Conscious or Con?

Our last post introduced you to young man at a final table with some unusual theories about life. When we brought up our belief in the second coming of Jesus Christ, he said he believed in a "Christ consciousness."

Is this how you look at God and Jesus? Is the Godhead (as some call it) simply a good way of thinking? Or is there more than that?

A good moral conscience might influence how you play poker. For instance, you might tell other players that they're exposing their cards to you. But other players can work in exactly the opposite direction....

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. - Titus 1:15

In other words. a lack of belief can corrupt your conscience. So belief can make your conscience right. But belief in what?

I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit - I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. - Romans 9:1-2

Our NIV Study Bible has this note about these verses: "Conscience is a reliable guide only when enlightened by the Holy Spirit." How does the Spirit give you a true Christ-conscience?

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

It takes faith that God exists. And that includes both the Father and the Son....

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.... Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. - I John 5:1, 5

Having a "Christ consciousness" is good. Believing that Jesus Christ was a conscious human being who's now in heaven as the Son of God (with "Christ" meaning "Messiah") is even better. Why not take your belief "all the way to the river" - and believe in what Jesus came to Earth to do for you?

A Different Sort of FOLD

In this age of text message shorthand, you may have heard of FOMO - the "fear of missing out." We'd like to create a new one for poker. It's FOLD - "fear of losing dollars."

We're inspired by an online column by poker millionaire Jonathan Little. He explained the proper mindset poker players should have. In part....

Learning to think in terms of equity (instead of dollars) is a great way to conquer the fear of losing money.... You must accept that you will win and lose pots when you play poker.

In some cases, the FOLD is logical. If you have 7-2 offsuit, that's not statistically likely to turn into a winning hand. But when you have something like J-J or 10-10, the walk becomes more unbalanced. A big bet by other players (whether they have something or not) could make you wary and lead to FOLD.

In short, poker is a game with no guarantees. If you develop a serious case of FOLD, you're not likely to do well. We need a different mindset - one that we think is downright godly:

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought, and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8

Trust completely in your own skills, and you set yourself up for failure. It's far better to put your trust in a God whose plan never fails.

Yes, "heat" will come - perhaps from aggressive bettors who want to test your courage. But if you accept the fact that drought sometimes will happen and stay close to God in those times, fruitful times will follow.

Some Christians are marking an example of this today. They consider it "Palm Sunday," when Jesus entered Jerusalem five days before the "Passover" festival week (John 12:1, 12). He arrived knowing He would be arrested, bloodied and killed five days later. Yet consider how Jesus faced it....

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." - Matthew 26:39

Jesus could have FOLD-ed - with the "D" here standing for His divinity. Yet He did not. In a restless moment of tense anticipation, He accepted God's will. Many of His disciples reacted differently - and Jesus was not surprised by that.

"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'".... Then everyone deserted him and fled. - Mark 14:27, 50

Jesus put His life all in - putting His confidence in a Father who could resurrect Him. Days later, it happened. His disciples didn't understand until after it happened. Whose example is better for you to follow, when things in life become uncertain? The FOLD way - or the faith way?

Kids' Poker?

We'll say right off the bat -- despite the title, this is not about "Kid Poker" Daniel Negreanu. It's about a different player, who thinks poker should be a game for children.

Maria Konnikova is more than a winning poker pro. She has a doctorate in psychology, and she's working on a book about the chances we take. In an interview, she explained poker is a great way to learn how "to make correct decisions" - and she says those decisions are based on calculating risks, instead of being emotional.

Konnikova thinks young people can develop thinking and self-control skills in poker, that can help them make better decisions in life.   But she used a striking phrase to explain what's involved - the "illusion of control." We don't have complete control over a poker hand, because one wrong (or right) card can change everything.

The Bible offers seemingly conflicting views on controlling our lives. Here's one example....

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit is called self-control. But if it comes from God's Holy Spirit, do you really control yourself? Or is Something greater and higher controlling you?

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.... - Romans 8:6

The idea of "mind control" mixed with religion often leads to thoughts of brain-washing and spiritual cults. But as strange as it might sound, it's how a Christian is supposed to live. But not with the mind of a guru....

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.... - Philippians 2:5 (KJV)

How do you do this? It starts with believing Jesus exists - and that takes "child-like faith" (Matthew 18:1-3). But then you need to grow up in that faith.

When I as a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. - I Corinthians 13:11

As another Bible writer put it:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. - II Peter 3:18

Let God control your life, and the "self" control should follow. You might even play better poker as a result.

Never Let 'em See You Sweat

Dealers in poker tournaments sometimes "wash" the cards as they shuffle. They're all scattered face-down across the table, and mixed up with the dealers' hands.

