The Day We Couldn't Play

On December 24-25, 2015, we did poker "back-to-back." After winning money Thursday night at a Wichita bar, we went to Kansas Star casino for a Friday noon tournament. That didn't turn out well for us, but 42 players showed up to make things competitive.

This year on December 24-25, we tried it again. This time both tournaments were at Jack Casino Cincinnati. But after a money win Monday night, this time.... the daytime tournament was canceled.

Only two other players plunked down the $80 buy-in. In fact, the poker room barely had one full table of cash game players. The managers huddled at the 11:15 a.m. starting time, then canceled the tournament. We regained our buy-in, and proceeded to add some money to that at a blackjack table.

Talk about a difference - 42 "Christmas poker" players in rural Kansas, versus only three in urban southwest Ohio. Is Texas Hold 'em simply a bigger thing in the Plains States? Or are there other factors?

Perhaps Cincinnati offers more things to do with your spare time. Or perhaps the area is more "religious" than we realized, with more people marking Christmas in some way or other. It's quite a Roman Catholic area - with at least two Catholic colleges, and Lenten fish fries which become big news items.

Long-time blog readers know we went to casinos because we do not keep Christmas. Despite what some advocates might indicate, there's no command in the Bible to keep it. And it's very likely Jesus Christ was not born in December at all....

She gave birth to her first child, a son.... That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. - Luke 2:7-8 (NLT)

When Mary gave birth to Jesus, shepherds were on the job outside. That would be chilly work in the Bethlehem in late-December. The Internet allows us to know weather conditions in that part of the Middle East, and nighttime lows right now are in the mid-40's F. It seems safe to assume conditions were the same 2,000 years ago.

But history shows shepherds were not out working in such chilly conditions. Sheep were kept in shelters, since there was little grass for grazing in winter. As Jesus would say after growing up....

So he explained it to them: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.... Those who go in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures." - John 10:7, 9 (NLT)

Sheep need good pastureland to thrive. Would a caring shepherd settle for less? The winter shelters help explain how shepherds could do what they did after they had a supernatural vision....

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. - Luke 2:15-16 (NLT)

Lots of sheep were "left behind" - but the shepherds later returned to them (verse 20). Jesus would expect a different reaction as an adult, but that's a topic for another post.

We didn't talk about Christmas or Christ at Monday night's tournament at all. That's because the church association we attend has indicated any action toward God on Christmas is the same as keeping the day, and we're not instructed to keep man-made "pagan" days.

A lot of "customs of the season" get debated at this time of year. We invite you to study how we responded to one book about it years ago. Have a Bible ready. Have an open mind. And have a willingness to react obediently to what God shows you - as those shepherds did.

The End Is Near?

Our last live poker tournament included an unusual discussion about a Biblical character named Lot and his wife. We noted in a recent post how Mrs. Lot became a "pillar of salt" for violating God's instructions, and looking back toward the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We asked if you think God still can wipe out cities today for their sins, the way Genesis 19 describes. We heard some ministers indicate the answer was yes 11 years ago, when Hurricane Katrina left parts of the "sin city" of New Orleans in ruins. Yet critics might rightly ask: Where is the disaster to destroy Las Vegas - where poker rooms can be considered one of many vices?

Some Bible passages indicate God soon will tear down not only cities, but entire countries or kingdoms:

With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit.... Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her." - Revelation 18:2, 8

That prophecy indicates more fire is coming, along the lines of what Sodom received. But then there are the words of Jesus....

Or those 18 who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? - Luke 13:4

Jesus's point seems to be that all cities are "sin cities." It may be due to poker and casinos, but it also may be due to other sins. You see, all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23). But there's a remedy for that - and Jesus goes on to explain it:

I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. - Luke 13:5

God offers an escape route for us, as He did long ago for Lot. It starts with repenting of our sins, turning to Jesus as our Savior and following His example every day. That can save us from the prophesied coming destruction:

If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. - Mark 13:20

As U.S. Election Day nears, are you one of the "elect"? If you are, you can survive the tough times ahead. To borrow from an old hymn, turn away from focusing on the sinful nature of this world - and "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus."

Poker Night 398: The Prince of Darkness

There are times when a poker player's commitment level is tested -- even before the tournament begins.

Look at what was happening outside our front door, less than an hour before tonight's game at The Red Barn.  A severe thunderstorm nearby covered our courtyard with hail, not to mention heavy rain.

