks like poker wisdom aint ur thang

Dealer:  WesK wins Main Pot ($700)

Me:  No.  Sorry.

Toddlar:  lol

Me:  A Spirit yes, a ghost no.

Let's make some sense of this discussion.  We do all the writing at this blog (at least to this point).  But we pray the Holy Spirit will guide us in writing helpful things for you.  That was the apostle Paul's hope for a congregation long ago....

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. - Ephesians 1:17

We all need to know God better, so that we can follow Him better and do His will.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. - Colossians 1:9

Wisdom to know God's will ultimately is better than "poker wisdom," anyway - because it can lead to eternal life.

Let's address one other thing here.  We indicated we have a Spirit, but not a ghost -- and that really was misleading.  The King James Version of the Bible tends to use those words interchangeably in referring to God's Spirit.  For instance:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. - II Corinthians 13:14 (KJV)

The New International Version has "Holy Spirit" in that verse, as do several other translations.

We've heard one radio preacher suggest the "Holy Ghost" and "Holy Spirit" are two different things.  But in practically every case where the phrases occur in the New Testament, the Greek root word for "ghost" and "spirit" are the same.  So you can call it either one -- but Jesus warns you'd better use the phrase with care:

But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin. - Mark 3:29

Seek the Spirit's wisdom.  Draw closer to God.  And you may be surprised by the blessings which come -- even at a poker table.

Poker Night 326: The Uptown Tops

Downtown Columbus has Texas Hold 'em poker again.  Tonight we walked up Broadway to Uptown Wings - a rather small corner restaurant with some rather big local names behind it.  For instance, it's not every day you see a picture of the local Better Business Bureau director on a restaurant wall.

It's also a rare day (anymore) when we last indeed deep into a final table.  But a chain of events tonight opened the way for it....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: 10-5 offsuit

We won a modest early pot with two pair -- but then the big betting began at our table.  One man who's notorious for pre-flop raises moved across from us, and started tossing out 3,000 chips almost like they're bread crumbs in the park.  Waiting for the "right moment" has meant a lot of folding, and slowly has dwindled our stack.

This hand begins with us at 3,500 -- and in the Big Blind for 400 on top of that.  These cards look very foldable.  But a surprising thing happens -- the big gamblers simply limp in.  No one raises.  We're grateful and check.

ON THE FLOP: Q-10-5

We're very grateful now!  We have two pair, and decide it's finally time to join the crowd.  "I'm all-in," we announce with our last 3,100.  Most of the table of six smells big trouble and folds.  But the big bettor (who earlier declared us "the tightest man at the table") thinks opportunistically and calls.  While he's made a few big hands to win pots, we suspect we have him topped.

ON THE TURN: 4

OK, that seems harmless.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We still don't sense any problems -- but the big bettor can pull acting jobs, so we're not completely sure.

"Two pair," we say as we flip over our cards.  The opponent looks -- and folds!  It's a timely "double-up plus" for us, to 7,200.

The action moved quickly with only about 18 total players.  We were at the final table of eight before the one-hour break.  Then after that break, big cards started coming our way.  We went all in with A-Q -- and it turned into a full house, which increased us to around 21,000.  The next hand brought us K-Q, which turned into another full house by the turn!  Back-to-back boats built us back to the 30,000 range, while players fell off around us.

With only three players left, we looked down at pocket Aces -- after the man ahead of us went all-in!  Of course we called, and a huge shift of chips resulted in our favor.  We were heads-up with a man, competing for a $50 Uptown Wings gift card (beginning next week, the prize will be cash).  The Tournament Director talked about splitting the prize, which was fine with us.

"Let's play a couple more hands," our opponent said.  He won the first, when he pushed and we folded with little.  He went for it again in the second -- going all-in with three hearts on the board.  We held Ah-7c, as well as a chip lead.

"Say go ahead.  Say go ahead," he urged.

"But that gift certificate sounds so tempting!" we admitted as we pondered.  We didn't want to blow it now -- so after a few seconds, we folded.  (Of course, the river card was a heart which would have given us a victorious flush.)

