For-tuned in?

Texas Hold 'em is the brand of poker most commonly shown on TV and showcased in casinos. But look hard enough at many casinos, and you're likely to find tables with different poker breeds.

Pai Gow poker is a game where players receive seven cards, then try to beat the house's seven. One common version has you set aside two top cards, then the best hand you can make with the remaining five.

But Pai Gow has some side bets that could raise eyebrows - such as the "fortune" button. Put a chip on that, and you can win an "envy bonus" if someone else at the table makes four of a kind.

If you think all this is no big deal, consider a surprising Bible verse we found the other day....

But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword.... - Isaiah 65:11-12

The word "fortune" in the New International Version can be translated in several ways. The New King James has "Gad," which was a god in ancient Babylon. Some religious scholars compare it to Baal or the planet Jupiter. In any case, it's a false god compared to the God of the Bible.

But wait, you might be saying: isn't the idea of "fortune" everywhere? Yes, it is - from that famous game show to an old TV talent contest (listen about 1:00 in). You might even earn a "small fortune" in a poker room.

It all shows how the world's religions can subtly sneak into our lives. But if you spread the table for a "fortune," the true God is not pleased:

...For I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me. - Isaiah 65:12b

It's far better to put your future in the hands of the real God. And when it comes to money, He really doesn't ask for that much....

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it." - Malachi 3:10

A "tithe" refers to ten percent. And to make things clear - we are NOT asking you to send a tithe to us. If you want to give tithing a try, leave a comment and we'll offer some suggestions.

But this discovery in Isaiah about "Fortune" makes us unlikely to ever play Pai Gow - especially not the sidebets. There's more to the wording in this game, but we'll save that for a future post.

The Selfie-Driven Life

Ask a table full of players why they play poker, and you might get a wide range of answers. Some do it to make money, or make a living. Some do it to be around their friends. Regular blog readers should know why we do it.

But let's rephrase the question. For whom do you play poker?

Unless you enter some kind of a charity tournament, the answer well could be, "Me." That's much more likely to be the case if players are in a cash game. But we found a word of warning the other day about that....

But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. - Romans 2:8 (NLT)

We're in an age where "selfies" are popular - taking pictures of yourself to post on social media. But these Bible words are tough, soul-searching ones for people who turn their entire lives into "selfies". God gets upset with several groups of people here - firstly people who only lives for their own pleasure.

If this describes you at the poker table, what should you do? Fold your game completely? Well, maybe not. Maybe what you need is a change of focus:

He will give eternal life to those who go on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. - Romans 2:7 (NLT)

Yes, that means even seeking God as you play poker. Give Him praise if things go well. And give a tithe to Him if you win money. Offerings to church groups can be used for "doing good" in many ways.

Verse 8 also instructs us to "obey the truth." That means following Biblical instructions.As Jesus put it....

Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. - John 17:17 (NLT)

"Truth" in the Bible also is defined as Jesus Himself (John 14:6) and God's Holy Spirit (I John 5:6). There's one aspect of that truth that many believers will be doing this coming week. Can you guess what it is? Watch for our next post, to find out.

Poker Day 533: Donut Bites

Our current situation (which we're not really comfortable posting here right now) presented us with a wide-open Sunday afternoon. And the pricey "deep stack" tournament at Kansas Star Casino might be our only opportunity to play all week. So we drove down the turnpike today, to be amazed by how packed the place was - in the poker room and outside.

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: King of hearts-King of diamonds

Even though we arrived 20 minutes before the starting time, we were third on a waiting list to play. We've barely sat down with our 12,000 starting chips, but clearly the stacks and small blinds have the full table in a betting room. So with K-K (which we call "the donuts"), we raise to 400 in late position. Three players call.

ON THE FLOP: 9d-4h-5h

So far, so good. The players check to us, so we bet another 500. As we remember it, two players call.

ON THE TURN: 6h

Now hold on here. Three hearts in a row open the door for all kinds of trouble. A man across the table seems to stir up some, by betting 800. Did he make a straight? A flush? Or both? We suspect the real answer is "none of the above," and he's testing the newcomer. So we call, since we have an overpair and our own flush draw. We're now heads-up.

ON THE RIVER: Ac

No flush, but not much more comfort. We're pleased when our opponent checks. So do we.