But there are times when we wish someone in a casino would wash the poker chips as well. Maybe even with bleach. We've been able to scrape, well, something off them - likely dirt, or even sweat, that's built up over a lot of play.

We're reminded of that by a question posted at a poker chat room overnight....

Is poker a game as stressful as it seems?.... If the bet is very high, stress increases?.... only with experience decrease?

We think the answer to this depends on the situation and your perspective.

If you're playing simply for free food at a sports bar, that's low-stress. The emphasis is on having fun and camaraderie. If you're at the WSOP Main Event playing for millions of dollars and a world title, the stress level probably would be higher - especially if you want to regain your $10,000 buy-in, which most people do not do.

A big bet or all-in moment certainly makes a hand more exciting. If you've faced these moments before, the experience can make them easier to handle. But we think it also helps to have something with you to stay calm. And no, we don't think that has to be a glass of wine or bottle of beer....

The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. - Psalm 29:11 (KJV)

True peace and calm (the opposite of stress) come from God. How does He provide that?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.... - Galatians 5:22 (KJV)

....as in the Holy Spirit of God. A lot of people talk at this time of year about "peace on earth" (Luke 2:14) - but they may not realize Jesus's birth in part was designed to bring a different sort of peace agent:

And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth.... - John 14:16-17 (KJV)

God's Holy Spirit can lower the stress level in all kinds of situations at a poker tournament. And even in far more dire moments....

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; you rod and your staff they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

If you feel stressed out during or after a poker night, pray to God for His Spirit of peace. But be sure you repent of your sins as you do (Acts 2:38). Then, to borrow a U.S. Southern phrase about hairstyles - the higher the stakes, the closer to God.

Poker Night 555: The Hunt for Green October

A surprising sight awaited us as we climbed into the car for work today. Red stains were on the passenger's seat and steering wheel. A check of the wheel confirmed.... ketchup from a cheeseburger.

Why were they there, and what does this have to do with poker? The answer to the latter - everything. We'll explain the other part, as we review a memorable Wednesday night at Hollywood Casino Indiana....

BLINDS: 600/1,200 (hand is from memory, as best we recall)

IN THE POCKET: King of clubs-King of spades

It's been an evening with more ups than downs. After winning two of the first three hands, our starting stack of 12,000 chips went to 15,025 - but a big loss late in Hour 1 left us with 9,025 at the break. Then we had a "two-hand slam" (as we call it) in Hour 2, with unshown K-K and a revealed A-K gaining us huge pots.

We reached the final table with 48,900 chips. Now it's Hour 3, with eight players remaining. Nice cards like these call for a raise, and we make it 3,000 to go. Two other players call.

ON THE FLOP: 6h-2h-10c

It looks like the coast is clear. We offer a continuation bet of 3,000. But across from us sits a man who looks amazingly like a church friend from our Wichita years. He has a huge stack - and he goes all-in. The player between us folds.

"Wow," we say. We didn't expect that move, and now we wonder what's up. Does that man have pocket Aces? Did he somehow make two pair out of that flop? A call to find out would take us from a nice stack to the rail.

"The book says to play these," we add.

"I haven't read the book," our opponent responds. Which may explain what he did.

We're in a position to make the money (top three), and don't want to blow it at a moment like this. So....

"I may regret this. But I'm going to fold." We take a moderate-sized loss, to avoid a huge mistake.

Then that man surprises us again. He shows.... 6-6! He bet big, because he had three of a kind. "I had to be careful, with hearts out there."

"Did you have hearts?" another man asks us. We reluctantly admit we did not.

We seldom do this, but we question our opponent's strategy here. If he had called the flop, he could have persuaded us to bet bigger on the turn - and potentially drain us a bit more slowly. But the push was a red flag, and we heeded it. (And another thing: would you have shown your 6-6 afterward?)

Playing it safe and steady worked for us from there. Our stack never became dangerously low, and we had 43,000 chips when the fourth-place player was eliminated. That meant we made the money for the first time in Lawrenceburg.... and the second tournament in a row!

At that point, our strategy changed. We had a regular job to do at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, so we were in a rare situation of attempting to give our chips away. After an "aggressive" gain or two (as that big-stack man put it), we finally pushed with K-J. The big stack had pocket 3's, and they won the race. (He wound up winning the tournament minutes later.)

Our $70 buy-in resulted in a $197 payoff. We drove home at 11:00 p.m., thankful to God for what's turning into a huge October at the table. And we stopped on the way to the freeway at the McDonald's drive-thru - for two victory cheeseburgers we could devour during the drive. So those ketchup stains developed in the dark - and are an unusual sign of poker success.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One man who made the final table was visiting from the Cumberland Lake area of southern Kentucky. He was in our area for the funeral of a friend he made while serving in the Vietnam conflict.