But we truly "braved the elements," as the journalism cliché says, and drove to the poker tournament.  The lights never went out in our bar - but there was darkness of a different kind:

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: A-6 offsuit

We grabbed an early pot with pocket 5's, but have missed with a couple of chances since.  On a three-table night, we're dealing at a full semifinal table.  No one raises ahead of us, and we decide to limp in.

ON THE FLOP: A-5-9

Top pair looks like a good start -- and when the table checks, it looks especially nice.  We use the "button" position to bet 600.  Yet hardly anyone is scared away; most players in the hand call.  Most of them have massive stacks, so they can afford to chase big hands.

ON THE TURN: 3

We doubt that card helped anybody -- but we're a bit concerned someone else has an Ace with a higher kicker.  So we join the table in checking this time.

Somewhere around this moment, we're told the man sitting to our right starts giggling.  We didn't even notice, since we're dealing.

ON THE RIVER: J

There's no flush threat, but we remain skeptical about this.  The table starts checking again -- but that man to our right then jumps into action with a bet of 1,250.  Has our fear come true?  Or is he trying to steal the pot?

"I'll call," we say with a touch of reluctance.  A couple of other players do as well.

"I flopped two pair - 9's and 5's," that man says.  "In the dark."

By that, he means he didn't look at his cards for awhile during the hand.  No wonder he laughed when he saw what he had.

"You can giggle all the way to the bank," we say with disappointment.

That was a big blow, from which we never recovered.  We had 2,850 chips at the one-hour break -- so when we saw A-K in the first hand of the second hour, we went for it all.  But the board didn't pair for us, and another man's Jack did.  At least the rain stopped when we walked to our car, after finishing 15th.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "Everything I've got, I have here," a man to our right said at the first table of the evening.  A couple of pins were on his cowboy hat.

"All I have is a nail," we said humorously.  But a few minutes later, we explained to him the reason for that card protector.

"I brought that to remind me that Jesus Christ gave his life for my sins."

"You need two more of them," the man to our right answered -- an answer which admittedly left us speechless.

It's Christian tradition that Jesus was crucified with three nails driven into His body -- one in each hand and a third for His feet.  Some denominations disagree with the modern stereotype of exactly how it was done.  Yet only one verse in the New Testament mentions those nails at all:

So the other disciples said, "We have seen the Lord!"  But he said to them. "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." - John 20:25

These were the skeptical words of "doubting Thomas" the apostle.  He came "heads-up" before the resurrected Christ about a week later:

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.  Stop doubting and believe."  Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" - John 20:27-28

Jesus showed what He had, much as that poker player with 9-5 did -- and that settled everything for Thomas.

Many Christian church groups will remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus over the next few days.  We do it by attending a "New Testament Passover" service, known by others as the Lord's Supper.  Will you be a believer, by participating?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD:  137 final tables in 398 nights (34.4%) - 21 cashes.

Remember As You Play....

Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity."  They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. - Jonah 1:7

Yes, we know -- this verse seems to refer to throwing dice, instead of playing poker.  But there's a lesson here in how God sometimes takes control of things you don't expect.  Consider what led up to this throw....

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.  He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port.... - Jonah 1:3

God gave Jonah orders to preach in Nineveh.  Instead of heading east toward the Tigris River, Jonah went west to the Mediterranean Sea.  But he didn't run away from God at all:

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. - Jonah 1:4

We heard a Baptist preacher on radio say recently God controlled the weather in this case -- and then God controlled the toss of the lot, as it accurately pointed to Jonah as the reason for the storm.  (He even provided that great fish, for which Jonah is most famous.)

If God can control a form of dice (and lots were used by Jesus's apostles in Acts 1 to determine a successor to Judas), we think He also can step into poker rooms at times.  We've had enough success at unexpected moments to reach that conclusion.  And we thank God for every blessing He brings - at the table, or away from it.

Are You Cleaning Up?

The Wednesday night poker tournament is still on in our city, even though some local colleges canceled evening classes.  It was the result of a day of rough weather, which had a couple of tornado warnings.  A strong cold front brought us high winds and hard rain.

The storm could bring flooding and erode land.  But there's one thing rain cannot wash away -- the stains caused by sins in our lives.

In a post earlier this week, we noted some of the definitions of "sin" in the Bible.  If you lie to other players at the table about your hand, that's a sin under the Ten Commandments.  If you even become fixated on your opponent's big chip stack, that can be sin as well....