On the third hand we had A-9 of clubs, which felt much more comforting when our opponent pushed again.  But before that happened, he accepted the settlement offer: we'd split the $50 prize.  Playing out the hand showed he had K-10, and an Ace on the flop would have ended things with us in first place.

It turned out Uptown Wings didn't want to split the gift card -- so our opponent accepted the $50 card, and paid us $25 cash from his wallet.  (That's something we could not have done; we showed up with three.)  It marks our first live tournament win since last December -- and we walked home smiling and thankful to God.  But not whistling a happy tune; we didn't want to become a "mark" for any downtown criminals.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "What's your name?" our final table heads-up opponent asked at our crucial moment of decision with A-7.

"Richard."

"Richard," he said with the Tournament Director.  Then they loudly said together, "Dick!!!"

We smiled and said nothing, as these adults turned our name into a sexual perversion.  We admittedly have never used that shortened name because of the connotations some give it.  (We're amazed Dick's Sporting Goods has become a successful national chain in recent years.)

By choosing to say nothing, we followed the example of Jesus....

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.  Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. - I Peter 2:23

The apostle Peter wrote these words with Christian slaves in mind.  Verse 18 advises them to show respect to all masters, regardless of how the masters act.

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.... if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. - I Peter 2:19-20

We've faced this kind of name-related "trash talk" from time to time, going back to junior high school.  But tonight we heard from adult men -- and sadly, one of them wore a T-shirt promoting Masonic lodges, which we thought were supposed to uphold God and solid character.  Truly there are times when it's better to keep quiet.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 116 final tables in 326 nights (35.6%) - 18 cashes.

Poker Night 298: Approaching Royalty

Poker tournaments can be a bit like the children's game "King of the Mountain."  And at The Red Barn tonight, we played at a table which seemed that way -- with the felt board placed atop three uneven tables.  It was appropriate for our evening as well, because we had plenty of ups and downs.

BLINDS: 500/1,000

IN THE POCKET: Ace of spades - King of clubs

We won a couple of early pots, but lost a few as well.  After reaching the one-hour break at 5,100 chips, a failure with a pocket pair has dropped us to 2,500.  Now we're dealing at a table of six, and see no other option.  We go all in.  Three players call to take us on.  That's not exactly comforting for us.

ON THE FLOP: Ac-Qc-Jc

But that's a bit better -- top pair with top kicker.  Two players check, but a woman to our right bets 5,000.  That runs the other two away, and that 5,000 is hers to keep.

Then she shows K-7 -- not even a pair.  Then we realize we have not only the lead, but huge potential.  If the 10 of clubs comes, we'll hit a royal flush!

ON THE TURN: 8c

"Good enough," we say.  That's a nut flush, and we clinch the pot.  But a 5,000-chip bonus still is at stake....

ON THE RIVER: 6h

"I'll take it," we say.  But another player asks us to prowl through the deck for the jackpot card, just for fun. The 10 of clubs is near the bottom.  But that's OK; we're back in the action at about 11,500 chips.

We won another big pot minutes later when A-Q turned into a full house, and jumped to 27,000.  Then came a setback, including a big loss with A-2.  Then came another all-in win, which moved us to the semifinal table.  Then we had A-9, saw a flop of A-9-7 and went all-in for 11,000.  But an opponent holding A-10 caught a 10 on the turn, and that finally did us in.  He took out another player along with us, so we finished tied for 11th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: A woman to our right said an expletive during the first hour, then quickly corrected herself.  Other players wondered why she did that -- and her explanation sparked an interesting discussion.

"He doesn't curse," the woman said while gesturing toward us.  "He's a Christian, so...."

"I'm a Christian," answered the man two seats to our left.

"I'm a Christian," echoed the woman to our left.

"But if you come to a bar, you can expect to hear swearing," the man added.

"That's true," we admitted.  "But you don't have to join in it."

