Betting On Truth

CBN.com "I went all over the world for 32 years and cheated people everywhere -- gamblers, professional gamblers; it didnt matter who it was. I would win their money with a deck of cards."

Tommy Thomas was a man who knew how to beat the odds. As son of the legendary card hustling and golf-gambling Titanic Thompson, Tommy followed in his fathers footsteps.

"He loved to play 'hold um,' Texas hold them. He started the worlds hold um tournament in Los Vegas at Benny Vennys Horseshoe Club," says Tommy. "He was the host. He and Chill Wells hosted that game, and hes in the poker Hall of Fame out in Las Vegas. He gambled all over the world, all over the United States."

But Titanic Thompson wasnt much of a father.

"My dad left when I was 4 years old," Tommy explains. "When he left, I kept waiting to hear from my Dad. Over the years he never called. I never got a letter, but I kept reading stories about him in Life magazine, Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated. I read these stories about my dad as a young boy, and I would just fantasize about my dad really loving me some day and being a dad to me. I said, 'Well, maybe if I get good enough at gambling, my dad will really love me."

Tommy started out hustling cards at 16 years old in local Elks clubs. The easy money, $300 to $400 a night, was all the incentive Tommy needed to perfect his craft. In time he became a professional "card mechanic." The money kept rolling in.

"I had three Harleys. I had a Porsche, a BMW, and a Donzie speedboat. I had a lot of things. I would travel from poker game to poker game. Id live in motels, hotels. Thats all I did was travel around and gamble. Then I bought a nice home here in Bedford, and I was married for, like, 10 years and had a family. But I would still travel around and gamble. I actually became one of the best card mechanics, or card cheaters with a deck of cards, in the world."

But there was a lot of baggage with the success. Tommy had a daughter out of wedlock and three failed marriages. His personal life was a bust.

"My dad ran out on me, and I ran out on my daughter. Here was her dad, and he had all this money, and could do all these things, and this charisma and women liked him, and card tricks and all that. I would just be flashing through town in time to buy her a bicycle at Christmas, or toys or presents, but never any quality time," Tommy admits.

There were moments of regret.

"As the years went by, I would find excuses not to go play a lot of times. I just never liked cheating people."

But they faded with every winning hand.

"What are you going to do if you dont gamble? Are you going to go out and get a job? You never worked. You never graduated from college. Whats your resume going to say -- poker player, card cheater? Whos going to hire you?" Tommy told himself.

The time came when Tommy had to reckon with the choices hed made in life. With the death of his legendary father and then his mother, Tommy was very much alone in the world. One day, the emptiness of his life overwhelmed him.

"I woke up early in the morning, walked into the bathroom, and looked at myself in the mirror and really saw Tommy Thomas. I really took a good look at him, and I didnt like what I was looking at. I said, 'God, Ive been taking my whole life. I want to give something back. If I die, I want somebody to remember me for something good, not just cheating people and gambling and being good at that.' I fell down on my knees and I just cried and wept like a baby. I was a gambler, and I loved gambling and out partying and doing drugs and all kind of things, but I still cried out to God. God will hear a heartfelt cry."

Two weeks later, Tommy saw God working in his life. He didnt know it yet, but God was calling his hand. This woman, Margret Moberly, saw Tommy in a barber shop and started praying for him.

"In came this tall, distinguished gentleman, and God really zapped me with a burden," Margret recalls.

Within another two weeks, Margret sent a message to Tommy via their mutual hairdresser.

Tommy recites the message Margret sent him: "Gods got you on a short leash. The devils made a bet on your soul, and God has covered the bet."

"Thats poker talk," says Margret. "I had no idea he was a famous poker player. I just repeated what God had told me."

Tommy responded by asking Margret, "Where do you go the church? Ill be there.' It was Easter Sunday."

From that point on, everything in Tommys life dramatically changed. Was it easy? No. He could no longer gamble to make a living if he was going to follow Christ. There were times of great temptation, like when he stood to make $30,000 to $40,000 a night in a high stakes poker game. But he left that life to follow Jesus.

"I put a line in the sand, and I said, 'Im not stepping over it,'" Tommy explains.

Was Tommys transformation instantaneous? No. There were about seven years of deep struggle. During this time, he went to Bible school and started learning the Word of God.

"There was a heart change," he says. "My heart was to love and care about people, not take from them, so I wanted to help people. That became my life."

"When He gave his heart to Jesus, He gave it a 100 percent, just like he does everything 100 percent," says Margret. "He is on fire for the Lord. He is hungry and thirsty for Him. God opened doors for that man like you wouldnt believe because hes been obedient."

Today, Tommy travels all over Texas ministering in prisons and churches about the power of a living God that changes people. He works with gambling addicts and speaks out boldly against legalized gambling and its addictive nature. In Christ, Tommy found a father. Then he became a dad to Tanya, the daughter that hed abandoned.

"I was ministering in a church several years ago, and she came in had heard me preach the sermon. After the sermon -- it was about strongholds -- she was staying at the house with our grandkids, and I came back to the house and she said, 'Were leaving now, Dad. She said, 'I really love you.' The grandkids, they all drove off. I walked back in. There was an envelope on the kitchen table. I opened it up, and it said, 'Dad, I really believe in you and your ministry. Heres a check for $500,'" Tommy says with tears in his eyes.