"I have Kings," we say. To this moment, we don't know what the opponent had. He folds, so we're left to guess it was a bluff. We win a nice pot of more than 2,000.

We won a couple of other hands, to hit a high of 14,800. Then we took our own chances with small blinds and a big stack, but they didn't work. We were 25 above our starting total at the first break.

Then in the second term, everything went wrong. A-Q missed the flop for us twice, and raising players made us fold. Pocket 8's lost as well. We endured the entire 80-minute period without winning a single hand! Our stack deteriorated to a lowly 900 at the break, leaving us one remaining hand. We tried with Q-5 of hearts, but diamonds showed up and a flush fight knocked us out.

We ended the day around 44th place, out of 79 entries. But at least we followed up on our blackjack success of Thursday night by going to a table and recovering $20 of our $95 entry fee.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "I'm an honest man," a young man said as he turned over his cards to end a hand.

"Not to mention humble," we added. This brought a few chuckles from our end of the table.

Then we remembered a story we'd heard on Christian radio. "A congregation gave a pastor a trophy for being the most humble man in town. He brought it to church the next week.... and they fired him."

That's the funny thing about humility, isn't it? The Bible says we're supposed to have it....

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger. - Zephaniah 2:3

....and yet the seeking of humility can turn into a trap. Jesus told His own story about that:

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." - Luke 18:10-12

The Pharisee prayed, thanked God, fasted on a regular basis and tithed to the temple. Those are all good traits. But Jesus continued....

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. - Luke 18:13-14

Translation: the Pharisee prayed with a sense of pride - even arrogance toward the despised other man in the temple. The tax collector humbled himself before God, admitted his sins and pleaded for God's mercy.

It's easy to get a "big head" in a poker room when you win a tournament or make a lot of money. We should thank God for whatever blessings come our way - but be careful to do so in a humble way. Give God the glory from start to finish. The result could be even greater blessings than you expect.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 192 final tables in 533 games (36.0%) - 40 cashes. Experiment update: Down $260.

You Bettor, You Bettor, You Bet

Some newcomers can look at poker as a very simple game. You fold the bad hands. You play the good hands. And you push on the best hands of all.

But if you've played for awhile, you know there's much more to it than that. Several different strategies can win pots - including sometimes pushing when your hand is lousy.

We found an article online this week which promotes a pretty simple poker strategy, and applies it to investing.  Part of it recommends....

Poker players, however, know that good hands don't come around that often. You need to bet every round to build the pot and maximize your income.

That's a nice idea if you're investing (well, except for world stock markets in this first week of 2016).  But the analogy can break down in a hurry in a poker room. If you use the "bet every round" approach on a regular basis, wary players will catch on to you and adjust their games. They might fold early. They might make "I-dare-you" raises. You might have other ideas to offer.

There's one "betting strategy" that you may not have considered, which is promised to bring victory and a reward. It's hidden at the end of the Old Testament....

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." - Malachi 3:10

God challenges you to bring a "tithe" (defined as ten percent) to Him. We should realize God isn't really going hungry, and needs food for supper. But giving a tithe to His "storehouse" (we think that means church and ministries) is promised to bring abundant blessings.

We've done this for decades, even with money we've won playing poker. There have been lean times, to be sure. But our blessings have grown - and what happened to us at the table in 2015 may be a great example of that.

But just as you excel in everything....see that you also excel in this grace of giving. - II Corinthians 8:7

Do you have the "gift" of giving? Maybe it's time to invest in the things of God, and find out.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. - Psalm  34:8

Slots or Not

Not all "casinos" are created equal.  We learned this on our vacation, when we stopped at a small one along a U.S. highway in western Oklahoma.

The casino consisted of several rows of slot machines -- and little more.  We looked around, walked right back to the car and drove away.

But the next day, we cashed in a "birthday bonus" at a casino near our home.  We were awarded five dollars in free slot play.  We picked a machine somewhat at random -- and in only a couple of minutes, our five-dollar gift went away with winnings of only 95 cents.  That was enough for us.

Maybe we're wrong, but slot machines strike us as pure gambling.  It's all luck, with no skill or thinking involved.  We agree with the preachers who openly mourn the older people who drop dollar after dollar in this way.

Table games such as poker have a degree of luck, to be sure.  But many times, you have to think a little and consider your chances.  Exercising a bit of skill moves slightly toward fulfilling a proverb:

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, but he that gathers by labor shall increase. - Proverbs 13:11 (KJV)

A different Bible translation puts the last part of the verse this way: "Money earned little by little will grow and grow."

