Healthy Candor

I had a special treat yesterday when Sweetie called me after I got in from Orlando. She told me that she had arranged for a babysitter for last night, so we get dinner and a movie. I give her choices for dinner, but there really is no choice (Qdoba), then we head see The Da Vinci Code. I'm one of the few Americans who hasn't read the book (twenty-seven million books sold in the US, sixty million worldwide), so I didn't really know much about it. I had read all of the bad reviews and was prepared to deal with whatever hit me.

I thought it was just a really great movie. I can see how captivating the story is for anyone, and it was very suspenseful at times. I must confess that I screamed like a little girl, an audible shriek. That is always helpful in the self esteem department. Also saw a preview for The Omen remake, which will be an absolutely fraidy-scared flick.

I've explored before the struggle with poker as a sin. I was fortunate enough to receive a call from Steve Brown, a minister who teaches at Reformed Theological Seminary, as well as leads a ministry called Key Life Ministries, which is a syndicated radio show. He has this incredibly deep voice, looks sort of like a balding Santa, and tackles alot of white elephants in the room regarding faith and religion. He almost never kowtows to the official line; he believes in the truth is all about exploring, which I really like alot. He was good enough to join me for a quick interview. Thought you might find it interesting.

cc: What are your thoughts on the seemingly gray areas like poker when it comes to sin and our lives as Christians?
Steve: I love playingpoker and did a lot. I used to play regularly, and I was pretty good, but I haven't played poker regularly in seventeen years. I don't think there is anything wrong with poker, and I don't think it is a sin. A number of years ago, we looked at casinos here in Florida. They asked me to develop a sermon against gambling. I though it would be very easy, but I couldn't find anything, there really wasn't anything in the Bible. Most church folks don't understand poker. I don't think there isn't much different between the stock market and poker. I have a large radio ministry, so I do keep these thoughts to myself as I don't want to separate myself from the majority of people who I minister to.

cc: What's the difference, from a pastoral point of view, between gambling as a recreational activity, gambling as a source of income, and gambling as an addiction?
Steve: My closest friend is a physician in North Carolina, and he was in the Armed Forces and learned blackjack. He made piles of money, and we were both Christians. He would play all night and clean house, and he had to be careful about going back to the same casinos. This was before the shuffling machines. Some people are really good at poker, and it is the moral equivalency to picking stock. The addiction thing you are moving into a different area. My father was a drunk and gambler, and there were Christmases where we didn't have gifts nor much to eat. If you see yourself moving in this direction, then you need help.

cc: Even with the explosion of poker in America, it is difficult to have discussions about it in the church. Is there a place for poker players in churches or in a relationship with God?
Steve: That's the nature of institutions, any institution whether it be a church or Ford Motor Company, that they punish people that get out of line. That's why some churches are dying. Often, the churches make rules that really are more cultural. I think it's important to remember that people are really screwed up. All people. Once we agree on this, then we can love each other and can grow. But this is an issue for the church. Sometimes it is a smokescreen, an easy escape when we feel uncomfortable with what we hear and think. The church today is growing and changing in a way that is very approachable. The emerging church movement is very laid back yet authentic, very Gospel oriented. People should check around. We are all wired differently, and the Church is so big, bigger than it has ever been.

cc: Sometimes I think of poker as separating me from other believers. Can we ever be too bad to meet Christ? Can we ever be good enough to join Him?
Steve: Everyone is screwed up, and God is not angry at you. God doesn't sit in the sky, He isn't sitting in the sky with a lightning bolt. God isn't ticked that you're playing poker. Having said that, we have a responsibility of grace, that we should be compelled to act on our faith. God doesn't want us good; he wants us to be His.

Many people commented during my posts on the slide that I had the last couple weeks, and I wanted to digress into this a bit. We have our own perceptions of bloggers based on what we read and the context of that. Some folks like Pauly or Linda or Gracie we can recognize because we've seen their photos. For others, like kurokitty or TripJax or BloodyP, our mind takes their voice and creates an image. Some we like, others we disagree with. When folks take the time to invest in thought, are proactive in being encouraging, helpful, strategic, or even blunt.

• "I think you need to both step down and shore up your significant leak of playing above your bankroll, " from kurokitty .
  
• "When variance bites you in the ass, it gets harder and harder to play your game the way you used to. There are monsters under the bed, and you feel like everyone's making a play at you. With the added work-stress, I recommend taking some time off from the game. Just take a week," from klopzi.
  
• "I feel your pain brother. I'm not sure what to say," from willwonka.
• "Gotta be honest, Craig. Physical signs of anxiety and stress are really bad especially if you don't have them. Take a few days off, man," from sean.

Why spend that energy? Because we've invested in each other's lives, even though we are really strangers. Why should we give our thoughts to cc/Craig/Closet Poker Player/ccexplore? Heck, wouldn't we rather read about this guy tapping his home equity line of credit and chasing his losses but then losing that? We all like train wrecks, so wouldn't that be more interesting? I'm grateful to everyone for your thoughts, blunt criticism, and feedback. This is variance in a nutshell, and it's been interesting to go through again as well as to hear from more experienced players regarding variance. To kurokitty's point, it really is more about discipline than anything. Again, thanks to everyone.

I have one hand question that I wanted to post. This is from a friend of my brother, and I wanted to get the take of more experienced NLHE players. Blinds are $0.50/1.00, Villain raises to $3 UTG, folds to Hero on the button who raises to $5, with a call ($10.50 pot). Flop comes 7hTh2d, Villain bets $8, and Hero raises to $20, Villain mucks. My thoughts were that the pre-flop raise was too small, that the post-flop was was also too small, but it would be helpful to get other folks angle on this. (ADDENDUM: CORRECTED BETS TO HOPEFULLY BE LESS CONFUSING)

Have a good day, and thanks for dropping by.