"That's why I have hope in the resurrection," we told him. "The dead will rise again."

The man didn't respond to our idea, and continued to tell war stories. But is that your hope? Do you want to see friends and loved ones again - people who may have died this month, or even decades ago?

Atheism offers no such hope. You're born, you die, and that's that. There was even a branch of Judaism in Jesus Christ's day which lacked that hope....

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. - Mark 12:18

Their influence apparently remained on some people, even after Jesus was resurrected. An apostle had to reassure believers....

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. - I Corinthians 15:19

But the good news (otherwise known as gospel) is that a resurrection is coming. It was promised by Jesus while He walked the earth:

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. - Matthew 16:27

Why would Jesus hand out rewards to people who are dead? The only way we can appreciate them is by living again.

But here's the thing: the Bible says there will be more than one resurrection of the dead. How can that be? See if you can find it in the Scriptures, and we'll explain in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 207 final tables in 555 nights (37.3%) - 43 cashes. Since marking 500 tournaments last year, we've won money seven times in 55 tries, or almost 13 percent of the time!

The Patience Is In

Poker references can come up when you least expect them. We caught one last week, while watching the Emmy Awards.

"If you wait long enough, the chips come to you," a winner said during his acceptance speech.

Regular poker players might take issue with that. Hours of grinding at a cash game still can end with losses. Tournaments filled with weak cards and rising blinds can lead to early exits.

But we think the point of that quote is being patient. We've found patient play has helped us reach many final tables. And it's a good Biblical concept....

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. - Psalm 40:1 (NLT)

If patience is a problem for you at the table, here are some ideas that could help. First, resist the urge to go "on tilt" - playing any two cards you see, because you felt wronged or robbed moments before.

Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. - Proverbs 29:11 (NLT)

There could be more time to make a comeback than you first think.


Our second idea relates to that. Tell yourself quietly (or in your brain) to "wait for the moment." The late rock singer Tom Petty declared, "The waiting is the hardest part." But it's good to wait with anticipation....

As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. - Micah 7:7 (NLT)

We sometimes say this more bluntly: "Don't do anything stupid."


Which leads to a third idea: determine in advance when "the moment" will occur. If football and basketball teams can devise a strategy before the game, so can you. Which cards are "must play" for you? Which are “must avoid”, depending on the situation?

Believe it or not, God is a planner. And He’s patiently working out a massive one right now on Earth - one which affects you:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Give your plans to God. Plans for the day, the poker tournament.... everything. If they don’t match His plans, trust God that His plan is better. It may not seem like in the heat of a poker moment, but they really are.

Remember As You Play....

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. - Proverbs 16:33

We've read a lot lately about lots. Not the property where you live or some chain of discount stores - but "lots" used in the Bible.

That's because Wednesday was "Yom Kippur" or the Day of Atonement for many Jews and some Christians. In ancient times, lots were used on that day to make a choice between animals....

He is to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.... the goat chosen by lot for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. - Leviticus 16:8, 10

The NIV Study Bible says in commenting on Proverbs that ancient lots may have been pebbles "drawn out or shaken to the ground." It sounds a bit like throwing dice. But can you see how it could relate to poker - with cards shuffled and dealt blindly by a dealer?

When it comes to people choosing a goat for a sacrifice, a lot is no big deal. (Well, except maybe to the goats.) But when it comes to other things, lots can be big. Some poker cards are potentially good ones, while others are worth only a quick fold.

Yet don't overlook the last part of that verse in Proverbs: "Every decision is from the Lord." As our study Bible puts it, "God, not chance, is in control."

This admittedly is a very hard thing for many people to believe, especially in the heat of a hand. We figure the odds of making a straight or flush, and those odds are mathematically accurate. But can we believe God controls how things work out?

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. - Proverbs 16:9

Believe it or not, the sooner we believe that, the more comforting our poker games might become. You do all that you can to succeed. But trust God with the outcome - and accept it, even if it hurts.

This is not a case of appealing to "the poker gods." There's only one true God:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Go all-in to love the real God - and He might take control of some poker hands. But more importantly, He'll take control of big events in your life....

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

Slot, Pop and Play

Casinos are filled with them. We tend to walk right by them. But this evening, we were challenged to be successful at them - for two minutes.

Jack Casino invited us to its August "Birthday Bash". (Now you know our birthday month.) The main event was a free-entry slot tournament, with $2,500 in free play at stake. All we had to do was post one of the five highest scores in a two-hour span.

Our game time was 6:20 p.m. We stood behind the early leader, who racked up more than 100,000 points at 6:05. Doris's strategy was simple: pound the "play" button on the slot machine as quickly as you could, and watch the screen to touch balloons that occasionally appeared for thousands of bonus points.