That actually happened to us after our slot machine test.  We sat down at an Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em table, won three hands in a row and gained $35.  Then this happened:

BLINDS: $5/$5

IN THE POCKET: 4-6 offsuit

That doesn't look promising.  But as some poker players like to say, any two cards can win.  There's no penalty in checking, so we do.

ON THE FLOP: A-A-5

Not too thrilling for us.  Maybe a longshot straight or full house will come.  But we know better than to bet two times our blind on that.  We check again.

ON THE TURN/RIVER: A-3

A man to our right suddenly is excited.  Three Aces are on the table.  If we had plunked down five more dollars on the "trips" option, that would have earned us $15 -- enough to break even.  But we don't normally play trips at live tables (only online with pretend money), so we miss out.  We fold.

When that man's turn comes to show his cards, he displays a fourth Ace!  "Quads," the dealer announces to the pit boss.

That man truly has a reason to be excited.  Quads pays 30 to 1 on the "trips" button, and 10 to 1 on the blind.  He wins something in the neighborhood of $500.  We sat one seat away from a jackpot.

At that point, we have to leave to go home and run errands.  "Be sure to tithe on all that money," we tell the big winner.  He nods a bit as he smiles -- leaving us to wonder if he knows what that word means.

You people are robbing me, your God.  And, here you are, asking, "How are we robbing you?"  You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me. - Malachi 3:8 (CEV)

A "tithe" is ten percent.  God has required that of believers since the days of ancient Israel.

I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test.  Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house.  Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing. - Malachi 3:10 (CEV)

The "ice bucket challenge" is a fad of the moment.  God dares you to take the "ten percent challenge."  We give God a tenth of our poker winnings, through the church we attend.  Will you do the same, and claim His promise of abundant blessings?

The First Part

A recent post noted a tax lien placed on professional poker player Phil Laak, because he owed back taxes in California.  We checked news websites this morning, and there's no update on whether he paid off or not.

But we noted a statement of Jesus that people should "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22:21).  What should poker players (and, for that matter, everyone else) give to God?

Jesus was talking in Matthew 22 about money -- and the Bible challenges readers to give some of that to God:

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." - Malachi 3:10

Some poker players put together or compete in charitable tournaments, and there's nothing wrong with that.  But God expects a tithe to go to him -- a donation of ten percent.

Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.  But you ask, "How do we rob you?"  In tithes and offerings. - Malachi 3:8

God's talking tough here -- saying if you don't pay Him a tithe, you're robbing Him.  Yet He also says you're robbing yourself of blessings.

So where is this storehouse where the tithe should go?  In ancient days, the "house of our God" had storerooms for grain and other offerings (Nehemiah 13:4-5, 12).  Since there's no main house for worship in our world today, we think it's acceptable to pay the tithe to the place where you're worshiping.

But of course, this assumes you are worshiping God.  If you're not.... well, you're robbing God there as well.

But the Lord, who bought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship.  To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices.... and do not worship other gods. - II Kings 17:36, 38

Why worship God?  Because without Him giving you life, health and a working mind, you can't play poker in the first place.

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.... - Deuteronomy 8:18

Note also God expects an offering over and above the tithe.  The amount of that is up to you -- but ask yourself: how much has God done for you?  How much has He blessed you in poker, and other areas?

One fringe benefit of paying tithes and offerings is that in the U.S. (and perhaps other countries), many ministries allow you to deduct the gifts at tax time.  It's too late to make such gifts for your 2013 taxes -- but it's not too late to give God His share of your poker success.

Poker Day 406: Toss Across

A newcomer at a poker room has a bit of an advantage, because no one else knows how they play.  That may have helped us on our first trip to Arrowhead Poker two weeks ago.  But the disadvantage is that we don't know how others play. Let's see if the tables turned on us today....

BLINDS: 100/200

IN THE POCKET: King of hearts - Queen of hearts

Early feelers haven't worked for us; in one case we folded 8-8 to a big bet on the flop and missed a winning 8 on the river.  Now we have great-looking suited connectors, and a man ahead of us at our table of seven has raised to 700.  We're happy to lay low and call; about half the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: Q-10-4 (no hearts; last card may not be precise)

Top pair and a strong kicker give us hope.  But an older gentleman across from us seems even more optimistic; he tosses out 2,000 without a care.  We're puzzled by what he has (two pair, maybe?!) - but we feel strong enough to call.