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.  You shall not set your desire on your neighbors house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. - Deuteronomy 5:21

There actually was a time in human history when God used rain against sin -- not really washing it away, but drowning it:

I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it.  Everything on earth will perish. - Genesis 6:17

God did this because our planet had become violent and corrupt (verses 12-13).  Yet Earth still has life and breath, because God made a big exception.  He spared Noah, his family and animals taken aboard an ark (verses 18-21).

Trouble is, our planet probably has more violence and corruption today -- if only because Earth has more than seven billion people.  So sin remains in our lives.  How can we get rid of it these days?  By something better than rainwater....

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. - I John 1:7 (KJV)

The atheist we met at the final table last week probably doesn't think she needs that blood, and might not even think she needs to be cleansed of anything.  But if the Bible is right, we'll all come before Jesus Christ for judgment someday.  Will you accept His blood sacrifice in your behalf now, by repenting of your sins and seeking forgiveness from God?  Will you "come clean" with God -- and by God?

December Senior Championship: Need a Lift

Poker playing seems to take no holidays.  Ask anyone who's ever watched a WSOP marathon on ESPN on December 24.  Or us -- as "Christmas 2012" found us playing in the National League of Poker monthly Senior Championship.  One month ago we finished 35th.  We'd need to make the Top 10 tonight to win money....

:00 IN: The second hand of the night brings us 3-A under the gun.  The flop is 3-A-A.  We offer a wimpy bet of 30 with a full house, a man across from us raises to 60, we re-raise to 360 and get called.  The turn is 5.  We bet 300 and get called.  The river is 5.  Now we bet 1,000 (everyone starts with 2,500 chips).  Another call comes.  Our opponent has A-8!  The running 5's save him, as we split the pot with matching full houses.  Net gain: $30.

:02 IN: We have 10-K in the Small Blind.  The flop is K-3-10.  We bet 70 with two pair, and get callers.  The turn is 2.  We bet 150 and get called.  The river is 5.  We bet 200 and the table surrenders.  We win $730.

We wind up winning nine more pots in the first half-hour, helped by the fact that only four of the ten players at our table showed up to play.  But we had a couple of setbacks, so we reach the break at $3,960 (our high was around $4,500) - 113th place out of 740 still playing.

:38 IN: We have 6-A of diamonds.  The flop is 8x-8x-3d.  The table checks.  The turn is J.  The table checks.  The river is a third 8.  We dare to call a bet of 180 -- and apparently it was a bluff, because our Ace is high enough to win the $1,090 pot.

:56 IN: We have J-2 of spades in the Big Blind.  The flop is As-Ax-Jx.  We bet 200 with two pair, and get called.  The turn is 6 (not a spade).  Everyone checks.  The river is 5.  We bet 200, get called -- but our opponent has 10-Q.  We win $1,400.

:58 IN: We have J-A of diamonds, and face a player going all-in for 1,025.  We call, and face A-6!  The board brings Q-8-K-9-Q, so we win $2,350.

The second break finds us up to $5,055 - 134th place, with 585 players left.

1:12 IN: We have A-9 in the Small Blind.  The flop is 5-6-9.  We bet the minimum 300, and get called.  The turn is Q.  An opponent bets 300, and we call.  The river is J.  The table checks - and we're relieved to see our opponent has A-K.  A pair of 9's wins us $3,300.

1:34 IN: After a four-way split of a pot and a nut flush chase which falls short, we have 4-A in the Big Blind.  The flop is K-9-A.  We bet the minimum 400, saying to ourselves, "We need this."  We get called.  The turn is 5.  We call a bet of 400.  The river is K.  When a bet of 400 comes, we feel compelled to stop a possible bluff and call -- but the opponent has 6-K.

A disastrous third term drops us to $1,855.  We're down to 193rd place, with 341 remaining - but the blinds are getting steep.

1:47 IN: We have K-A.  The flop is 3-6-2, and an opponent puts us all-in for our last 1,065.  The turn is 5.  The river is 9.  But our opponent only has 7-A!  It's a $4,960 comeback blessing.

1:52 IN: We have Q-A on the button.  The flop is 10-6-A.  We bet 1,000.  Other players with bigger stacks take the hint.  They fold; we win $4,150.

