Christian Poker Games - Is it Ok For Fun?

Christian Poker Games - Is it Ok For Fun?
Most Christians know that playing poker is wrong. But what if we just play poker for fun? Nobody is losing money so is that ok? The Bible says...
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. ~ Ephesians 5:3 NIV
Perhaps God can seem like a killjoy. But His purpose is always best. If we look away from our own pleasure and see what characteristics we are demonstrating in even free poker games we see some alarming factors. Impurity such as lying, greed, pride and selfishness are still center stage even in a free poker game. Should we practice sin for fun? Should we practice lying to each other? Should we practice deceiving each other? And yet that is exactly what we are doing even in a free poker game. Let us say that poker is 100% skill, it still does not pass God's Commandments. There is still deception, lying, greed and covetousness.
The bottom line is this. You can't play around with sin. You can't nibble around the edges. God's word says...
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.[1]
The flesh is a word simply meaning the cravings of sin, our carnal nature. So we should not seek temptation, Christ never sought out temptation to display His power, and He avoided it at all costs. When He was tempted it was for a purpose to demonstrate God's power over sin and Satan. Too many Christians are struggling with sins and one reason they do not have victory is not for a lack of God's power but it is because they are making provision for sin. Those who are trying to overcome cigarettes for example would promise God that they would not smoke but then leave a pack of cigarettes in their bedroom. Then they wonder why they are tempted to smoke! We must demonstrate to God that we trust His promises by also taking steps of faith and getting rid of everything that can bring temptation. Online poker accounts should be closed, watching poker on TV should no longer be watched, any form of temptation that we have control over we should get rid of. Eliminating forms of temptation are statements of faith to God saying, "Lord I trust that you will give me the victory as promised and here is my demonstration of trusting in you".
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. [2] If we are in the habit of playing poker, in any form then we should not just remove the evil but we should also replace the evil habit with a good habit. There are plenty of positive things we can do instead (study, pray, share with others, spend time with friends or family, read the Bible, workout, help others, these are just a few suggestions).
It might be a hard task for us to give us certain sins. The reality is some sins like poker can bring us worldly profit. It might seem like you are losing by giving up something that can give you additional money and power. Often it can seem like you are losing out on a profit that could be yours. The reality however, is that those who desire to hold on to this worldly profit are actually those who lose. Jesus said...
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? [3]
We may have thought that we can't afford to give up a certain sin, the reality is that we can't afford not to give it up. If you don't surrender your will to God and allow Him to give you the victory, you will exchange your soul for the things of this world. Trust me, you are not losing out on anything by giving up poker. In fact, you are actually gaining by giving it up. It is written...
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. ~ 1 Timothy 6:6-11 (NKJV)
The reality is in the past, any even now we seem to be pretty messed up based on God's word. We are both guilty of in the past playing poker, deceiving others, lying, stealing and coveting. The book I gave you a while back entitled Steps to Christ says this...
"The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature." [4]
When faced with God's truth, when faced with the perfect life of Jesus, we see just how much we need Him. Habits can be hard to break. We know that God's desire is for us to completely give up poker and gambling, and it may seem like a big request. But is it really too much to ask when compared with what Jesus gave for us? I invite you to turn to the book of Romans 8:12-14, it says...
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [5]
I have a mortgage. My entire house was already paid, every penny of it. I am simply in debt to the party who paid for my house. Therefore I have an obligation to pay that debt. Romans chapter 8 verse 12 says we have an obligation. Only this debt is not one of a financial nature. This debt is much deeper. It was paid not with American dollars but with something better, with the blood of God's only Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. [6]
Indeed there is no greater love than Jesus for us. He paid it all, by laying down His life for us. The death that we deserved was laid on Him. Therefore we have such a great obligation to live no longer for ourselves but for Christ.
Based on the amount of scripture we have considered it is clear that gambling and all forms of poker are evil and not in God's will for our lives. We have an obligation, let us take a stand for Him and forsake our past life. I invite you right now to ask God for help, for His forgiveness in this area and thank Him for His power to overcome. Ask Him to help you gain the victory in all areas of your life where you may be struggling with sin. I invite you pray to Him now and may God bless you as you choose to follow Him.
[1] Romans 13:14 (NKJV)
[2] Romans 12:21 (NKJV)
[3] Matthew 16:26 NKJV
[4] Steps to Christ, p. 44. E. G. White
[5] Romans 8:12-14 NIV
[6] John 15:13 NKJV

