“Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.” (Proverbs 13:11)
Christians should not gamble, and poker is no exception. But even though many Christians will not gamble, or might play with chips, and never go to casinos, they might see no harm in it, it’s just a simple card game, after all. Right? When it comes to poker, it’s quite different, and dangerous.
Poker is not merely a game of math or strategy, it’s a game of deception. If you refuse to partake in the game of deception, you cannot win consistently in the game. Worse, there is a great danger to Christians who partake in this wicked game.
The game of poker does use some strategy and math, and nonverbal communication by reading people. But a truly honest, godly person cannot play poker, because the way to win a big hand of poker is to bluff and to deceive. Have you ever heard of a poker player that never bluffed? Of course not, because bluffing is necessary, or else people will know what you have and read you like a book. So you have to lie, lie nonverbally, or lie verbally. You have to play games and tricks.
But God is not a god of deception. God is not a god of tricks. God does not deceive us and try to manipulate us into doing what He wants us to do. No, God wants our true hearts and souls, and wants us to be genuine, true, and absolutely upright in every way.
The Satanic Lures Of Poker
If you play poker, you will come under several lures.
1 The first satanic lure of poker is to deceive to win. The only way for the game to be fair is if you lie and deceive and manipulate, because the other players are going to. If you don’t participate, you’ll be playing an unfair game.
“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” (Proverbs 12:22)
2 The second lure of poker and any gambling game is greed and covetousness. Greed for money. Most people lose when they gamble, and that means that the chances you will lose is high. You are throwing away the blessings God has given you, because you are greedy for a big payout. But most people lose at this game, and end up with less.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
(1 Timothy 6:9-10)
3 The third lure of poker is sorcery. It is common for gamblers and card players to tap into the spiritual world and begin seeking supernatural guidance to help them win. The higher the stakes, the bigger the temptation to consult the spirit world. While a Christian would consult God (who would not be listening), most poker players are not Christian, both because true Christians would not be found gambling (as they are led by the Holy Spirit and not by the lures of the flesh), and because most people are not Christian (although many claim to be).
“There shall not be found among you any one … that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. … For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
4 A fourth lure of poker is when people seek to gamble to gain money. It is the wicked tamptation to seek something for nothing in return. The Bible tells us that we are to work for increase. If we try to get a shortcut, it is against God’s natural order. It deprives others of their money so that you can profit off their misfortune. But the truth of the matter is that it will be you who will lose in the long run, not the others.
“Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.” (Proverbs 13:11)
5 And lastly but not least, when you lose in poker it causes temptation to sin. Either by foul speech, anger, malice, or, if a great deal of money is lost, in some cases it may inspire you to commit terrible sins against those who you perceive as ruining your life.
What’s more is that many people can be convinced to do things as a result of losing in poker that are harmful to them or immoral, much like the game of truth or dare. Strip poker is a thing because people can be manipulated with this game, and the manipulators know that when push comes to shove, the victim agreed to it, and when they lose, they are held to it. This causes immorality.
And in the same vein, fathers and husbands can often be persuaded to gamble away cars, homes, life savings, and family heirlooms, because they are already so deep that they don’t want to lose it, so they throw in more, only to lose it all.
Sorcery In Poker
The god gamblers seek when the stakes are high is not the true God of heaven, who is not listening to gamblers’ vain prayers anyway. Gamblers seek the esoteric, and often believe in “luck”, and will subtly consult the spiritual world looking for an answer. By trying to predict what the other player has, which can’t be done unless they are counting cards, they are really actually divining – that is, they are fortune telling to try to guess what the other person has. They are committing witchcraft, divination.
What is witchcraft or sorcery, exactly? Sorcery is any attempt to contact the spirit world, either directly or indirectly, to attain some advantage. That is, it is trying to bypass the physical world and gain some supernatural advantage. In this case, the lure of poker is divination, which is to seek some sort of supernatural wisdom to find secret knowledge to give you an advantage. Many poker players unwittingly contact demons, and suffer for it.