"If you called, I'm folding," a man next in line from us.  He was one of the dealers on our last trip to Arrowhead, and will reveal later in the game that we "play tight."  Doesn't he realize loose lips can sink ships -- such as ours?

ON THE TURN: 9

We're now heads-up against the older man, and he tosses out 2,000 more.  This actually makes us more skeptical about what he has -- now thinking he has a Queen only.  So we call again.

ON THE RIVER: A

Without hesitation, our opponent flips out his last pink 5,000 chip to go all-in.  He's been tossing chips like coins into a fountain -- but that Ace was absolutely the last thing we wanted to see.  So we take a moment to think about this.

"If you've got an Ace..." we finally say.  He says nothing.  We conclude (admittedly more out of hope than a read) that he missed some kind of flush draw.  "I'll call."

Sure enough -- our opponent flips over A-J.  He chased a winning hand to the river and won it, throwing up big bluffs along the way.

We never recovered from that big loss -- finally going all in for our last 2,500 with our own A-J amid rising blinds.  Another man went all-in for even more, then showed A-K.  The board paired, but his King kicker was better.  On a day with only two tables playing, we missed the final one by finishing 13th.

MINISTRY MOMENT: The pre-game talk turned to a penny someone had picked up along the way.  What, if anything, made it a "lucky penny"?  Someone said it had to be face-up.  This was news to us.

"All I know," we told a man next to us, "is if you find ten pennies, you tithe on one of them."

Are you familiar with a "tithe"?  The word means a tenth, and it's often used in church-speak.

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. - Leviticus 27:30

These instructions to ancient Israel were for an agricultural society.  It's different from an "ante" in poker, where everyone contributes the same amount of chips pre-flop.  The amount of the tithe depended on how much of a crop people produced.

The tithe was given to he Levites, who served as ministers -- then national leader Moses passed along a "tenth of that tithe" to Aaron the priest (Numbers 18:21-28).  We suppose poker rooms work somewhat the same way; a certain amount from buy-ins is set aside for covering the room's expenses and salaries.

You might be giving more than a tithe of your income to the government today, in the form of taxes.  But have you given God His tithe?  There's a promise for those who do:

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." - Malachi 3:10

God blesses those who give -- especially if you give to Him.  One way to do this is through a church congregation.  It's only fair to repay ministers who work hard to preach God's Word and provide us spiritual support.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 140 final tables in 406 nights (34.5%) - 22 cashes.

What (or Who) Counts Most

We started this poker ministry blog in 2008 with big dreams, but admittedly small expectations.  Little did we know there are other Christians with similar ideas, seemingly accomplishing much more.

 

We learned this weekend about a documentary called Holy Rollers, featuring a team of "card-counting Christians."  The group of young men includes at least one church pastor, and their mission appears to be entering casinos and winning massive sums of money at blackjack tables (they succeed often because they can count the cards in the shoe).

 

All we've seen of this film is the trailer -- and just as you can't judge a book by its cover, we realize you can't judge a movie by a three-minute promotional clip.  But based on the trailer and a couple of online reviews, we'll take a stab at "judging righteous judgment" (John 7:24) and making a few tentative conclusions.

 

1.  One review says the "Church Team" tithes on its casino winnings.  That's a proper Biblical thing to do.

 

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." - Malachi 3:10

 

The concept of tithing goes all the way back to Abram in Genesis 14 -- giving a tenth of your "spoil" or winnings to God.  If it's considered income, we count it.

 

2. The Church Team gets giddy at times about the massive amounts of money it "liberates" from casinos.  But is that the team's top priority -- and should it be?

Paul warned ministers should have their priorities in order:

 

It is true that anyone who desires to be a church official wants to be something worthwhile.  That's why officials must have a good reputation.... They must be self-controlled, sensible, well-behaved.... kind and gentle and not love money. - I Timothy 3:1-3, CEV

 

We might make hundreds of dollars in a poker room -- but when the game is over, we personally feel guilty if we haven't done the "ministry" part.  And connected to that....

 

3. The documentary shows a baptism (of whom we're not sure) -- but is this "Church Team" doing any witnessing to people inside the casinos?