The man agreed, but repeated his earlier point.  "If you walk into a bar, you should expect to hear swearing."

"It's like joining the Navy," another man said.  "You might be the only person who chooses not to curse, but you're going to hear cursing."

There's a lot wrapped into this discussion of about 90 seconds.  We'll start by pointing out the woman to our  right was correct: we don't use profanity at the poker table (or anywhere else, for that matter).  We follow the instructions of Jesus in this regard....

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. - Matthew 5:34-37

The Hebrew word for "swear" here is more along the lines of taking an oath, perhaps to assume a political office or testify in court.  But swearing and cursing were combined in a dramatic moment of the New Testament:

After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."  Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed. - Matthew 26:73-74

Jesus's loyal disciple Peter denied the One he earlier called "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16:16) -- and he did it by invoking curses on himself.  We're not told exactly what Peter said, but the rest of chapter 26 indicates he felt utter humiliation moments later.

With all that said, we must add something else.  While we introduce matters of God and Jesus Christ in poker rooms, we do not make a point of bragging about how we don't use "blue language."  We don't think that sets a good Christian example, either.  So we simply say other words -- but we've noticed over the years if you don't curse or swear, some people pick up on it without you  making it an issue.

So what do you think of this discussion?  Which of the people at this table (excluding us) do you think acted most like a Christian?  We'll explore this much more in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 108 final tables in 298 nights (36.2%) - 17 cashes.

What's So Funny?

Our last post included a poker player's joke about the "Last Supper" of Jesus and His disciples. We admittedly didn't laugh at it, especially when profane language was attributed to Christ.

"I doubt He would have used those words," we told the man. Some of Jesus's words from the New Testament lead us to that conclusion....

But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. -- Matthew 5:34-36

The "swearing" here admittedly refers to an oath or a promise -- not really profanity. But the joke attributed by our fellow player to D.L. Hughley could be classified as "taking God's name in vain," which is barred in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:7). Paul takes the idea farther....

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity .... Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. -- Ephesians 5:3-4

If the profanity was taken out of the joke, it probably would be acceptable. Jesus used absurd word pictures at times to make points -- such as the "camel going through the eye of a needle" (Matthew 19:24).

So we believe God does have a sense of humor, as long as you "keep it clean." If someone wins a poker hand this week with three Kings and you want to break out in a carol, we'll probably laugh along with you.

Poker Night 217: Jacks or Better?

We had a great afternoon playing online poker -- finishing 12th in a tournament with 568 players, barely missing the final table. So a three-table game at The Red Barn tonight should have been a breeze, right? Yeah, right....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: J-Q offsuit

We're in the big blind, and enter this hand with 2,400 chips desperately needing a rally. We haven't won a pot all night. And we missed a golden opportunity in an earlier big blind holding 2-3; a 3 came on the flop, but we folded to a big bet and missed another 3 on the turn. No one raises around the six-player table now, and we check in hope.

ON THE FLOP: 6-8-J

Top pair for us says it's time to strike. The man to our right checks, and we push -- all-in for our last 2,000. A man to our left calls.

"I'll throw you a bone," the small blind man as he calls. Hmmmm -- maybe he has nothing.

ON THE TURN: 7

That feels good. The two remaining players agree to "check it down."

ON THE RIVER: K

Uh-oh -- not top pair anymore. And that's not good at all, as the bone-thrower makes two pair with that card. He has K-6, and the man to our left had two pair on the turn anyway with J-7. They pinch us to the rail -- fifth out of nine players at the table, out at the one-hour break.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Our new card protector depicting the Lord's Supper is drawing a lot of interest. We showed it to several people at our table tonight. One man to our right said he believed the event and Jesus were real.

But then he offered a joke about it, credited to D.L. Hughley. To summarize: Jesus asked Peter if he brought anything to the meal. Peter said no. Jesus asked John if he brought anything, and John said no. Then Jesus supposedly said: "G******it, this is the last supper."

How would you respond to something like that? We'll tell you our response in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 88 final tables in 217 nights (40.6%) - 15 cashes.

