Looking Like a Winner

If someone walked up to you and said, "Poker Player" - what sort of picture would come to mind?

Would you see someone wearing dark sunglasses, like Phil Hellmuth?  Or someone wearing goofy glasses, like Greg Raymer?

Would he wear a hoodie, a la Phil Laak?  Or a cowboy hat, a la Doyle Brunson?  (Or for that matter, would the "he" be a she?)

Despite the development of crazy-looking "character" players in the television age, there's no real stereotype of how a poker player should look.  He can have any skin color, gender, nationality or age.

We were reminded of that last week when a man in a wheelchair who barely seemed able to speak beat us in a hand.  He didn't wear glasses.  He didn't wear a hat.  He didn't even look like someone who would qualify for a "genius grant."  Yet he won a big pot -- in fact, several.

Players like that remind us of the words of Jesus Christ:

Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. - John 7:24 (KJV)

The Bible mentions a few strong men.  But Goliath was knocked cold by a stone flung by a young man named David (I Samuel 17).  And Samson succumbed to a persuasive woman, who talked him into revealing his secret of strength (Judges 16).  Instead, the true greatest hero of the Bible is Someone who...

....had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. - Isaiah 53:2

This chapter is a prophetic description of Jesus Christ.  And our Savior, every bit as much as that poker player in a wheelchair, is a reminder of the classic phrase, "Looks can be deceiving."  Come to think of it, they can be every bit as deceiving as someone slow-playing pocket Aces.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.... so that no one may boast before him.... - I Corinthians 1:27, 29

Quest for the Best

A recent post asked you two questions.  One was about your perfect starting hand in poker.

We recall a group of pros being asked this question in the NBC National Heads-Up Championship -- and most of them gave the most obvious answer: pocket Aces.  After all, it's in the lead before every flop.

But anyone who's played poker can tell you Aces get "cracked".  In fact, some tournaments offer bonus prizes if you crack them -- even if a lowly 2-3 in the Big Blind is followed by a 3-3-2 flop, for a full house.

Our second question was a bit more thought-provoking.  We noted God's creation is never called "perfect" in Genesis 1.  The best praise it receives is "very good" in verse 31.  So why didn't a perfect God form a perfect creation?

After thinking it over, we think the answer involves the creation of humans.  They proved they were imperfect when they disobeyed God....

"....But God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die'".... When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband. - Genesis 3:3, 6

Disobedience was considered a sin, which led to Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden (verse 23) -- much as a poker player can be removed from a table for breaking house rules.

We conclude from this that perfection involves obedience.  Obey the rules of poker, and you can win a big pot.  Obey God's instructions, and you can gain salvation and eternal life.  Even Jesus had to do that:

During the days of Jesus's life on earth.... Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he came the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.... - Hebrews 5:7-9

Did you notice that?  Jesus had to be "made perfect"! He was the sinless Son of God - yet He had to become perfect, just as Matthew 5:48 shows we must.

A tough task?  Absolutely.  Yet it's what believers in God are supposed to do....

Finally, brothers, good-by.  Aim for perfection.... And the God of love and peace will be with you. - II Corinthians 13:11

Falling short of that goal can be frustrating, and even depressing.  We know, because it's happened to us.  If it's a problem for you, please review the Bible study we wrote on perfection years ago.  Oh, and if you see something imperfect about it, please let us know.

Poker Night 404: One Step or Two

We're getting settled down in our new city, but find the schedule for local poker room tournaments doesn't fit with our current work schedule.  So on Mother's Day, we returned to Betty's Runway for an afternoon game -- and were surprised by how many women (even moms) showed up.  But it wasn't a mother who corrected our ways....

BLINDS: 400/800

IN THE POCKET: Ace of spades - 9 of spades

We won a couple of early pots with timely bets, but not the best of cards.  Now we're in the Big Blind with about 7,500 chips.  No one at the table of seven raises ahead of us.  It's tempting to raise right now with these fairly big cards and scare players away.  But we opt for caution and check.  About half the table is in.

ON THE FLOP: J-9-5 (no spades)

There's no Small Blind, because that player was eliminated on the prior hand.  So we're up first, with middle pair -- and we try to seize on it with a position bet of 1,000.

To our left sits a younger man in a wheelchair, who seems to have some sort of developmental disability.  He could call -- but instead he goes all-in!  The table folds, leaving it up to us.

"I have a feeling I jumped offside here," we say while hoping for a sign from our opponent.  He smiles a bit, but says nothing.

If that man has a Jack, he's ahead of us -- and he's already taken one pot from us with a better kicker on a pair of Kings.  After a moment, we opt for caution again.  "I'm going to fold."

He's then nice enough to turn over his cards: J-9.  He had us dominated, and we made the right decision.

Good cards didn't come for us after that until we were in the Big Blind with A-J.  A man doubled the blind ahead of us.  We responded by going all-in, and getting called.  That man had a pair of 7's.  Only low cards came on the board, giving him the win.

We had a short day, finishing in 20th place.  But at least we took home a piece of butterscotch candy as a consolation prize -- certainly the most unusual "pot sweetener" we've ever seen.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We defer on this day to the Tournament Director, who noted it was a special day.  He gave every women at the tables small boxes of chocolate, whether they were mothers or not.

