As we write this, CBS's 60 Minutes is about to show a feature on how cheaters made millions of dollars from online poker web sites.
We won't get into the details of that report here. Instead, we'll consider the temptations involved.
We've heard people say they're hesitant to play in big-money online poker tournaments, because opponents could "tag team" against them to take pots. All they need to do, we were told, is communicate with each other by phone while they play.
Poker can be like any sport or activity -- tempting for cheaters, if there's big money involved. It's a test of ethics. As in whether or not you have any.
"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap," says I Timothy 6:9 -- not to mention "many foolish and harmful desires...."
On the other hand: "He whose walk is upright fears the Lord, but he whose ways are devious despises him." (Prv. 14:2)
This may sound cold -- but if you feel compelled to cheat at any poker table, you probably shouldn't be playing. God eventually will reward honesty. Maybe not with a big pot today, but with a reward for your works later (Mt. 16:27).
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thank you, thank you very much....
It's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., and we hope you have a nice one.
We also hope you take time to be thankful to God every day. "Give thanks in all circumstances," says I Thes. 5:18.
In terms of poker, we're thankful right now for a big winning run online at Yahoo. As of the close tonight, our pretend bankroll stands at a record $9,562. That's up a massive $681 from our last Thursday report! (And that's even though Yahoo stole 70 bucks from us tonight, due to computer problems of some sort.)
Last Thanksgiving, our pretend chip count was around $2,900. So is it time to head for a web site where we can win real money?
We also hope you take time to be thankful to God every day. "Give thanks in all circumstances," says I Thes. 5:18.
In terms of poker, we're thankful right now for a big winning run online at Yahoo. As of the close tonight, our pretend bankroll stands at a record $9,562. That's up a massive $681 from our last Thursday report! (And that's even though Yahoo stole 70 bucks from us tonight, due to computer problems of some sort.)
Last Thanksgiving, our pretend chip count was around $2,900. So is it time to head for a web site where we can win real money?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
If it was real II
The last time we figured our success in local poker tournaments compared with a casino, the numbers looked great -- double our investment through 40 poker nights.
Now that we've played 50 poker nights, let's do the math again using the same formula as before.
We assume a $50 buy-in to tournaments: 50 x 50 = $2,500.
We've had top five finishes only twice in the last ten poker nights: a 2nd and a 5th. We add those to the earlier record, with the same presumed payouts of $500 for the winner down to $100 for fifth.
Our record over 50 poker nights would be as follows:
First -- 3 ($1,500)
Second - 3 ($1,200)
Third -- 3 ($900)
Fourth - 4 ($800)
TIES for fourth:
one two-way ($150)
one three-way ($67)
Fifth -- 3 ($300)
TOTAL -- 18 for $4,917.
The return on my buy-in investment is dropping, compared to the score after 40 nights. But still, I would have come close to doubling my money with a return of almost 97 percent. Take that, General Motors.
Now that we've played 50 poker nights, let's do the math again using the same formula as before.
We assume a $50 buy-in to tournaments: 50 x 50 = $2,500.
We've had top five finishes only twice in the last ten poker nights: a 2nd and a 5th. We add those to the earlier record, with the same presumed payouts of $500 for the winner down to $100 for fifth.
Our record over 50 poker nights would be as follows:
First -- 3 ($1,500)
Second - 3 ($1,200)
Third -- 3 ($900)
Fourth - 4 ($800)
TIES for fourth:
one two-way ($150)
one three-way ($67)
Fifth -- 3 ($300)
TOTAL -- 18 for $4,917.
The return on my buy-in investment is dropping, compared to the score after 40 nights. But still, I would have come close to doubling my money with a return of almost 97 percent. Take that, General Motors.
Friday, November 21, 2008
On a happier note....
A late-night Yahoo poker session finally pushed us about $9,000 for the first time there. We've gained more than $800 in November -- including a handsome $256 pot on this hand last week, which we meant to post earlier:
BLINDS: $1/$2 (pretend money)
IN THE POCKET: Kc-8c
Several players call; a few are in a mood to raise, so we join in.
ON THE FLOP: Qc-10c-9c
Can you say "flop-flusher" five times fast? In fact, we're one card from a STRAIGHT flush! (And we hit one of those on Yahoo earlier this week, for a much smaller pot.)
Of course we're betting this. A couple of players stick around.
ON THE TURN: Jd.
Not a straight flush, but close -- as we now have a straight and a flush. (Flushes beat straights, if you don't know.)