The stakes are unfair to a good person
In a casino or a professional setting, the average gambler is up against seasoned professionals, who are master deceivers and master manipulators seasoned in the art of deceit. It isn’t a fair game for good people who are just looking for a good time or a career. As a result, what happens is that poker corrupts.
Normal people have no chance against professional manipulators, which is what poker professionals are. Not only are good poker players excellent at pattern recognition and game strategy (as with any skill), but they are also experts at reading people and manipulating people, especially naive recreational gamblers and ordinary people. Therefore, the casual gambler becomes an easy mark to lose everything to those who are the best at taking for those who are less experienced. And take they do – sometimes even everything. The casual gambler in his arrogance and greed was deceived to think he would win big, but he is manipulated out of every last penny.
Therefore Satan loves poker, because it is a game of deception, a lure of greed, and an enticement for diviniation which is a form of sorcery, and because with it in mere moments a person can lose their money, their family, and their entire lives, all over something so significant as a simple game. And worse, it takes away the blessings that God has provided, and it denies the sovereignty of God in our lives.
And for those reasons, a Christian should never play poker, under any circumstances, and for any reason. Not even with chips, and not even just for fun. Just because something is fun doesn’t make it good. And in this case, it is wicked and downright dangerous for someone who wants to serve God.
Famous Christian quotes about gambling
So let me leave you with some quotes from famous Christian men of history.
“Gambling with cards or dice or stocks is all one thing. It’s getting money without giving an equivalent for it.” – Henry Ward Beecher
“Gambling is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief.” – George Washington
“Five Reasons Why Gambling is Wrong: Because it denies the reality of God’s sovereignty (by affirming the existence of luck or chance). Because it is built on irresponsible stewardship (tempting people to throw away their money). Because it erodes a biblical work ethic (by demeaning and displacing hard work as the proper means for one’s livelihood). Because it is driven by the sin of covetousness (tempting people to give in to their greed). Because it is built on the exploitation of others (often taking advantage of poor people who think they can gain instant wealth).” – John MacArthur
“The soldiers at the foot of the cross threw dice for my Savior’s garments. And I have never heard the rattling of dice but I have conjured up the dreadful scene of Christ on his cross, and gamblers at the foot of it, with their dice bespattered with his blood. I do not hesitate to say that of all sins, there is none that more surely damns men, and worse than that, makes them the devil’s helpers to damn others, than gambling.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
“By gambling we lose both our time and treasure, two things most precious to the life of man.” – Owen Feltham
In your article you gave this quote…
“Gambling with cards or dice or stocks is all one thing. It’s getting money without giving an equivalent for it.” – Henry Ward Beecher
The world we are living in is run by the most deviant and corrupt minds who gouge the consumer from milk to fuel… this environment is rife with deceivers and cheats. It is the honest average men and women who are gullible and robbed. It is truly a generation who wants something for nothing.
100% agree with you that ALL forms of cheating and dishonesty are immoral and wrong. If you read my doctrines page on Our Beliefs, you will find a section about the charging of interest, under the heading “Usury”. Likewise, I agree that price gouging for unnecessary purchases, like forcing the need to buy food from factories by restricting the freedom to grow and raise and hunt and fish your own food, is likewise usurous and forbidden. The wicked who do it are theives.
I especially loved
” It is common for gamblers and card players to tap into the spiritual world and begin seeking supernatural guidance to help them win.”
I only do this when I especially need it to happen. I’ll let you in on a secret. It’s not god I’m praying to.
Yes and when you are praying to Satan, there are terrible consequences. Even if the demons help (witchcraf), you will definitely be in a worse position in the long run. Their goal is to kill.
Biggest issue I have is Christians I know who say it’s just a card game no money involved. You put it quite good on #1. So no money is including to lie and deceive . I only know one family who plays and laughs about Poker 🙁 And I’ve had OCD about it cause I was taught it was a major sin. Yet since no money is involved the family keeps playing it. smh but they’d end up violated a commandment to play