"May the best button-pusher win," we said to a man next to us when our turn came.

Our tongue was only partly in-cheek. This tournament reminded us of why we avoid slots and prefer playing poker. Slot machines tend to be mindless, with no real skill involved. If you think religion is that way as well.... well, it really shouldn't be. Consider what Jesus told one man:

He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'....." "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." - Luke 10:27-28

Jesus was talking about how to obtain eternal life (verse 25). It's an "all-in" process - and that includes loving God with "all your mind." Does that mean turning your brain off at the church door? We believe it's exactly the opposite....

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

For instance, it means thinking over whether poker players are telling "true stories" in the way they play their hands. It also means thinking carefully about what God really expects of your life....

...But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. - I Thessalonians 5:21 (NLT)

Sometimes the "gospel truth" well-intentioned people bring you is really "fake news." You can prove fact from fiction by comparing those comments with the Bible. If you're not a Bible reader, we recommend doing it daily to understand God properly.

But we digress....

The countdown went to zero, and our "two-minute drill" was on! We pressed the slot machine's "play" button with our right hand about six times a second, while saving our left hand for balloons to pop. We saw "second place" on our screen at one point early, and noticed we were above 60,000 points at the one-minute mark (everyone starts with 10,000).

"We want balloons!" we said to the machine several times, changing hands for the "play" button to avoid slowing down. To our knowledge, we didn't miss any balloons. But were we strong enough to win?

"You beat me!" we said to the man on our right after the clock reached zero. Our final score: 82,035 points. He was above 88,000. Based on the early results, 100,000 or more probably would be required to "make the money" - and we were only sixth in our group.

With our daily exercise (as we called it) completed, we walked over to the birthday party area. Jack's email promised cupcakes, but Jack topped that (for a change) with a full two-flavor cake, cookies and punch.

"If I had eaten the cake before the game, I might have done better," we joked to people around us. Perhaps a "sugar rush" would have made us press buttons faster. Instead, we settled for a consolation prize of a small win at a blackjack table.

In contrast to this, Hollywood Casino Indiana awarded us $15 in "birthday comps" on our card - good for a couple of free meals at one of the restaurants. Which deal do you think was better? Use your mind to comment - and even to worship the God who makes these moments possible.

More Than a Dog

They're famous, funny and arguably tacky works of art - paintings showing dogs around a table, playing poker.

You may have laughed at them. Some people have spent serious money to purchase originals of them. But did you ever stop to think seriously about them? In other words, why don't dogs play poker? Why is it that only humans do?

We heard a speaker today remind us that there's one main difference between humans and dogs - and it's not how dogs use their "hands" as front feet. The difference is in their brains. Or, better put, what has been added to them....

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him?.... - I Corinthians 2:11

Some kind of "spirit" in human beings allows us to think, in ways dogs and other animals cannot. For instance, it allows you to figure out whether or not to play two poker cards. And God wants you to use that spirit in other ways....

The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being. - Proverbs 20:27

Believe it or not, God is probing your mind. He wants to know if you're thinking on His wavelength, or some other one....

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live 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

We think that other "ruler" is Satan, or the devil. We all need to tune that ruler out, and stay close to God. Perhaps this blog can help you with that - so you act more like God than a dog, when you're at a poker table.

The Gut Shot

A short article on basic poker strategy offered this advice: "You should.... never ignore your gut. If your intuition tells you to play a hand, play it! It's usually right."

If we had a dollar for every time that was true.... well, sorry, but we wouldn't have many dollars.

There are many reasons for that. For one thing, your intuition can deceive you. We've played in tournaments where we tried a series of "hunches", and almost all of them failed. That only proves....

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. - Proverbs 16:25

Your "right" move can end with you at the rail. Our most recent post had an example of that.

But look at it another way. Other people at your poker table also have "guts." If they all use their different intuitions and decide to get in a hand, can they all be right? It's somewhat like this....

What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." - I Corinthians 1:12

These were four different ideas about living a Christian life - inside a church group! As logical as each faction probably thought it was, could they really all be correct? Proper logic should tell us the answer is no.

Yet if you've explored religious matters at all, you may have run into this. Lots of different faiths claim they're right - and that they're the only way to ultimate success and happiness. But the man who wrote I Corinthians shook off his own faction. Instead, Paul wrote....

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. - I Corinthians 3:11

Paul declared Jesus is the right starting point for building your life (verse 10). He based that not on "guts," but on a personal encounter he had with Jesus years before (Acts 9).