We keep betting, and one player insists on betting all the way to the $20 limit. Hmmmm -- only one card would beat us....
ON THE RIVER: 6h.
A meaningless card for this hand? Well, not really. It means no full house is possible, for beating me.
I keep betting, and the player to my right pushes me to the $20 pot limit. Does he have that one card, the Ace of clubs? Drum roll........
Nope -- he has pocket 10's. In his case, 3 x 10 = a negative number.
By the way, we're inviting people at our Yahoo tables to visit this blog now. If you're one of them, welcome. Please visit often.
BLINDS: $1/$2 (pretend money)
IN THE POCKET: Kc-8c
Several players call; a few are in a mood to raise, so we join in.
ON THE FLOP: Qc-10c-9c
Can you say "flop-flusher" five times fast? In fact, we're one card from a STRAIGHT flush! (And we hit one of those on Yahoo earlier this week, for a much smaller pot.)
Of course we're betting this. A couple of players stick around.
ON THE TURN: Jd.
Not a straight flush, but close -- as we now have a straight and a flush. (Flushes beat straights, if you don't know.)
We keep betting, and one player insists on betting all the way to the $20 limit. Hmmmm -- only one card would beat us....
ON THE RIVER: 6h.
A meaningless card for this hand? Well, not really. It means no full house is possible, for beating me.
I keep betting, and the player to my right pushes me to the $20 pot limit. Does he have that one card, the Ace of clubs? Drum roll........
Nope -- he has pocket 10's. In his case, 3 x 10 = a negative number.
By the way, we're inviting people at our Yahoo tables to visit this blog now. If you're one of them, welcome. Please visit often.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Poker Night #50: Cold-Blooded
Before the windy wintry front came through town, a cool customer at my table blew me away Thursday night. Out of a table of six, I finished sixth -- and went bust on the sixth hand of the evening. (No, I don't think Rev. 13:18 applies here.)
BLINDS: 25/50.
IN THE POCKET: Kc-Kh.
I'm in the small blind, and raise 150 when my turn comes. That chases a few people -- but not a man to my left, who's wearing sunglasses and a dark hooded sweater. You know, the Laak look.
ON THE FLOP: 9d-9h-2h
Three hearts + two pair = big bet. Leading off, I throw in 500. The Laak-a-like calls. Everyone else bails out.
ON THE TURN: Jh
Four hearts + two pair + no Ace showing = another bet of 500. But this time, the man under the hood quietly raises 1,500.
He's taken one hand already, so he has me covered chip-wise. A quiet alarm bell goes off in my mind -- but I recall this man pushed me off a pot by bluffing last week. So I call the 1,500, leaving me with only 1,000 chips on hand.
ON THE RIVER: Qd
I'm hearing the alarm bell (and seeing my slim chip stack) enough to check. My opponent bets 1,000.
"That would put you all in, sir," the man sitting between us says. Yeah, I know. Thanks for the words of assurance. I'm quietly pondering this.
"Don't even bother looking at him," says a woman across the table who notices me doing exactly that. Mr. Hoodie is simply grinning.
The inner voice is telling me he has a third 9, to beat my two pair. But would he push in that many chips simply to bluff -- perhaps to fake hitting a flush on the turn? I finally conclude he just might be doing that.
"If I go bust, I go bust," I declare and push in the last 1,000. I show two K's. Sure enough, he has the third 9.
"I thought so," I say as I shake the man's hand and give him two Carmike Cinemas movie passes for KO'ing me.
In John 13:27 Jesus said, "What you are about to do, do quickly." It's obviously not fair to compare another poker player to Judas Iscariot, but he certainly made quick work of me. To borrow from Psm. 150:4, he played me like a "stringed instrument." It was not the first time I've been eliminated first on poker night -- but this one certainly stung the most.
MINISTRY MOMENT: I was out in under 20 minutes -- so fast that I never even brought up matters of God. I guess John 13:27 needs to apply to me, too.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 21 final tables in 50 nights (42%) - 6 cashes.
With seven consecutive final table misses, maybe it's time for a break -- and on Thursday nights, we'll have one. Lil Kim's Cove will be closed next Thursday for Thanksgiving, and work commitments will prevent us from playing December 4. We make no guarantees about other nights.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $8,888 - up $218. We were as high as $8,989 during online "warm-ups" Thursday afternoon, but couldn't quite climb to $9,000. Yet.
BLINDS: 25/50.
IN THE POCKET: Kc-Kh.
