Cliffnotes:

I am a 32 year old professional poker player and former youth pastor. I feel that in the wake of all the garbage that came from focus on the family and the negative attacks that Christians make on both poker players in general and poker legislation, that a united front of Christian Poker players is a positive even for the atheists and agnostics of the poker world. Poker, is not unbiblical nor is it sin any more than drinking, smoking, or a 100 other things are. But with no one standing up to say this, the only voice out there is ultra conservative spiritually insecure Christians who are looking for anything to condemn just to appease their own guilt. For the Christians out there, anyone who has traveled to play tournaments or just visited casinos know that there are temptations everywhere. Having a group of Christians to connect with, share in struggles, etc, can be both life EV and poker EV.

So I am looking for Christians who would be interested in networking, connecting, and possibly starting an organized front. I`ve seen many Christians posting in RGT and I am hoping that many of them would shoot me a pm to discuss further.

The Long of it:

I`m not here to argue with anyone who wants to pick apart every last word and try to contradict everything said here. My stance is simple, Romans 14, talks about the strong and the weak. One decides a certain food is holy and abstains, another does not, each does it for the glory of God. IMO there are certainly black and white areas of the bible, but a lot more gray areas where we specifically as Christians need to seek out what God would have us do.

Christians love to take these gray areas and pass their own convictions or opinions off on others both Christians and Non Christians alike. It`s one of the most damaging things about Christianity today. Is it a sin to go to a bar? A bar is just a building that serves alcohol. Some people can walk in and out of a bar no problem and have no issues. Others would not be able to control themselves and would end up drunk and passed out. If one person decides to never go to bars to stay out of trouble, that is fine, if another decides he can go in no problem thats fine. If one tries to force their rules on the other, thats where the problems begin.

Thats where poker comes in. I don`t see anything in the bible even coming close to saying poker is a sin. It certainly CAN be a sin, if it becomes an idol, a compulsion, or an uncontrollable aspect of life, but in and of itself it certainly isnt a sin. For those who love to slap the gambling aspect on poker and point to that, a poker tournament is no different than a golf tournament, and if anything i think theres more luck to golf then there is poker, and certainly more variance.

Being on the road is tough, those who travel the circuits and various tournament series know that there is temptation everywhere, drugs, alcohol, strippers, hookers, and theres plenty of poker players indulging in all the above. Accountability and prayer are great tools to keep you focused on what matters most. I firmly believe its time for an authentic and organized group of Christians that can build each other up and also show the world that were not afraid to say that poker and Christianity are not mutually exclusive, but they can coexist.

I`d be lying if I were to say theres no interest in reaching out to others. I wonder how many poker players have an interest in religion or specifically Christianity, but because of the negative critic and judgemental views of Christians, they are pushed away, turned off, or otherwise afraid to move forward. I`m not here to rub the bible in anyone;s face and to force them into Christianity. Rather I want to be a resource to anyone who has questions, seeks advice, or otherwise wants to further explore their spirituality. Personally I would love some day to even see church services that met in the cities of circuit events, just to give those who are on the road 9 months a year a place to worship.

In the meantime, I would love to see internal value in poker player bible studies, sharing prayer requests, and struggles that we face in every day life. On the external there is no point in doing this if we are not an asset to the poker community as a whole. Looking for opportunities to do charity work, making sure that we represent the poker community well and improve the image of poker players and poker as a whole.

So I would like to talk to some of the other Christian Poker Players, hear your stories, hear what Christians responses have been to your profession, or hobby as it were, and discuss the possibility of teaming up to do some good for other Christian Poker Players, and hopefully the poker community as a whole. If this is something your interested in please reply and ill shoot you a pm. I hope that none of the agnostics or atheists take offense to this post, I am certainly not trying to stir up any resentment, my beliefs are what they are, and I`m simply trying to live them out based on what I think the bible really says, and not what tradition has regurgitated to me... Hopefully at least that can have some merit.

And why, exactly, do you believe Christianity is true?

Because of how it`s changed my life on a daily basis... Because of what I have survived.. Because I`ve hit way too many life 1 outers for this to be luck or chance....

Welcome! Good luck in your RGT forum career.

May I just say that you should consider your sample size?

I have....

Well, I can't remember any "life 1-outer" in my life. So, put together, we're now at 50/50.

See the problem with your hypothesis?

I dont think uke's question was really appropriate or relevant to the thread. But I would def be careful about the line of reasoning alluded to in the bolded. When it starts to turn the other way, and you go on a run where you miss every draw, what will you say about your feeling then? dont get sucked into thinking you cant miss, it can wreak havoc on your decision making.

God: Forget those starving children, lilprog needs the Q

Seems legit.

Ive had plenty of things not go my way as well, and certainly being a Christian does not make life's problems disappear, that being said I`ve experienced enough things long the way to see God's influence on things. I really have no doubts in my mind or heart in regards to Christ.

You can say the exact same things with regard to any religion.

I don't doubt your commitment to anything. But, to be clear, do you think Jesus effects the cards for your benefit?

No thought of scientific method? No thought of random coincidence? It's just a "God thing", right?

Why not? Do you know everything about everything?

Seems a little unkind to jump all over this guy's nuts about being a Christian, I mean he just wants to link up with poker players not argue about his beliefs. I suggest saving it for someone more appopriate.

Agreed. What in OP's statement warranted any of that? If the tables were turned, the Atheists would be angry stating that their thread was being hijacked and accusing the Christians of trolling.

I also agree that Christians can be irrational, illogical, and overly hypocritical individuals. But I find it comical how often the Atheists on this board display the same "cultish" attributes that they are so outraged that the Christians often display.

+1

Seems like 50% of the atheists in this thread think the criticism towards OP is unnecessary, but carry on caricaturing.