In a poker game, knowing the odds of success with a particular hand can logically tell you whether or not to get in. In the game of eternal life, many have come to see that God, Jesus Christ and the Bible make the most sense spiritually. It can take some digging and asking tough questions, but it's worth it.

As one man once put it: the feeling in your "gut" may simply be that you had the wrong food for dinner. Take of Jesus, the "bread of life" (John 6:48), for the most satisfaction of all.

Why Words

We asked in a recent post one of the most basic poker questions. It comes up after a lot of crazy hands - the question of why.

There are some standard answers about why poker players take the actions they do. We like to joke that the famous last words of some players is, "They were suited." And we'll confess in a couple of cases at this week's tournament, we chased hands with marginal cards simply because we had a hunch about them paying off. (In every case we recall, they didn't.)

When it comes to our lives, we pointed out previously that "why" matters - especially to God:

And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts... - I Chronicles 28:9

This is advice from a departing King David to his son and successor. He doesn't stop there....

If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. - I Chronicles 28:9b

So it's better to seek God - and best to serve him in a wholehearted and willing way. That brings us to two critical four-letter words:

He [Jesus] replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." - Luke 11:28

It's important to obey. But let's be honest: you can obey every instruction from a poker dealer and Floor Manager, and still do it with a sour attitude and approach.

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:3

OK, so what's the right motive? It's that second four-letter word....

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. - John 13:34

If you love me, you will obey what I command. - John 14:15

Jesus said "love" and "obey" are words which go together. They're words we've mentioned often in this blog, as they apply to poker and life. Do a word search for them. Consider the verses we've found about them. And see if the "why" behind your actions becomes less muddled, and more honorable.

The Why Factor

Make a smart read in a poker room, and some people might consider you a genius. Make a bad move that costs you all your chips, and a simple question may come up. Why did you do that?

Why do some players take an aggressive approach to hands? Why do others lay back and wait for the big moment?

An article posted this week gets into the psychology of poker, and what motivates people to do what they do. The author puts it in terms of winning vs. losing - that some hot players are more likely to quit while they're ahead, while losing players want to recoup at least some of their losses.

Perhaps your decisions in poker are more muddled than that. But outside the table, our motivation ultimately matters....

All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. - Proverbs 16:2

Or to put it another way, all of our whys seem innocent. At the moment of decision, we may think our decision and logic are wise. But time ultimately shows whether or not we're right. And deep down, God often knows the "why" of our actions better than we do. As one prayer put it:

...Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men).... - II Chronicles 6:30

Does our motivation behind our actions really matter? The Bible indicates ultimately, it will....

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. - I Corinthians 4:5

This speaks of a coming judgment of all humans by Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:11-15). So what should our proper motive be? Ponder your answer, and leave a comment if you wish. We'll get to that in a future post.

Mind Games

We wrote in a recent post about the risk of being a hypocrite. You can do it in many ways. You might play poker privately online, while railing against those who play in public. Or you might be discourteous at the table in one way, while complaining about those are do it in a different way.

An apostle in the Bible realized he could be guilty of that very thing - and perhaps at times felt he actually was. At one point he wrote:

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. - Romans 7:21

They're competing thoughts, battling for the same brain.

...But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. - Romans 7:23

Knowing what to do, versus actually doing it. Does that describe you? Truth be told, it describes many of us - and the "law of sin" leads to death (Romans 6:23). But Paul found a solution to that dilemma....

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:1-2

God provided the solution through His Son, who became a "sin offering" for us (verse 3).

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.... - Romans 8:9

You can have the Holy Spirit of God by repenting of your sins and being baptized (Acts 2:38). The mind games you face at poker tables might not disappear completely. But if you're walking with God and studying His Word, they should become easier to handle.

Remember As You Play....

The fool folds his hands and ruins himself. - Ecclesiastes 4:5

No one's ever won a poker tournament by folding every hand. In fact, the rules might require you to play once in a while - when the Big Blind comes and no one raises. The only way to make a gain is to make a bet. The key, of course, is knowing when to do it.


But in this case, "folding your hands" means something a bit different - not doing any work. You'll "starve to death," warns the Contemporary English Version. Yet note the verses around it....

And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor.... There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless - a miserable business! - Ecclesiastes 4:4, 8

This gets to a core question - why you do what you do. Do you play poker simply to get even with a big-money opponent? Do you grind in cash games for hours or days, because you have nothing else to do with your time?

The key, it seems, is to have a mind focused in the right direction:

Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. - Ecclesiastes 4:6

How do you get this tranquil mind? We don't think it comes from within.

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.... - Romans 8:6

The Holy Spirit can give your life real peace - the ultimate peace of knowing what will happen after this "tournament" of life is over. It comes by repenting of your sins and accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior (Acts 2:38). Is it time for you to "fold" to something better?

