The Bat Cave

5:00 PM: This is happening.

I really didn’t think it would. Like no shot. I think we got lucky. A very non-regular player that prefers higher limits happened to come in – I’m not sure if he knew about the game – and called two of his friends to come join him.

When I showed up at 4 for the game start there were two of us here. The floor was willing to sit in but the other player was sitting down with $500. No thanks. So I waited, expecting to play $8/$16 only today.

And now we have an 8-handed $30/$60 game – and only one of the players sat down super short ($500ish).

Starting the game with me are The Human Torch (the short buy) and blog regular Peter!

5:50 PM: I sat down with $3000 which everyone seemed to think was way too much (but actually less big bets than I sit with at $20/$40) and then one of the players lost $2000 in less than 30 minutes and it didn’t look so absurd.

Only interesting hand so far, Torch open-limps cutoff, I raise AQ SB, BB 3-bets, we both call.

Flop AJ3 with two spades. I check-raise both of them with Ace of spades in my hand. BB just flats which makes me really like my hand. Torch calls.

Turn Q of spades. I bet my top two and only the BB calls.

River is 8 of spades, giving me the nuts. I bet and BB reluctantly folds what he later says was AKhh.

Good start so far. No hiccups. Torch is gone already. Currently 8-handed with no list.

6:24 PM: First hiccup: UTG opens, three players cold call, I 3-bet QQ on the button. One of the blinds calls and six of us see the flop for $90 each.

Flop comes down JT3 with two diamonds. Checks to a middle position player and he leads out, one call, I raise, and two early players cold call, as do the two with money in already.

Five of us see the Ace of hearts. I’m pretty happy to see everyone check to me. Even though this pot is massive, I think checking is way better than bet-calling or *gasp* bet-folding. I check.

The river is a blank and both early players check. The flop bettor bets and the other player folds. I’m very happy about this river action, so I call. The other two fold and I lose to a set of Tens.

7:25: Brutal hand with KK. Couple players limp, I raise, and it’s 5-ways to flop.

932 with two spades. They check, I bet, two call.

Turn Jack. SB checks, BB donks, I raise, they both call.

River J. BB donks again. Pretty obvious he has Jack with a spade draw but I can’t fold. I call. Other player folds 32 of hearts face up and I lose to KJ of spades. Wow. How thin am I drawing?

10 PM: Game is still going. We are 8-handed now. I haven’t had much to blog about because I’ve been really card dead, but aside from the KK and QQ hands above I’ve won most of my confrontations and I’m up about $1200 five hours into this game.

10:40 PM: I came back from that last break and posted with AK and got there bets in four ways before turning trips and winning a decent pot.

But the real reason for this update is I just saw a player flop a set of Kings (against me), then turn a set of Kings the next hand, and then two hands later flop a set of nines (also against me). And now he’s racking up and claiming to be done. 😢

That’s how I thought this game would start and end today… short-handed with multiple short buys and the only player really risking anything would be me. I’m happy to see that it has thrived but half these players are non-regs, which has been great for tonight but doesn’t bode well for this game’s long term success.

11:40 PM: Down to 6-handed. Peter is basically winning all the pots. Take a look:

<<<<<<<<<<
tacks of green the same size behind all the red.

I thought I was on a collision course to even or slightly stuck by the time this game broke, but then it folded to me on the button and I looked down at 99. I raised and both blinds defended.

The small blind check-raised me on the J96 flop and I just called so I could get two big bets on the turn.

The turn is an 8, which is really bad. Not just because it completes QT, the most obvious straight draw, but also because any 7 or T on the river can easily beat me or kill my action. I stick with my plan and raise it. He calls.

River pairs the board and I get one more big bet and a little cushion as the game is dwindling down.

6-handed with one player sitting out. Maybe indefinitely. No one left in the game is particularly short so might still have some legs.

12:05 AM: And now I am stuck. I open AK and four of us see the flop.

It comes down K86 with two hearts. I bet, next player (who can be wide) raises, and both other players cold call, including one player I know to be solid. I 3-bet, the initial folds (lol), and the other two call.

Turn is a 3 of clubs. I bet they call.

River is a Queen and I plan to bet-call. First player folds and the solid player says “respect you” before check-calling with K6 of diamonds and winning the pot. Blah.

Time for the game to break!

12:48 AM: Game still going 4-handed with two other players possibly on money runs. I won’t be posting regular updates anymore but I will make a wrap up post when the game breaks and I get home.

4:40 AM: Just got home. Game was actually still going when I left, but we were playing with six or less people for HOURS. I ended up a little over $2300 thanks to a 5-hand stretch where I won every pot, including flopping a set of 8s and rivering a boat in a pot that was capped pre four ways. Other than that, my night was pretty unspectacular, but the pots in this game add up pretty quick and that five hand flurry made my night pretty good overall.

I don’t have a lot of hope for this game being a regular thing. It was lucky to go tonight and without multiple randoms that happen to have deep pockets wandering in, it wouldn’t have. This is definitely the kind of game that needs outside blood to keep it going.

Still, it’s pretty cool that this game has been running for twelve hours and even cooler that I had a solid session. It would suck to have the game run once and lose a couple thousand, which would be very easy to do.