Lessons from Four Aces

Language issues can happen in online poker, every bit as much as in live tournaments. Take what happened today at National League of Poker....

Dealer: cher67 wins Main Pot ($740) with Four of a kind, aces
Me: wow excellent
cher67: holy sh

Cher may have stopped short of finishing the second word, because NLOP seems to have a language filter. (At least it does for us; profanity shows on our screen with asterisks.) But the first word was enough to get us thinking....

omajor: nh
cher67: too bad there wasnt more money on the table
Me: What makes that stuff holy, anyway? :-/

Exclamations beginning with "holy" have been around for a long time. We remember "Robin the Boy Wonder" uttering them all the time on the old Batman TV series. We avoid them because a Biblical warning:

Above all, my brothers, do not swear -- not by heaven, or by earth or by anything else.... -- James 5:12

So we had a little fun with the exclamation, in hopes of making a larger point. The fun stuff continues with this response....

cher67: oxidation
Me: Ohhhhhh.
Dealer: suarez801 wins Main Pot ($630)
cher67: didnt think i knew the answer didja
Dealer: stolen wins Main Pot ($1550)
Me: I was expecting more of a Biblical answer than that.
cher67: lol
Me: Something like "Be ye holy, for I am holy."

That quote comes from I Peter 1:15-16 -- but it's really based in Leviticus 11:44-45.

cher67: well i guess if you say grace before u eat
cher67: jk
Dealer: mjgtlc wins Main Pot ($1210) with Straight, ten to ace
Me: Welllll - that's always a good idea.

It's a good idea because Jesus did it, to perform a great miracle:

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. -- Luke 9:16

Matthew 14:21 indicates more than 5,000 people were fed by that small donation. (In fact, we heard radio preacher Chuck Swindoll claim the other day the fish were little more than sardines.)

The "holy chat" ended there -- but we hopefully made others at the table think a bit. Holiness really doesn't come from exposure to the air, you know. It comes from exposure to God -- by "breathing in" the Holy Spirit, as God speaks to you in Bible study. The best "meat" to enjoy is the meat of God's word.

Betting on a Loser

The online game was anything but G-rated. One person wrote a double expletive, including one mentioning God's name. So we responded....

Me: I'd rather praise God, to be honest.
Lever: lol
lowrider1: amen to that
Lever: i like satan....
Me: That's too bad. An eventual loser.

We noted in an earlier post that Satan lost long ago. He's called "Lucifer" in Isaiah 14:12 (KJV) - and the context shows God kicked that "morning star" out of heaven for trying to have a higher throne than the God who created it.

Revelation 12:7-9 indicates (though it's open to interpretation) Satan tried again to claim a place in heaven. But God's angels fought Satan's demonic army off, and threw them down to the earth. And then....

Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. - Rev. 12:12

This is why many believers, such as the man who sat next to us at The Red Barn, consider Satan responsible for the disasters in this world. But thankfully, Jesus is coming back to bring "a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness" (II Peter 3:13).

Given Satan's record "heads-up" against God and the angels, why would any thinking person bet on the devil in a match against Jesus? Or for that matter, against anything godly?

NLOP Championship 3: Saves and a Slap

We haven't mentioned the fact that we qualified for our second Sunday night championship in a row at National League of Poker. A second-place and a fourth-place on consecutive days gave us a chance at the $500 top prize. So here's what happened....

:02 IN: We have 7-8. The flop of 5-Q-8 gives us middle pair. Then the turn is a 4. We call a $200 bet, hoping for a big river -- but it's a 10. We take a big loss, and fold.

:12 IN: Just in time after another big loss shrinks our stack to 320, we're dealt pocket Aces! We push pre-flop, and survive a caller to rebuild. But at that moment, this chat exchange occurs:

Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($730) with Three of a kind, aces
Me: PTL
Drewster: SMD
Me: Uh oh , stumped me with that one

We checked an acronym web site later, and came to the conclusion this was not a polite compliment by our opponent. In fact, it spelled out something vulgar. But people who "praise the Lord" really shouldn't be surprised by such things.