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Roulette Betting Tip: Two Variables That Will Make You Lose

Have you experienced before a consecutive losing at Roulette no matter how good a betting strategy is? If you have a winning betting strategy, the luck and your own betting behaviors are the 2 variables that will make you lose at the game.
You can't have good luck all the times. Bad luck is a constant variable that will hit a person from time to time. When bad luck hits you, you will lose at Roulette regardless of the best winning strategy implemented. So, players who want to win at the wheel should avoid playing the game when they found they don't have so "good" in luck. The question is how to detect the signal of bad luck?
There is no way to measure the luck, but you can easily detect the signal of good or bad luck. Regardless of the betting strategy used, when you are at good luck, you will win more that you lose; on the other hand, if you lose more that you win, you luck may not be so good at that time. Smart players will leave the game immediately when they found the good luck is not at their side. They will stay at the game when their roulette betting strategy works to beat the game until they hit two to three consecutive losses, takes the winnings and leave the games immediately.
Many players don't want to exit the game when bad luck hits them because they want to win back the money they have loss. Unless they are lucky, they will keep losing the money, more and more, until they give up because they have loss all their money. Many players believe they can win the game as long as they have a winning Roulette strategy. Unfortunately, there is no one Roulette strategy on the earth that will guarantee a winning. A good betting strategy is the one that will help you win more than you lose, making a net winning at the end of day. But, it does not guarantee you will walk away with winning all the times because Roulette by itself is a game of chance. The uncontrolled variable such as luck is an important factor that will determine the winning or the losing. You should be smart enough to decide when the strategy works and when it is not. Many Roulette betting strategy guides do require players to exit the game when a certain condition is met. One of them is when you hit a consecutive loss. So, if you have found a good betting strategy does not work out it should be. Most probably bad luck is the causing factor.
Another losing factor is the greedy behavior when they win and the panic behavior when they lose. Although we want to win as much money as possible, we have to know when to exit the game and take the winning. On the other hand, when you keep losing, don't become panic and keep increase the bet amount with the hope to win back the money you have loss, you will lose fast if you bet in this way. Knowing the right time to take loss and exit the game will prevent you from facing unrecoverable losses.
Summary
You have to count in the 2 important variables: the luck and the betting behavior when playing at Roulette. They are the two key factors that make players lose even though they have the best Roulette strategy. So, watch out these two variables. Good luck Roulette players!

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Tips to Gaining Knowledge About Great Sports Betting Strategies

Bookmakers make a living out of inexperienced online bettors. Having the best sports betting strategy that kick ass make these bookies cower, and wonder on their unfortunate fate of accepting your bets. Read through this article and be equipped with the best sports betting strategies that make bookies running.
If you are handicapped with insufficient knowledge about a certain game you are betting you money on, the best possible way of winning is by means of piggy-backing. This requires you relying on someone else's knowledge of the game, and trusting his betting strategies. It is a risk, but if you are observant enough, this strategy would work for your benefit.
Getting to know a betting expert would also be a good strategy that you can invest on. In trying to put your own betting strategies to play, it will certainly pass the trial and error stage. The amount of money you will lose or gain in this stage is very uncertain, so it is good to have someone who has been on the game and has the experience and winnings to prove it, to guide you as you try to polish your strategies and coming up with the perfect combination of your game plan.
Through your learning curve, you have to apply all the experiences you have gained in sports betting. The most important of which, is your knowledge of the game and the determining factors in making an intelligent decision on who to bet on. To succeed in betting, you need to know the game you are betting on. Having knowledge about the history and how the game is played helps in making accurate decisions. Another is by having information about the teams, the players' and team's statistics and standings, injuries, home court advantage, and the like.
It is not surprising that statistics show that online bettors suffer from a 90% losing percentage. Most of the people who bet do not really care about their money. It's their enjoyment of the sport of their choice that counts. But for people who want to earn money through online betting, they have to be equipped with the best sports betting system to beat the bookies. To develop a true profit from the online sports betting world, the investor has to do adequate research and take the initiative to make sure the chosen system is legit.

