The Bat Cave

Sorry to leave everyone hanging yesterday. I actually did end up staying to play poker but I decided not to blog because I wasn’t sure how long I was going to stay and play. Well, I ended up playing 3.5 hours of $8/$16 and winning +$255 and then they actually got a $15/$30 game off the ground and I played in that for another 6.5 hours and “won” +$103. I used quotation marks because what really happened is I collected my rakeback and subtracted it from my buy in amount. So technically I had a small losing $15/$30 session.

By about 4 PM, the $30/$60 players had arrived and there were 11 names on the list, but I took my name off since I wasn’t planning to play deep into the night (I ended up leaving around 9 PM) and I really don’t want to play a shortened session at my highest stakes. The game never started.

It’s a shame I didn’t blog my session yesterday because there were some classic hands. Here’s one I can remember:

Multiple limpers, I complete 94 of spades from the small blind, big blind checks. Flop is 943 with one spade. I lead, big blind raises, one of the limpers 3-bets, and I cap it. Three of us see the 9 pair on the turn, I bet and they both call. The river is irrelevant, I bet and they both call. Hand seems pretty standard and somewhat lucky for me until they turn over their hands: JJ and KK. Yes. I saw this flop for a fraction of a bet. Amazing.

I’m on call for the $15/$30 game start today. There are currently six names on the list, so I’m going to hop in the shower and head that way. The reason this is not a Marathon Monday session is because my wife flies back from Vegas tonight and will be home around 9 PM, which means my ass better be there to greet her. Or else.

12:54 PM: Okay, so I’m at Palace, eating breakfast. There are nine on the list for $15/$30 but it’s kind of a tough game start for the floors because a decent amount of the players are in $8/$16 right now and they don’t have a ton of backup. It’s close though.

Stays tuned.

1:17 PM: Cards are in the air, with the game starting 6-handed.

Starting lineup: Radio Mike, myself, SLIMER, a fellow Run It Up warrior that I recognize from Fortune, a total unknown, and Elmer.

Radio Mike and I have a $5 bet on when the game will be full. I took over on 25 minutes (1:42).

First clash: Radio Mike opens, I 3-bet black queens, he calls. Flop K72 with two hearts, he check-raises, I call. He bets 9h turn and I fold.

1:31 PM: 7-handed. 11 minutes to go!

1:56 PM: Ship that bet.

Open AA and only unknown big defends. Flop 97x two diamonds and he check-calls. Turn Kd, he donks, I raise (with Ad in my hand) and he calls. River blank and he check-calls with a flush.

I think checking back river here could be reasonable, but against a player I have zero history with, that didn’t 3-bet the turn, it seems a bit passive.

Tendencies noted.

Here’s another special hand from yesterday:

I open QQ and three of us see the Q73 flop. I bet, s1 calls, and the other two players fold. But when the last player folds, he thinks the hand is over, so he tosses his cards on mine (protected by an Overs button), picks them up with his, and folds all four cards. This was a pretty special feeling holding top set and knowing someone called me.

Fortunately, my hand was protected and I was able to retrieve my cards with no dispute but I would love to see how a floor would handle this a) as it happened and b) if my cards got mixed into the muck even though they were initially protected.

My set held up against someone that clearly had the case queen.

2:36 PM: Game is finally full.

Some hands:

Limpers, Radio Mike raises SB, I defend A8dd; he bets A87d, I raise and pick up two cold callers, Mike just calls; turn is Jd, an interesting card as it gives me a flush draw but also completes the best draw (T9), as well as improves AJ and JJ. I bet though and only Mike folds; river king and now I get raised. I snap call, but I probably should have thought about this for at least a few seconds. He shows K8. He’s kind of a green player and it seemed like the king improved him and I have all those hands beat, so I definitely cost myself $30 here.

Unknown opens, Elmer calls, I 3-bet AThh on the button and it gets capped. Flop J8x one heart, I overcall. Turn 9h – a beauty. I’m only about 30% to improve and I don’t have any real showdown value if I miss, so I just call even though this is a dream turn card. River brick and Elmer wakes up with a raise and shows T7cc.

3:25 PM: A perfect run out for Slimer. He opens UTG, I defend JTdd, the only caller. Flop is KTx two spades one club and my plan is to check-call down on most run outs, but the river is a ten and a third club and I think he might check back hands like QQ, JJ, and maybe a king, so I donk. He raises, I call and he shows AQ of clubs for a running flush.

4:20 PM: I open cutoff with 76dd, button and big blind call. Flop Q62ss, button is only caller and he raises me on 3s turn, I 3-bet and he calls. River Ace, I bet he calls.

Nothing too exciting… just the most critical pot I’ve played in the last hour.

Slimer is gone. Taz in the game.

4:49 PM: A guest hand. I saw this one go down, but since Radio Mike decided to text me a recap, I’ll copy and paste it:

“Just raised A3ss in ep, [player x] folds A6o exposed, three call, flop K74dd, I c-bet two call, turn 3d I bet one call. River Ac I bet and think to myself ‘please don’t call because I really don’t want to show this…’ and he calls. Nice pot though!”

5:22 PM: Momentum has been hard to come by today, mostly because I’ve been losing with top pair hands a lot. For instance:

I open AK, lots of callers, flop is KQ6, I bet and two call. Turn is a 7, I bet, Taz raises, and small blind 3-bets. I fold, Taz caps, and it goes check-call on river. Taz tables 76 suited and the small blind has KQ.

Most of my top pair losers have been of the one bet on turn and river, have to call down variety though.

5:34 PM: What was I saying about momentum?

Monster Pot Alert: lots of limps, Radio Mike raises, I 3-bet AQo on button, Taz caps small blind and it’s six ways for a cap to Q86, two diamonds. Taz checks flop, someone donks and there’s calls in front of me, I raise, Taz cold calls, the flop bettor 3-bets, and I cap.

Five of us remain on turn when board pairs with an 8. Taz starts the action by folding. Yup. That happened. The flop 3-bettor still bets and three of us call.

River is a 9 and everybody checks to me. Hard to believe I don’t have the best hand here, so I put a bet out and get called by KQ.

6:25 PM: The Torch just sat in the game and posted $15 under the gun because that’s what people do.

6:31 PM: The Joker gets to sit down with immediate position on me because I once again have the fortunate problem of having too many chips to move. Also, I’m leaving in an hour or two.

7:23 PM: Big, multiway raised pot. I defend 22 in the big. Flop is T72 with two clubs. PFR bets, everybody calls, I check-raise, he 3-bets and everyone else folds. I flat. Turn 9c, I go for a check-raise and he checks back. Well, that’s annoying. I considered leading because a club hit but I really didn’t think he’d slow down. No matter. River queen. I’ll check-raise now. He bets and calls and I’m good.

8:38 PM: So after my wife landed at SeaTac and I started racking up my chips, she hit me with the “you don’t have to come home” text and I called bullshit on that and left. I figured I at least owed her the courtesy of not having look at my open and unpacked suitcase on the living room floor when she walked in the door.

Well, it ended up being a pretty good session. After I won that monster pot with AQ, I sort of cruised from there, winning a lot of good-sized pots.

Final score: +$1690