"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," Paul writes in II Timothy 3:12. While verse 13 mentions "evil men," we have no way of knowing if this opponent is evil, good or something in between.

"If they persecuted me," Jesus said in John 15:20, "they will persecute you also." Compared with what Christians in some terror-laden countries face, a vulgar acronym online is microscopic.

Whatever the level of challenge, pray to God for patience to endure it -- and remember other words of Jesus: "He who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

Now back to the game....

:22 IN: We have A-K of spades in the big blind, and raise to 300. The flop is Js-9s-A. Then 8s on the river gives us a nut flush, and we're up to 1,360.

:46 IN: With blinds climbing, we have a lowly 10s-2c in the big blind. But the flop brings two more 10's! We push, an opponent folds and we gain a $1,085 pot.

:55 IN: Another big blind brings us Q-5 of diamonds. The flop is Q-4-4, and we go all-in. An opponent calls, but only had pocket Jacks. After a 2-8 appear, we hit a high of $2,445.

But then came high blinds and no help from the deck. A-9 led to two Kings on the flop, and we had to fold a big bet. K-J of spades brought an all-in dare by another player pre-flop, and we folded fearing the worst. (Yup, the opponent had A-A.)

1:12 IN: With only 420 chips left, we're forced to go all-in with 9s-3d. The flop is A-6-2. Then come 6-7, and we're topped. Out of 1,412 players, we finished a respectable #230.

The D-Word

We had our best finish today in online National League of Poker action, since taking our spring cleaning break -- 15th out of 205 players. But as we chatted with someone else, we were met with this:

RRBEML: shut up god d**n
RRBEML: lol
Me: I'd rather praise God, personally. :-)
RRBEML: suck a ***
keithdob: yes ty

Praise God if you mean it -- because if you bring up the alternative, He might just do that.

"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved," a resurrected Jesus said in Mark 16:16, "but he that believes not shall be damned." (KJV) Other translations change the "D-word" into "condemned."

Admittedly, you're not likely to praise God unless you believe He exists, and that He sent Jesus the Son to pay the penalty of our sins. We don't recommend the alternative at all.

"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," warns Hebrews 10:31. The prior two verses show the context is one of God's vengeance for rejecting Christ and insulting the Holy Spirit. Do you really want to risk that?

Poker Night 145: Fear Factor

"Scared money never wins," a man across the table from us said at Lil Kim's Cove tonight. We think he was advising against small hesitant betting. Sometimes we don't mind that approach -- but sometimes we have little choice but to bet big:

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 9-8 of clubs

We're content to call our way into this hand, but a man to our left raises to 200. Then a man across the way raises to 700. We're not comfortable with this -- but big-time poker players on TV go big with suited connectors, so we call. The first raiser does as well.

ON THE FLOP: K-9-10 (10 is a club)

We're first in line to act, and check. The man to our left bets 800, chasing away the man who re-raised a moment before. It's bottom pair and we're asking for trouble, but we call.

ON THE TURN: 8

Hmmmm -- so much for the flush. But now we have two pair. We check in the hope our opponent will fire again. He doesn't, checking along with us.

ON THE RIVER: Q

Uh-oh. Now a Jack makes a straight, and our hopes are more cautious. We check again, and quietly are delighted when our opponent does the same.

"WLS," we declare in honor of one of our favorite radio stations growing up. "Eight-y nines." The old "rock of Chicago" is too much for our opponent, who concedes without showing his hand.

We won a couple of other hands as well -- but lost a couple of chases, including a hand with A-10 which led to two pair, but cost us 3,000 to a man with three of a kind. Our last stand with A-J fell short to two smaller pair, and we finished in 19th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Two players across the table from us were talking about a hand. One said to play what he had, "I've have to be f***ing God."

"I don't think God would do that," we responded.

The man who made the comment said nothing more about it -- but we felt compelled to say something. So many people seem to attach God's name to foul language.