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When Should You Play on an Online Casino So That You Have the Best Chance of Winning

Believe it or not, sometimes you lose at online casino is because you have bad luck? I do, that's why I don't play when I feel my luck is not good. You may wonder how to detect when you have good luck or bad luck. And, when is the best time to play at online casino?
Let's me make it clear first, don't ever play at online casino without a strategy. If you play your favorite game solely depend on your luck, you will definitely be a loser and lose your hard-earned money to the casino because all games are designed to let casinos make profits. And, you may need a lot of good luck to win, but some bad luck may causes you lose all your money.
Ok, back to the question: when should you play at online casino so that you have the best chance of winning? The answer is: When you have good luck!
Provided you have applied a good betting strategy that has been proven to work for other players, the winning and losing will be affected by your luck at the time if you don't go greedy and bet wildly. So, if your luck is good and you bet with a winning strategy, then you will have very good chance to make winning from the game, else you may still win during a bad time if you bet with a winning strategy, but you will find it harder to make the winning.
Let's use an example to make you clear when the best time is and when is not to play at online casino:
Assumed I am applying Martingale Strategy on Roulette. As you know the Martingale Strategy requires players to double up their betting amount on every loss until they hit a winning turn. So, when I am in good luck, I will normally hit a win in 1 to 3 turns, but when I am in bad luck, it may take me 4 to 6 turns to win back all my losses plus a unit of winning chip. So, I will keep playing at online casino when I find it easily to win using my strategy, but I will take a leave when I find it hard to make winning even though I use the same strategy to bet on the game. I normally will immediately logoff from the online casino once I face the pre-determined losses and I will only go back to the casino on the next day. My many years of experience playing at online casino tell me that when my luck is bad on a day, then I will hardly find time with good luck for the whole day. Therefore, I don't stay at the casino if I find the outcomes of the game always against my bet area.
My rule of thumb is: If I lose little in the day with bad luck, it is easy to recover the losses on the next day, but if I make huge losses, then I might need to work extra hard to win back all my losses. Therefore, you should play at online casino when you find you have the best chance of winning with the best betting strategy plus some good luck to help you achieve your winning goal.

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Sports Betting - How Not to End Up Homeless

Can sports betting make you homeless? It sure can. Have you ever been to Las Vegas (usually in the downtown area) and seen some of the people who are obviously down on their luck? If you ever have a chance to talk to them you will find that many of them became homeless due to their gambling habits. Of course, we should all have a place in our hearts for them, but we should also learn from others mistakes. Here are a few tips to keep you from losing everything.
Use a Sports Betting Strategy
There is no perfect strategy when you are betting on sporting events, but you can certainly put the odds in your favor. For example: Think about major league baseball. Normally, a team plays 3 games in a row against another team on consecutive days. Statistically, only 10% of the time will one team be able to go 3-0 against the other team in this three game series. What that means is that if "Team A" loses the first game of the series, statistics show that they will come back and win at least one game of the remaining two in the series. The odds are even more in their favor if they're at least evenly matched with their opponent! That is just one simple use of statistics to determine outcomes, imagine if you used many statistical models like that on one game.
Statistics Can Not Be Overstated
Here is the definition of statistics. Statistics is the mathematics of the collection, organization, analysis and interpretation of numerical data. Casinos and major sports books all use statistical models. Casinos and major sports book all employ statisticians to keep the odds in their favor. If they did not work, Las Vegas would be an empty wasteland and the neighborhood bookie you just got this weeks football card from would be driving a used Pinto. You are not being realistic if you think statistical betting does not work.
I Bet You Will Fail Even If You Had a Great System
I say this because if you want to implement a sports betting strategy, you need to be emotionless. Good strategies do not work if you get emotional. My guess is that you, like 99% of everyone else that makes bets will get emotional. If you get emotional, you could find yourself pushing a shopping cart begging for a meal.  No one wants to be in that position.