AI v. A-J

Long before people played poker against each other on computers, people were playing against.... well, computers.

We did it in college (or perhaps it was some other card game) against a primitive 64k computer like a Commodore. We've also done it in recent years at a casino in Kansas City - where a computerized Texas Hold 'em game was programmed so well that it cost us some money.

Now researchers in Canada and the Czech Republic say they've developed the "DeepStack" program - artificial intelligence that can beat the best in a heads-up no-limit poker game. In fact, it won most of the time against 11 poker pros over a total of 12,000 games.

Developers say the program succeeds by "learning" from past games to figure out "intuition" for playing future hands. In other words, DeepStack seems to learn from its mistakes.... very well. How good are you at doing that? Not simply at the poker table, but in other aspects of your life?

If you make the same mistake several times in poker, it could be due to bad reads or a lack of good thinking. If you do it in your everyday actions, you may have a bad habit that needs breaking.

As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. - Proverbs 26:11

Tough words - but Biblical words. It's far better to change your thinking and not make the same mistake twice. If you need help with that, may we make an unusual suggestion?

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. - James 1:5

God wants you to be wise, not foolish. And beyond that, He wants you to ask for His wisdom....

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. - I Corinthians 1:25

You can grow in that wisdom by consulting God's book of wisdom on a regular basis. It can lead to the greatest victory of all....

...From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. - II Timothy 3:15

We're not guaranteeing you'll beat DeepStack. But if you learn from your mistakes and grow in knowledge of how to play the game - in poker or otherwise - you could wind up with a "deep stack" of blessings.

Poker Night 498: Expecting the Unexpected

One phone call truly can change everything. A call we received Monday morning changed our work schedule so much that we spotted an opportunity to play Monday night "free" poker (we paid for a soda) at Yvie's Bar and Grill. We hadn't been there since mid-August. Could God have opened this window to keep alive our chances of making 37-percent final tables at 500 games? We went in faith to find out....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: A-5 offsuit

We folded the first two hands, then got moved to a fourth outer table away from the main room. We won the draw for dealer with a Queen, and now have dealt ourselves these opening cards. We call, and the entire table of six jumps in.

ON THE FLOP: 6h-7h-4d

Maybe we know how to deal cards after all. We have an open-ended straight draw. A young man to our right bets 600. We call, as does an older man to our left.

ON THE TURN: 3h

Yes sir - that's the jack.... well, wait a second. We've made a straight, all right. But three hearts are showing (we don't have any), and the man to our left wants to bet 1,600. The man to our right wants to call him!

We feel like there's something on the order of two pair to our left, and he's trying to chase people off - while the player to our right may have hit the same straight we have. So we call, thinking a split is coming.

ON THE RIVER: Js

Did that discourage flush-seeking "river rats" away? Not at all. The man to our left tosses out 1,600 more. The man to our right calls. Suddenly we have bad feelings about this - but we've committed so much to the pot, we feel forced to call.

"Do you have a 5?" we ask the man to the left as we show our straight.

"I've got a flush," he answers. Ouch - Q-10 of hearts! Our jackpot card was his as well. The man to the right doesn't even bother showing what he had. We both take a big loss.

It was that sort of night for us.... not a very good one. We won one pot with three 5's, but other attempts to succeed fell flat, such as Q-Q falling to a straight on the river. We finally had to push with A-4, but missed another straight draw. Our "500-game blessing" theory was dead wrong, as we were the first out at our table.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The main poker-playing area at Yvie's is crowded, with three round tables of eight players. The woman who sat down to our left made sure we didn't encroach. "This is my space," she said jokingly.

"Narrow is the way," we responded. "The way that leads to life. I read that in a book once."

The reference seems to go over the woman's head. But regular readers know at least which book we mean....

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it. - Matthew 7:14 (KJV)

Have you met religious people who come across as "narrow-minded?" They could be acting on these words - and they're the words of Jesus Christ.

Many people think one of Jesus's missions was to put strict-thinking Pharisees in their place. Indeed, He did that. But He also introduced his own narrow path to follow....

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

This is what set Christianity apart from other world religions. You can't have Christianity without "Christ". You also cannot have something else without Him:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12

If you're seeking salvation and a life beyond this one, that's good. But if you think you can achieve that by ignoring "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" (verse 10), the Bible says you're off-target. If you're willing to follow the narrow path that leads to Jesus and eternal life, leave a comment and we'll be happy to help you on that road.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 182 final tables in 498 games (36.5%) - 36 cashes. Even if we make the next two final tables, our percentage will only climb to 36.8%.