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God," warns Deuteronomy 5:11, "for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." The Contemporary English Version says God will punish anyone who misuses His name.

But earlier in the day, we were reminded in Bible study of this surprising guidance from Jesus: "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man shall be forgiven...." (Luke 12:10)

It's the time of year for thinking carefully about the forgiveness Jesus offers. "Father, forgive them," the Savior pleaded as He died, "for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

Are you grateful for Jesus's sacrifice for your sins? Or have you spoken against Him carelessly in the last year, perhaps without giving it a second thought? There's still time to ask God to forgive you for wrong words from your mouth -- and for the Holy Spirit's help in speaking better.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 59 final tables in 145 nights (40.7%) - 11 cashes. If all goes well, we might be able to resume online poker play next week.

Poker Night 130: The Kings and I

Poker is all about making decisions -- and that can include the way you make those decisions. We wonder if our method got in our way tonight, with a key hand at Lil Kim's Cove....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: 8-7 offsuit

We won the first two hands of the night in a big way, and had more than 11,000 chips. But at this point, we've been knocked down to about 6,300. Sitting in the leadoff spot, we call in hopes of making a straight. Standard calling occurs around the table.

ON THE FLOP: K-10-7

It's a pair, but only bottom pair. We're still first up to bet check. Other players are in a "Hollywood" kind of mood, and fake bets before checking.

ON THE TURN: 8

The play checks to us -- but we're not faking now with two pair. We bet 600. A man to our left thinks about this a moment.

"You've got two pair, right?" a man on the other side asks. We say nothing, and politely clap our hands to The Devil Went Down to Georgia on the jukebox. Finally the other man calls. Everyone else has folded.

ON THE RIVER: K

The board pairs, with just about the last card we want to see. Now we take a moment to ponder -- and then we check.

"I'm all in," our opponent declares. He has 2,900 left.

Now we take even longer to ponder this. Was our opponent betting with top pair, and now has three Kings? If we call and lose, we'd be down to less than 2,000 chips. We finally decide he means it.

"I'll fold."

"I didn't have nothing, man...." Sure enough, he has J-3 of hearts. He missed a flush draw, but bluffed his way into making us surrender a big pot.

Looking back in our mind, an immediate bet on our part at the river might have persuaded this man to fold. If he sensed a lack of confidence on our part, he made it work.

We never rebuilt our chip stack after that -- and while we reached the semifinal table, we eventually had to push with 8-8. But two 3's came on the board, and a man with a third 3 eliminated another player along with us. We finished in a tie for 14th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: During the one-hour break, a man across the table from us talked about some sort of situation where "I was praying like a m****r f****r...."

"Praying is good," we said in response, "but I wouldn't recommend praying that way."

The man laughed at that -- but hopefully he understood our point. There's a much better way to word this in James 5:16. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (KJV)

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 51 final tables in 130 nights (39.2%) - 10 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Five-player sit-n-goes - 3-7-3-1-0. Full tournaments - 9 final tables in 114 games (7.9%), 0 cashes.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: One-table sit-n-goes - 0-1-0-1-1-4-0-0-1. Pretend cash game total: $1,650.

We finally figured out how to build our chip stack at this site -- by playing "fun" walk-in tables with small blinds. Starting with 1,000, we gained 55 dollars in a five-card stud room. Then at no-limit tables with blinds of 5/10 or 10/20, we gained 1,405 in a two-day rush! Since Tuesday, we've given up 810 -- but we're still ahead.

(After making this discovery, we admittedly might not play Yahoo poker anymore. The action is faster, with higher stakes and easier entry and exit.)

Poker Night 119: Let It Snow

In poker lingo, pocket pairs can have all sorts of slang names. Tonight at Soho Bar and Grill, we saw snowmen. Indoors.

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 8 of spades - 8 of clubs

A man sitting to our left already has noticed we've barely played any hands. We explained we were waiting for the right moment. This looks like one -- but we merely call, as several other players do.