It's one thing to take thousands of dollars out the door.  But it's another to leave something behind -- at least some kind of gospel message for the casino staff or players to consider.

 

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead.... I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. - II Timothy 4:1-2

 

Perhaps the Church Team does this when it's confronted by casino security workers.  But talking too much about Jesus at a blackjack table probably would "blow their cover," and perhaps distract them from the card count.

 

What thoughts come to your mind, when it comes to this topic and this documentary?  Leave them in our comments section, and we may address them in upcoming posts.

Video Victory

We were eliminated from the National League of Poker 1:00 p.m. ET money game today in 95th place, out of 679. Is that bad? Well, not in this case....


....because we exited just in time to enter a 2:00 p.m. video poker tournament for money -- and we WON IT! We topped 96 other players, thanks to one wonderfully-dealt hand.


We were given A-K-Q-J of clubs, plus one "stray". We saved the four clubs, and received a 10c for a 4,000-point natural royal flush!

If we were on a poker telecast, someone might ask next what we'll do with the prize money. Well, five dollars for first place isn't much -- but we'll do with it what we'd do with $5,000: tithe on it.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." -- Malachi 3:10

A "tithe" means a tenth. So 50 cents of our five-dollar win is set aside for God; we do this by donating to the church congregation we attend or a ministry. And if you think 50 cents is no big deal, remember these words of Jesus:

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. -- Luke 16:10

From the eternal perspective of a watchful God, 50 cents matters. We thank Him for five dollars -- and for all heavenly blessings, great and small!

Them vs. Him Part 2

In Part 1 of this chat from an online poker game, we told a player he should trust in the true God, not the "card gods." The discussion continued to seeking Jesus in prayer, and the thoughts overlap a bit....

stingray74: now im gonna ask jesus for help
Me: Always a good idea.
stingray74: he loves to gamble
Me: Whether it works at a poker table.... open to debate.
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($270)
Me: I think when He came to earth, it was a sure thing.

The part we meant as "open to debate" is seeking Jesus's help in a poker tournament. We're open to discussion on this, but we think there are bigger things to pray about than poker.

"You do not have, because you do not ask God," says James 4:2-3. But then James adds, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

There's one for some soul-searching and self-examining. How do you plan to use any poker winnings you get? To buy "buckets of beer" at the bar, to drink the night away? Or for something beyond yourself (the King James Version says "your lusts") -- maybe giving some to do the work of God?

Is God a gambler -- and was He, when He sent Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins? We did a Bible study on this several years ago, in relation to another casino game. Click this link to read and consider it.

The religious chat didn't end there....

stingray74: oh c**p now jesus wants 10 of my earnings
Me: It's only 10%. the feds take much more.
stingray74: lol so true
Me: And you may be able to deduct the 10% as a charitable donation.

The idea of tithing goes all the way back to the book of Genesis. After Abram won a major battle, he met "Melchizedek king of Salem" and gave him "a tenth of everything." (Gen. 14:18-20) Many Bible experts believe Melchizedek actually was a figure of Christ, encountering Abram long before entering the world as Jesus.

And as for that last line: donations to charities such as religious groups can be tax-deductible in the U.S., especially if you have a high income. Check Schedule A -- and don't forget to pay taxes on your poker winnings.

Ten-High Priest?

From the World Series of Poker Main Event comes a surprising sight -- a Catholic priest at the casino.

(We'll pause here, for you to create your own joke. There's probably a good one here somewhere.)

But seriously: a former member of his church is playing in the Main Event, and has promised to give the church a tithe of his winnings. Should he go all the way, that would come to about $850,000.

Sound absurd? Not to us. In fact, we tithe on all the cash we win at poker tournaments. "Tithe" means to give a tenth to God, and it's a Biblical concept. Jesus refers to it in Matthew 23:23, as He chastises....

"hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices -- mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law -- justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Jesus clearly wants other Godly issues to receive higher emphasis. But He didn't want the "hypocrites" to overlook tithing.

Malachi 3:10 challenges people to bring their tithes to God, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Does that mean you'll win every final table? Not necessarily -- but blessings can come in many forms. (Pssst, including a possible tax deduction for giving to charity.)

If the dealer deserves a tip for giving you a winning hand at the casino, why not offer a piece of the pot to God? He's not asking for all of it -- even though He wants a commitment from all of you.