1:57 IN: We have pocket Aces!  Another player doubles the blind, and we tag along by calling.  The flop is 2-3-9.  We go all-in for 3,735, get a caller -- but the caller has only 4-4!  The turn is 8.  The river is 10.  We knock an opponent out, and jump to a nightly high of $15,670.

2:02 IN: We have A-6 in the Big Blind.  The flop is 2-5-J.  The table checks.  The turn is K.  More checking occurs.  The river is 3.  An opponent bets the minimum 800.  We dare to call -- and he has 8-Q!  Ace high survives, and we win $4,000.

A walk in the Big Blind wraps up a huge half-hour - as we end at $15,470, or a gain of 834 percent!  With 110 players still in the running, we're now "mid-list" at 55th.

2:22 IN: We have pocket Jacks.  The flop is 8-K-A.  An opponent bets the minimum 1,600, and we dare to call.  The turn is 2, and we stubbornly call another bet of 1,600.  The river is Q.  The same bet comes.  We think it's a bluff, so we call -- and we were partially right.  He has no big cards.  But he has pocket 2's.  A sneakily-played three of a kind costs us a lot.

2:28 IN: We have Q-J of hearts in the Big Blind.  The flop is 6-4-J, all spades.  An opponent bets 1,600, and we call.  The turn is 4.  We dare to go all-in for 4,695 with our two pair -- but give the appearance we could have much more.  The opponent ponders, then folds.  Good timing wins us $14,045!

2:47 IN: After missing with 6-A and 4-A, we're blessed with pocket Aces again!  Our notes don't show it, but we believe we went all-in again.  A player called - with K-K!  The board brings J-Q-6-10-7.  It's another escape, winning $7,785.

A lost $600 ante in the next hand ends the fifth period, leaving us with $7,185.  That's not worth much now, as we're in 46th place with only 50 players left.

2:59 IN: We have 9-2 in the Big Blind.  The flop is 3-7-4, and we're forced to fold to a minimum bet of $4,000.

3:00 IN: Now we're in the Small Blind, and can't afford to post it.  After the ante, we're all in for our last $1,285.  We're dealt a piddling 5-3.  The flop is 9-J-6.  The turn is A.  The river is 9 - and we know we're sunk. a player with Q-J wins the pot, and ends our night.

We actually dropped a few spots from the November Senior Championship, finishing 46th out of 867 players.  That still would have won us money in a live tournament - and done so for the second time this week.  In the Sunday night weekly championship, we finished 68th out of 1,024 players.  Only 52 players are paid there, and we were eliminated with A-K when a pesky player who pushed with Q-8 and a bigger stack caught a Queen on the turn.

MINISTRY MOMENT: An online tournament earlier in the day brought this exchange....


DonkeyEater:  Happy birthday JESUS
Me:  Was He born on Dec 25?
DonkeyEater:  no
Dealer:  DonkeyEater wins Main Pot ($270) with Two pair, queens and fours

Me:  I agree with you.

Why do we say that?  In part because the Bible nowhere says Jesus was "born on Christmas Day" (to borrow from a Caribbean spiritual song you might hear on radio).  And also because of some Biblical clues....

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. - Luke 2:8

Would shepherds be outside late at night in late December in the Middle East?  We actually checked a forecast for Jerusalem (located not far from Bethlehem), and found overnight lows in the 40's F.  That's about average -- and at almost the lowest point of the year.  We think that would be a bit chilly for shepherds, so....

Me:  I think it was closer to Sep-Oct.

DonkeyEater:  It is as good of a day as any other to honor our king

Me:  But if it's not the right day....?

DonkeyEater:  Doesn't matter

DonkeyEater:  he loves us anyway

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:12-13

Jesus displayed His love for us by giving His perfect, sin-free life to be the ransom payment for our sins -- to cover our death penalty (Romans 6:23).  But the Lord went on to say:

You are my friends, if you do what I command. - John 15:14

Search the Bible from beginning to end, and you'll find no verse where Christians are commanded to keep Christmas - or even say "Merry Christmas" (contrary to what some defenders might pressure you to believe).  Instead, Jesus warns:

...."These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught my men."  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." - Mark 7:6-8

Do your practices of worship come for the Bible?  Have you checked to make sure?  If you want to consider the issue of Christmas in detail, we're prepared a Bible study on it (actually a response to a defender of the holiday).