ON THE FLOP: J-9-8

A third snowman decorates the green felt. We bet 600 -- which may seem modest, but it's the "bottom trip." Most players fold, but one man with a studded $ sign on his hat calls.

ON THE TURN: 6

A lower card means a higher bet. We toss out 1,200, but the man across from us still calls.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We're not sure what our opponent has. Might he be sitting on pocket Jacks? We slow down and bet 600 again. He calls -- and shows J-8 for two pair.

"I'm toll free," we say. As in 8-8-8. As in a handsome pot. This is a classic case of two pair feeling deceptively strong, when an opponent has a hidden three of a kind.

But then came a couple of big losses, which left us with only 1,500 chips at the one-hour break. A desperate all-in push with J-6 of clubs was good enough heads-up for a recovery to 9,000. But higher blinds made that fade away, and we wound up 11th -- missing the final table, but still gaining our best result at Soho since early November.

MINISTRY MOMENT: On a night which had several, we'll long remember that man with the $ sign on his hat. He wound up next to us at the semifinal table, and brought up the name of God a lot with nearby friends. Trouble was, profanity followed that name.

"That's the difference between you and me," we finally told him. "If I had your success [and his chip stack was much bigger], I'd be praising God." (See for example Psalm 113:1-3.)

"Instead of what?"

"Instead of saying what you said."

"What did I say?" (No, we did not repeat it for him.) He admitted after a moment, "I don't know what I'm saying."

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by that. When a bar offers big poker chips as bonuses for buying beer and other beverages, some players can lose their senses -- yet somehow they still have enough sense to keep playing poker and doing well.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 48 final tables in 119 nights (40.3%) - 10 cashes.

Poker Night 117: Super Sloppy Double Dare

OK, we'll admit it right up front. We played lousy poker tonight at Soho Bar and Grill. Downright lousy. As in second player out at our table.

Maybe it was the woman who started at our table with 25,000 extra chips -- a bonus for bringing five new players. (Yes, some places treat poker like Amway.) Maybe it was because we tried a hand of old-fashioned solitaire before the tournament -- and while the woman near us played every card, we were left holding 38 of them.

To be fair, we DID won a pot. Holding Q-Q, we bet 500 when A-7-7 came on the flop and everyone folded. But too many hands were like this one....

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: A-10 offsuit

It's a promising hand, and we haven't done much so far. We raise to 400, and several players call.

ON THE FLOP: 10-Q-9 (the queen is a club)

With middle pair and a nice kicker, we make a continuation bet of 200. A man to our immediate left calls; everyone else folds.

ON THE TURN: 6 of clubs

We're concerned our opponent might have a Queen to top us. We bet 100. He calls.

ON THE RIVER: 4 of clubs

This is even more trouble, as it puts three clubs on the board. We check.

"1,500," our opponent announces.

"Why did you have to do that?" we ask with a bit of fake disdain.

"I hit." That's all he says.

Fearing the worst, we fold. Then the pot-winner shows what he had -- 8-2. Of spades, not clubs. He was bluffing all along.

Our frustration grew from there -- and minutes later, we bet the minimum 200 with A-9 of hearts. A man across the table raised to 1,200. We were down to 2,125, and dared to go all-in. He called, and showed A-A. Two hearts hit the board (as did a 9), but we were left one card short.

MINISTRY MOMENT: When a flop came tonight, a man across the table mentioned God. Only he followed it with a common four-letter expletive.

"He might be blessing it," we said -- but we're not sure he heard that. No one pursued what we said.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 47 final tables in 117 nights (40.2%) - 10 cashes. We've missed the final table six times in a row.

Poker Night #87: Amazing Card Tricks

It was a seemingly typical night for us at Lil Kim's Cove tonight. We won a couple of pots and gained ground. Then we lost a couple of chases and lost ground. Then we held on through an all-in moment -- and we wound up barely missing the final table, tying for ninth place when our all-in push with J-10 found an A-K on the flop, but no Queen for a straight from there.