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A Winning Sports Betting Strategy

The vast majority of the people who bet on sports don't have a strategy for winning. They depend entirely on luck for success or failure. In the long run that can achieve only one of the two. Failure, or losing.
For many the strategy involves finding a sure bet in the hopes of winning a lot of money quickly. Advertisements for betting system scams reinforce their mistaken belief in miracles, even if they never get suckered into buying them. Because sports betting has been promoted as a get rich quick scheme, many people will not believe it is possible to win any other way.
It is a simple matter to devise a winning sports betting strategy. The way you win in sports betting is to use the same principles the casinos use to beat the players. They have a built in mathematical edge in every game they offer. There is no way they can lose in the long run.
In sports betting, the house has very little control over the actual odds. The games depend on human action for the final result, not an inanimate object. Human beings hold no mathematical certainties. So the books offset the lack of control by charging you fee up front just to play. The vig.
This lack of control for the bookie is your opportunity to swing the long term advantage in your favor. It takes a win rate of 53% to offset the vig and be profitable. You get 50% with a coin flip, so all you really need is a slight advantage to win. A 55% win rate is achievable and will give you a 2% advantage over the house. That is enough to win them a lot of money, and it can win money for you if you play to that advantage.
There are a lot of ways to apply it, but there is only one winning sports betting strategy. Make sure that every bet you place has a greater than 53% probability of going your way. If you are not sure, don't bet. Unless luck is your real strategy.
The first step to winning is identifying the situations that give you a probability of winning that exceeds 53%. Find them, catalog them, and use them to shift the long term mathematical advantage in your favor. There is no other sports betting strategy that will allow you to win consistently.

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Sports Investing - Traditional Improvement

In many ways, sports betting is the wave of the future as far as investing is concerned.  Sad to say, people have lost faith in big-time stock market plans.  They would like something simple to work with that would, nonetheless, bring in a decent profit.  Sports betting fits the bill perfectly.  Not everyone can understand the impact of NASDAQ or what Dow Jones means for the economy, but most people understand sports.  More than that, sports betting companies combine a pastime with a working project, which means that people will actually enjoy what they do and not just the moneymaking side of it. 
Both the stock market and sports betting are subject to change, but the stock market can change, literally, at the drop of a hat.  An event that occurs half a world away could undo all of the work you have put into your future.  The profits from sports systems may be slower to arrive, but they are almost guaranteed checks every month.  When your family is counting on you or bills are beginning to build up, you can't afford to take a drastic risk.  Of course, not even sports betting is guaranteed to work, but your chances are significantly better with it than with traditional investing. 
Not many people can say that they are doing something that they love, or even that they like.  Most people do what they are good at, regardless of whether they would rather be doing something else.  You can bet that almost everyone who participates in sports betting is doing so because they either love sports or love the business.  Most people watch sports with no incentive whatsoever other than a love of the sport.  Sports takes that love and allows you to make a profit with it. 
The wonderful part about sports is that it doesn't really matter what your sport is, you can still make a profit.  NBA picks, expert NFL picks, MLB picks or NHL picks, whichever you prefer, you can still benefit from sports investing.  On top of that, with a sports betting system, most people can begin immediately, even if they know nothing about investing.  All it takes is a small sum to start and a willingness to do as your investment advisers recommend.  The hardest part is choosing the proper advisers. 

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