The Master of Disaster

One of our recent posts mentioned what one poker player suggested was "an act of God" - when a burst of air in a bar flipped his cards face-up on the table, as he tossed them in to fold a hand.  It led us to ask a question.  Does God bring about disasters - either resulting from weather, or otherwise?

Christian groups have different schools of thought on this.  Let's use the recent Hurricane Sandy for an example.  It struck Atlantic City, New Jersey - a place with several casinos and plenty of gambling.  Was God sending a message, by stopping the games for days?  Some believers might quote....

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Disaster!  An unheard-of disaster is coming.... I am about to pour out my wrath on you and spend my anger against you; I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.... Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes the blow. - Ezekiel 7:5-9

The phrase "wrath of God" is Biblical, occurring in some form in the book of Revelation seven times.  Why is it coming?

The wrath is God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.... - Romans 1:18

In reality, suppressing God's truth is only one of the reasons why God's wrath will be poured out.

But on the other hand, other believers turn to the words of Jesus when a disaster strikes:

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.  Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no!  But unless you repent, you too will all perish." - Luke 13:1-3

Consider the Lord's words with care.  He did not say the suffering people of Galileans were sinners, while everyone else was pure.  The truth is that we're all sinners (Romans 3:23) - and we all need to repent, turning to Jesus Christ as our hope of salvation and eternal life.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. - Acts 3:19-20

After Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, we heard a veteran minister describe New Orleans as a "very sinful city."  We pointed out to him many cities are sinful.  Jesus Christ has to return to clean up all of them, and create a righteous Kingdom of God.

The first two chapters of Job remind us Satan can bring mishaps and disaster, if God grants permission for the devil to do it.  So in the final analysis, we probably won't know for certain which side created any particular disaster until Jesus comes back.  That return will be the most magnificent "act of God," with incredible blessings for all who believe.

Poker Night 364: 5-2 Pickup

As we began the Monday night tournament at The Red Barn, we remembered well what happened the week before.  The good news is that we lasted more than two hands. In fact, we lasted long enough to see some amazing things happen....

BLINDS: 10,000/20,000

IN THE POCKET: 2-5 of diamonds

If we've made it to blinds this high, we must be doing well -- and in fact, we're at the final table!  We picked up a few nice pots along the way, but otherwise played cautiously while surrounded by the usual massive stacks of chips.

We've already been dealt pocket Aces at the final table, which allowed us to quadruple our small stack to 20,000.  But now the Big Blind has come, and we're all-in by force with what some consider the worst hand in poker.  The man who took us out last Monday night bets big pre-flop to run everyone else off.  Then he shows Q-10.  Ugh.

ON THE FLOP: 4-A-4

This is a race -- and we're way behind.

ON THE TURN: 5

Not anymore, we're not!  We've paired.  Our opponent has not.  "Oh no," he says.

ON THE RIVER: 8

"Praise the Lord," we say out loud.  We escape the ax again, climbing to 60,000 chips.

Other players at the final table risked it all, with relatively limited success.  When we tried again with A-6, it was our turn to miss the pair.  That man with the huge stack eliminated us again -- but on this Monday night, we finished in fourth place.  That's our best outcome at The Red Barn since October 2011.

MINISTRY MOMENT: Parts of The Red Barn have strange air circulation.  At a semifinal table, a man to our left folded on the turn -- and as he tossed his cards into the middle of the table, a bit of air blew them face-up!  (He had K-J.)

"That must have been an act of God!" the man exclaimed.

"God can control the wind," we told him.  A writer of Psalms puts it this way....

He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.  He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. - Psalm 104:3-4

The King James Version indicates verse 4 refers to angels, instead of winds which can make you shiver on a November day.  But there's a famous moment in the Bible when the Son of God confirmed in the New International Version, while aboard a boat:

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boar, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.... - Mark 4:37-38

Jesus's disciples were concerned they might drown.  Thankfully for them, they had a Passenger on board who could change that.

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.... They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" - Mark 4:39, 41

This passage indicates Jesus has ultimate control over the weather.  Could it be that weather-related disasters hit some places because too many people fail an important test mentioned in this section?

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?" - Mark 4:40

Serious storms in life (weather-related or otherwise) can challenge anyone's faith in God.  So do you think God sends "natural disasters?"  Leave a comment with your thoughts; we'll consider that further in a future post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 126 final tables in 364 nights (34.6%) - 20 cashes.  This marked our first "back-to-back" final table appearances (much less back-to-back top five finishes) since mid-July.