"I plan to be here on Father's Day," we joked -- hoping to receive a matching gift.  But seriously, it's proper to do such things for the parents who give us life:

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. - Exodus 20:12

Our study Bible lists four ways you can show honor: "Prize highly.... care for.... show respect for.... obey." If your mother is old and inform, the care can come in meeting her physical needs -- even when events in life intervene.

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. - John 19:26-27

Jesus said these words while He was crucified (verse 18).  The Son of God was giving His life for the sins of all mankind -- and yet He took a moment to think about His mother nearby.  (The disciple who took her in probably was John, who wrote this account.)

If Jesus cared this much for his human parent, even at such a momentous and excruciating time, how much should you care for your mother and father while they're still alive?  What act of honor and love could you show -- large or small?

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 139 final tables in 404 games (34.4%) - 21 cashes.

You've Got a Boat?

In poker lingo, that means you have a full house.

But as you sail through each day, how do you keep your "life boat" under control?

This video offers a suggestion.  What do you think of it?

Good Enough For You?

You meet all kinds of people playing poker.  Consider the name of someone we played online recently....

Dealer: 　Genesis1 wins Main Pot ($1,770) with Three of a kind, deuces
Me: 　Lo it was very good
Me: 　(Gen. 1:31)
Our conversation with "Genesis1" didn't get much beyond this.  But his/her name comes from the first book and chapter of the Bible, where we find this:

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  And there was evening, and there was morning -- the sixth day. - Genesis 1:31

An interesting phrase -- "very good."  Why didn't God make the creation of heaven and earth perfect?  After all, don't we read in other places....

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.... - Psalm 18:30

Not to mention:

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

Plenty of poker players dream of getting "the perfect hand."  But of course, the definition of that hand probably varies by player.  So let's ask a couple of questions, open for your comments:

1. What is the "perfect hand" in poker to you - and why?

2. Why do you think God only made the creation "very good"?

Our answers will follow yours, in a future post.

Right Time, Wrong Time

Success in poker is about more than simply being dealt good cards.  It also involves timing -- knowing when to make a move in betting, and when to be cautious.  Weak hands given an aggressive play at the right moment still can win.  But strong hands such as K-K can come up against A-A and be dominated.

For some people, timing matters in when you worship God as well.  So in a recent post, we asked when you worship God -- and why you do it at that time.  We know some local poker circuits which hold big tournaments on Saturday instead of Sunday, because is a worship day for some players.  Others have big events seven days a week, and seemingly don't care.

So what does the Bible say about this?  Let's start with what Israel was told to do, as one of the Ten Commandments:

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.... the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work.... - Deuteronomy 5:12-14

 So which day is the "seventh day"?  In our 21st century world, it's easy to conclude that day is Sunday.  But when God said these words, it was Saturday -- a tradition passed down by Israelites (and especially Jews) over thousands of years.  That included the most famous Jew of all....

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.... - Mark 6:1-2

Jesus Christ taught in a synagogue on the seventh-day Sabbath -- mainly because His church was not founded until after His death and resurrection.  The Lord set us an example to follow (I Peter 2:21), even in the day for teaching God's word.

We've been in Sabbath-keeping groups for decades, and choose not to work on Sabbath.  Some would call poker "play" instead of work.  But if we're trying to win money, that's a "work day" to us.

Yet we fear some Sabbath-keepers go to an extreme, and say you cannot worship God on any other day of the week.  We might have agreed years ago, but then we came across this verse....

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.... Suddenly Jesus met them.  "Greetings," he said.  They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him - Matthew 28:1, 9

 This was worship after a Sabbath -- on a Sunday!  Yet Jesus did not correct the women for worshiping Him, only hours after His resurrection.  So it seems God accepts worship at all times of the week.

This can be a complicated, emotional issue.  So we invite you to review our complete Bible study in when to worship God.  It may change your thinking about which "day you keep."  It might even change your poker schedule.

Opening the Portals

It's an announcement many U.S. poker players have waited to see.  Plans have been announced to bring back "legal" online cash games and tournaments - the kind of games which brought two crackdowns by the Justice Department in recent years.

For now, the website is only accessible to adults living in Nevada.  But the obvious goal is to expand to other states.  For those who play poker well, it's an opportunity to win money without going to a standing casino.  For those who don't....

Well, the news of the week also has included a game player at the other end of the spectrum.  He went to a carnival to win an X-Box for his children, and wound up losing what he called his "life savings" of $2,600.  (At least the carnival promoters gave him a $600 refund.)

Our point?  If you don't know what you're doing, poker can be a money-losing proposition.  We've played enough cash games in poker rooms to experience both nice gains and quick busts.  As the Bible reminds us:

Labor not to be rich.... for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. - Proverbs 23:4-5 (KJV)

The New International Version adds a noteworthy phrase to verse 4: "have the wisdom to show restraint."  The man at the carnival did not; he reportedly lost $300 at his game, then went back home for $2,300 more.

....But a wise man keeps himself under control. - Proverbs 29:11b

Or as one brewery's ads used to advise, "Know when to say when."  That's a wise tip when it comes to money in poker, every bit as much as alcohol.

So if you dare to play online cash games, we suggest having a personal "limit down" (to borrow a commodity market phrase) -- an amount of loss which you never cross.  If you hit it, you quit.  But look on the bright side -- if you win, the sky can be your limit.