Call Me Irresponsible? III

In our series based on a pamphlet waiting at a casino gate, we come to the third and final "warning sign that you might be at risk" of a gambling problem:

3. Have there been periods of two weeks or longer when you spent a lot of time thinking about your gambling experiences, or planning future gambling ventures or bets?

Based on the wording of this question, every player who makes a "November Nine" at the World Series of Poker Main Event could be a "problem gambler." After all, they have three or four months to think about "future bets" - between the preliminary tournament days in July and the final table in the fall.

Beyond that, we doubt many players in the WSOP simply decide on a whim to drive to Las Vegas and try their luck. For one thing, the Main Event normally has a $10,000 buy-in. Doesn't a player have to do some planning, to save up money for that?

But we think the real point here is to see if gambling has become all-consuming for you. Is it "top of mind" all the time? If so, that could indeed be a warning sign. So what should be at the top of our thinking instead? We're glad you asked....

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.... - Philippians 2:5 (KJV)

Having "the mind of Christ" (as I Corinthians 2:16 puts it) sounds a long way from thinking about a poker schedule. But that's OK - and that's a good thing:

....Declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9

The mind and thoughts of God (Father and Jesus Christ) are "higher" because they're greater in size and capability than ours. Only God could have made such a perfectly-timed and positioned solar system for human existence. They're also higher in holiness and righteousness....

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.... Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.... - Philippians  3:18-20

As an outgoing U.S. First Lady might put it: When man's ways go low, God's go high. And he wants us to have high thinking - as in heavenly.

So if you're planning a poker junket of some kind for 2017, do so carefully - but don't make the only thing on your mind between now and then. If you haven't done it yet, ask God in prayer to work with you on your thinking:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.... - Romans 12:2

Gimme Some Kind of Sign

If poker was like a TV game show (and some TV game shows have been poker-based), the atmosphere would be much different. The players would look to the audience for advice. The crowd would shout "CALL!" or "FOLD!" And peppy band music would play when someone takes a big pot - or maybe buzzers sounding when someone acts out of turn.

But most poker rooms don't work that way. In fact, we can't think of any. Not even online. So players are on their own to make big decisions - and many look for every tiny bit of help they can find.

As we suggested in a recent post, let's consider how to get "messages from above" - in poker or elsewhere. At the table, veteran players try to "read" their opponent. They might ask questions, while looking for gestures from the face or body to give away what they're facing.

A former boss advised us when it came to making decisions on the job, our "gut" would tell us the right thing to do. We admittedly disagreed with that approach:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

Yet we also must admit we heard from that same boss many times about wrong decisions we made - even when we prayed for God's wisdom to guide us in the course of a work day. How could that happen? Perhaps the answer is in another part of the Bible:

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:9

The boss usually was thinking on an "earthy" level. God wants us to think higher - and look to Him.

So how do we do that in poker? Our years at the table have shown we don't always get reads right. (Then again, does anybody?) But in key moments, we've tried to listen for a prompting - one that no one may be able to hear.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." - Isaiah 30:21

Some say this verse really applies to the coming Kingdom of God which Jesus Christ will bring to Earth. But sometimes we think God has prompted us to make certain moves which have turned out for our good. And yes, we have Scripture to back up such an idea:

After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. - I Kings 19:12

This chapter is about how God encouraged Elijah when he was fearful and on the run. God spoke with "a still small voice," as one Bible translation puts it. That's what we try to hear when we're playing poker.

Sometimes that voice comes through. Sometimes it doesn't. And if we hear it wrong, we do not blame God. We know better than that. We simply ask Him for wisdom to better understand the message next time.

So we end by asking: Are you listening for God's voice in your life - at all? He might have something important to tell you.

Poker Day 486: Straight-Way

Does a rainy day keep the poker players away? We found out Friday at Kansas Star Casino it did not. In fact, we arrived ten minutes before the scheduled noon time and found ourselves #2 on a waiting list.

It took more than 30 minutes for two players to be knocked out from five full tables. That meant we had to make up for lost time....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: 10-J offsuit

These are the cards that greeted us as soon as we sat down. Sitting in the leadoff position, the fact that they were fairly high and connected persuades us to enter small. No one raises, and about six players are in.

ON THE FLOP: 7-8-9

Talk about a friendly dealer! We hit a straight right off the bat! But when our turn comes, we check to see if someone else will jump. Sure enough - a man down the table goes all-in for 1,125! AND....

"Might as well gamble a little," says the Big Blind as he calls. Of course we also call, trying not to smile.

ON THE TURN: 9

The board pairs, and we don't really mind that. The Big Blind checks, and we remember his words.

"If you want to gamble.... how about 1,000 more?"

Not for that much; he folds. Now the all-in man shows 9-A. He's made three of a kind, and he has a 25-percent chance of topping us.

