Poker and the Christian

It's kind of funny, but I've been having a lot of discussions recently about whether Christians can play poker or if playing poker is a sin. I wrote about the theology of playing poker in an article that I wrote called "Poker and the Christian." My article has appears on many blogs and lists over the years.

In a nutshell, my position is that poker is a game of skill. The skill of calculating odds and reading your opponent. Because your playing against other opponents and not the house, you are eliminating the chance factor in the game.

Ever since writing about Christians and Poker, I've found a few of the underground Christian home games. Even at work, I've been able to participate in a few of our tournaments. By policy, my workplace can not advertise or allow us to use rooms to play poker. But there are a lot of us who love poker.

I have had pastor write me about their home games. I play people at my church and this year's World Series of Poker winner is a devout Christian - Jimmy Yang. If you have other thoughts about the "sin of poker" I'd love to hear from you. Write me at ang@mypalal.com.