I'm in the small blind, and raise 150 when my turn comes. That chases a few people -- but not a man to my left, who's wearing sunglasses and a dark hooded sweater. You know, the Laak look.
ON THE FLOP: 9d-9h-2h
Three hearts + two pair = big bet. Leading off, I throw in 500. The Laak-a-like calls. Everyone else bails out.
ON THE TURN: Jh
Four hearts + two pair + no Ace showing = another bet of 500. But this time, the man under the hood quietly raises 1,500.
He's taken one hand already, so he has me covered chip-wise. A quiet alarm bell goes off in my mind -- but I recall this man pushed me off a pot by bluffing last week. So I call the 1,500, leaving me with only 1,000 chips on hand.
ON THE RIVER: Qd
I'm hearing the alarm bell (and seeing my slim chip stack) enough to check. My opponent bets 1,000.
"That would put you all in, sir," the man sitting between us says. Yeah, I know. Thanks for the words of assurance. I'm quietly pondering this.
"Don't even bother looking at him," says a woman across the table who notices me doing exactly that. Mr. Hoodie is simply grinning.
The inner voice is telling me he has a third 9, to beat my two pair. But would he push in that many chips simply to bluff -- perhaps to fake hitting a flush on the turn? I finally conclude he just might be doing that.
"If I go bust, I go bust," I declare and push in the last 1,000. I show two K's. Sure enough, he has the third 9.
"I thought so," I say as I shake the man's hand and give him two Carmike Cinemas movie passes for KO'ing me.
In John 13:27 Jesus said, "What you are about to do, do quickly." It's obviously not fair to compare another poker player to Judas Iscariot, but he certainly made quick work of me. To borrow from Psm. 150:4, he played me like a "stringed instrument." It was not the first time I've been eliminated first on poker night -- but this one certainly stung the most.
MINISTRY MOMENT: I was out in under 20 minutes -- so fast that I never even brought up matters of God. I guess John 13:27 needs to apply to me, too.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 21 final tables in 50 nights (42%) - 6 cashes.
With seven consecutive final table misses, maybe it's time for a break -- and on Thursday nights, we'll have one. Lil Kim's Cove will be closed next Thursday for Thanksgiving, and work commitments will prevent us from playing December 4. We make no guarantees about other nights.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $8,888 - up $218. We were as high as $8,989 during online "warm-ups" Thursday afternoon, but couldn't quite climb to $9,000. Yet.
Come watch us play
In fact, you can do that old Columbus State University basketball slogan one better. You can play WITH us tonight.
We mark our 50th live poker tournament tonight at Lil Kim's Cove, down the street from the Columbus Civic Center. Sign up at 8:15pm ET, start shuffling around 8:30.
We mark our 50th live poker tournament tonight at Lil Kim's Cove, down the street from the Columbus Civic Center. Sign up at 8:15pm ET, start shuffling around 8:30.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Peek-a-boo Straight?
The player to my right raised me. I assumed he had a straight which beat my pair or two, so I folded and he took the pot.
Then when he threw the cards face down on the table and before the next dealer started shuffling, I couldn't resist. I reached for the cards, and looked at what he had.
"You're not supposed to do that," the man said to correct me. "That's not good etiquette."
He made a good point, and taught me a lesson. At some friendly tables, looking after the hand would be no biggie. But at a tournament (as this was), I could be in trouble. I could be sneaking a peek at an opponent's strategy.
So at a big-time poker table, secrets have some protection. And there's some Biblical backing for that. "Discover (reveal) not the secret of another," says the margin of my King James Bible in Proverbs 25:9.
If you really need to know a secret at the table, trust God to reveal it to you in the course of time. "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest." (Luke 8:17) Otherwise, we suggest not worrying about it.
P.S. That man to our right was bluffing.
Then when he threw the cards face down on the table and before the next dealer started shuffling, I couldn't resist. I reached for the cards, and looked at what he had.
"You're not supposed to do that," the man said to correct me. "That's not good etiquette."
He made a good point, and taught me a lesson. At some friendly tables, looking after the hand would be no biggie. But at a tournament (as this was), I could be in trouble. I could be sneaking a peek at an opponent's strategy.
So at a big-time poker table, secrets have some protection. And there's some Biblical backing for that. "Discover (reveal) not the secret of another," says the margin of my King James Bible in Proverbs 25:9.
If you really need to know a secret at the table, trust God to reveal it to you in the course of time. "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest." (Luke 8:17) Otherwise, we suggest not worrying about it.
P.S. That man to our right was bluffing.
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