ON THE RIVER: 3

Thankfully for us, the board doesn't pair. He's out, and we're right in right away with about 6,000 chips.

"Welcome to the table!" a man at the other end says. We give credit to the dealer, of course.

We won a few more pots after that, and approached the 7,000 chip mark. But amazingly, it all started draining away as small probes missed. We still had 5,500 at the first break, but we lost a big pot to a man we thought was bluffing three of a kind (he wasn't). Then when we went all-in for our 1,600 with K-Q, a woman with 9-9 turned it into a 9's-and-Aces full house. What could have been a big day ended for us with a lowly 36th place.

MINISTRY MOMENT: One hand which cost us chips found us playing 2-2. Three 7's showed up on the board, yet the betting was small and cautious. We made a full house - but lost to a man with pocket 3's!

"Great minds think alike," we joked. "He thought a little bit bigger." Then we found a reason to go deeper. "But there's Someone whose thoughts are higher than all of our thoughts," we said to no one in particular.

That line got no takers. But as you might guess, it's a line from the Bible:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. - Isaiah 55:8

This can refer to far more than 3's vs. 2's. It can refer to thinking overall - and our thinking tends to focus on physically, earthly things.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:9

God wants us to think bigger. Bigger than the next hand, next round of blinds, or even next tournament. God thinks in an eternal way.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

The real hope and future for us are beyond this life - as Jesus Christ is preparing a Kingdom which He will bring to this Earth. God wants you to be a part of that, receiving the gift of eternal life. Are you turning away from ungodly, sinful thoughts and ways so you can join in?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 180 final tables in 486 games (37.0%) - 35 cashes.

Poker Day 474: The Ten-ny Award

The Tony Awards were presented Sunday night to the outstanding performers and shows on Broadway.  But we had the show in mind two days earlier, when we played poker at Kansas Star. Read on to learn why:

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: A-10 offsuit

We've been biding our time, trying to play more disciplined poker. As a result, we've played few pots and only lost a few chips. Now we have good starting cards in the Small Blind, and a player across the table has gone all-in for their last 75. We decide to spend a little extra, and about half the table of nine gets in.

ON THE FLOP (revised): J-A-6 (We found our notepad)

That's a big-league flop for us. And since we're first in line to bet, we do so - offering 225. A man to our immediate left calls, to create a sidepot. The other players bail out.
.
ON THE TURN: K

A big pair now is on the board. While we have top two pair, we wonder if the man to our left is sitting on three of a kind.  So we check. He does, too - changing our thinking to whether or not it was wise to give him a free card.

ON THE RIVER: Q

That free card won't be cheap now, because we have the top straight. We increase the bet to 625.

"You'd better have a straight," our sidepot buddy says as he folds.  Now for that Tony moment....

"You can call me Hamilton, 'cause I'm on Broadway," we say showing our top straight. The man who went all-in pre-flop has nothing close to that. We take him out, and gain more than 500 chips.

The day had more valleys than peaks for us - but it had enough peaks to keep us around a while. A-A failed when someone with an 8 wound up with three of a kind, and we were wise to fold his huge river bet.  But A-A became friendly for us later, to win a big pot - and we scored a huge double-up when 7-7 beat a tilting player with A-Q.

Our high chip count was about 5,200 (most players start with 3,500). But then chips dwindled again at a semifinal table, and we felt compelled to push with Q-J. The man we topped earlier had A-K, while a third man pushed with 6-6. A Jack on the flop gave us hope of winning the lottery, but a King on the river proved our downfall.

Final result: 17th place out of 66 players - our best finish at Kansas Star since 24 December 13. We left with a good feeling about it.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We had a discussion with that player who knocked us out. "What do you think of Jesus," we asked.

"A really good guy."

"Is Jesus your Savior?" The man indicated yes.  "What's Jesus done for you lately?"

"I've been thinking about him a lot," the man said. We can't fault him for that - considering how many people probably never think about Jesus at all.

Dear friends.... I have written.... reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. - II Peter 3:1-2

The apostle Peter wanted people to think about not only what Jesus commanded, but what prophets of Old Testament days had written.

"It's good to think about Jesus," we told the man at the table, "but I think it's better to do what the Bible tells me to do."  That's not our own idea....

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. - Revelation 1:3

To "take to heart" those words can mean changing your life - because sometimes what the Bible says might be the exact opposite of what you're doing. Even in ways you might never expect.

As we left the table, we encouraged the man to keep thinking about Jesus and doing what the Bible shows him he should do.  But there's a caveat there which we probably should have added. Can you guess what it is?  We'll explain it in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 176 final tables in 474 games (37.1%) - 33 cashes.