Yet the memorable hand of the night came much earlier, and reminded us of why casino poker games have professional dealers:

BLINDS: 50/100

IN THE POCKET: 4-6 (we think; don't remember completely)

We're not in the blinds, so we're not interested in this hand. We fold, while most of the full table calls.

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

Someone raises to about 300. Three players stay in the hand, including the dealer.

ON THE TURN: Ah.

The first player checks. The second player bets around 800. The dealer calls, then....

ON THE RIVER: Kh.

"Hold it, hold it!" someone at the table says. What about Player 1? He still has a decision to make. The dealer tries to cover up his mistake with his hand, but it's too late.

The tournament director happened to see all this. "You have to re-shuffle," he says. The King of hearts is pulled back and shuffled with the remaining cards in the deck. After a moment, with the river card already burned....

ON THE RIVER II: Kh

The table is amazed, as the exact same card came up! If the dealer ever goes to Las Vegas, he could make money in a couple of ways -- playing poker, or doing card tricks.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The player sitting to our left brought a "lucky" coin to the table tonight -- a 1942 Liberty silver dollar, with a small hole in it.

We showed the man our "Jesus as your Savior" coin. "That's cool," he says. Asked if he agrees with the message, he says yes.

But sadly, the man seems to forget that Savior as he works toward the final table. One hand later in the evening leaves him saying, "Jesus f****** Christ!"

"Jesus did many things," we respond quietly, "but He didn't do that." We're not sure if the man heard that.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 37 final tables in 87 nights (42.5%) - 8 cashes. If we had resisted temptations through three recent semifinal table close calls (including tonight), our percentage would be around 46 percent.

NBC SPORTS POKER UPDATE: The poker day was not a complete loss, as we finished SECOND out of 152 players at an afternoon tournament! Second pays five dollars -- not much, but better than nothing.

It's our second paycheck in 11 days from NBC Sports -- and in the 2:30 p.m. ET tournament, we've made the final table FIVE times in the last ten tries! Maybe we're starting to figure this out....

Poker Night #45: You Push Me, I'll Push You

A change of work plans opened the door for us to play tournament poker two nights in a row. But Thursday wasn't as successful as Wednesday -- as we only reached the semifinal tables at Lil Kim's Cove, finishing 15th overall.

Aggressive betting worked early, as we hit a 3-4-5-6-7 straight on the turn with a pocket 7. A bet of $450 (blinds 25/50) on the turn was called. A $1,200 bet on the river wasn't.

But then it didn't work, as we went fishing without success for a few big hands and lost the edge. And for awhile we couldn't bet at all, as the pocket cards were dreadfully weak.

But then it worked once -- in a battle of the 200/400 blinds. The flop was a 6-7-9, and in the small blind position we went all-in straightway with a pocket 9. That scared our opponent off.

But then the final failure came....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: K-Q of diamonds

Our stack is low at 3,350, so one off the button we raise to 1,000. A couple of opponents call.

ON THE FLOP: 9-6-4, rainbow (no diamonds).

A man across the table bets 2,000 ahead of us. It's a tough decision time, and with two "over cards" we go all-in with 2,350. An easy call for our foe -- and he has a 9, so he leads the race with a pair.

ON THE TURN AND RIVER: The dealer put these out so quickly that it's a bit blurry, but I think it was A-10. In any case, I missed a straight by one card -- and the opponent's 9's hold up.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Good Lord!" a man to our right exclaimed when he received the latest in a series of unplayable deals.

"He's good all the time," I answer. Jesus did that when He walked the earth (Acts 10:38). Hopefully you do, too.

I've learned in recent years how to answer outbursts about God or Christ. Say something short and to the point, of about one sentence. And if the oath-maker takes issue with you giving a Christian response, I say: "Hey, YOU brought Him up."

UPDATED SCOREBOARD: 21 final tables in 45 nights (46.7%) - 6 cashes.

YAHOO POKER TOTAL: RECORD HIGH $7770 -- Up $114, in a single Thursday session (a topic for another time).