The Bat Cave

It’s a modern miracle!

At 10:15 this morning, I woke up to the Bat Signal:

“How are you not in this game?”

15/30 is still going from last night… with at least two players that are still there from when I left last night.

I’m about to hop in the showers and be in action by 11.

Ready for a huge day! Let’s get one!

11:19 AM: Oh, it’s so beautiful. I left at 2 AM last night and there are four people still here!

Current lineup: Mr. Plow, Little Creek floor, massive fish, new guy that was here when I left and looks strung out, Part-Time, another new guy that was here when I left, Fleabag, and a non-reg that plays some big bet games. Mr. Plow and Flea also still here from last night.

8 of 9 players have 25/50 Over buttons.

It’s like a dream come true.

11:22 AM: Huge credit has to be given to The Man here. Palace had one open table when he started this game last night. It was a super sketchy start. I didn’t have much faith in it. We started 4-handed and I didn’t think one of the players was going to play. Meanwhile, there were like 12+ names on the 4/8 list. From a business standpoint, starting a 4/8 game is a total no brainer. So I really, really appreciate the sacrifice. He knows I’ve been frustrated lately and he 100% made this play to keep Joker and myself happy.

The game was never super strong last night, even when it was full, but here it is Saturday before noon and it’s still going. I guess they played 4-handed for hours and hours… and now it is full again, with a chance to go all day long.

Just goes to show that having a thriving 15/30 game is all about getting the cards in the air. We started with a flimsy 4-handed game 18 hours ago and it’s still going strong!

11:30 AM: Last night was another bad session for me. Playing short-handed and losing every time you have AK and AQ doesn’t help your bottom line very much.

Some major highlights:

5-handed, UTG opens, Joker cold calls, button calls, I 3-bet with JJ from SB, Rosanne calls from the big and everyone else calls also.

Flop is KJ2 with one diamond. I bet and they all call.

Turn is the 8 of diamonds. I bet and it’s three or four of us to the river.

River is the 7 of diamonds. I think briefly before firing a bet. I realize one of the more common drawing hands (T9) got there and backdoor diamonds are somewhat of a concern. The king of diamonds was on the flop and I have the jack of diamonds, so some of the best suited hands are blocked, but hands like AQdd, ATdd, QTdd, T9dd, A2dd, and Q9dd are all hands that make sense getting to the river.

I think my hand is too strong to check here though, so I bet, Rosanne raises and Joker calls $60 cold.

I hate it, but pot is massive, so I call and Rosanne tables 77 for a rivered set… that’s a good start… but Joker calling down and calling a raise on the river looks like a draw that got there so I wait him out… and he tables 43 of diamonds.

Just. Wow.

Another fun one: I straddle on the button and it’s 4-bets back to me with AQ, one of the blinds caps it and there are at least 20 bets in the middle heading to the Q83, two hearts, one diamond flop. It gets capped again and I put in none of the action. I’m just holding on for dear life.

Turn pairs the queen though and now I like my hand a lot. The blind driving the preflop and flop action slows down and checks, another player driving the action on the flop bets the turn, Santa Claus raises after doing nothing but call on the flop, and now I LOVE my hand – I 3-bet. The player in the blind reluctantly folds what was probably KK, the turn bettor calls, and Santa calls also. There are heart and diamond draws I’m looking to fade, and I’m slightly worried the turn bettor has 88 after helping cap flop and sticking around here.

River is the ten of diamonds. They both check to me. I bet and get check-raised by the guy going crazy preflop and on the flop.

This is the final board: Qh8d3h-Qd-Td.

This is the hand I lose to: 4d2d.

He was driving the action on the flop.

It was all pretty bad, but those were the two best ones. At the end of the day I was looking at -$868 in 15/30 and +$187 from 8/16.

11:48 AM: And it’s like yesterday never ended. Two idiots limp, I raise AA on the button, and four of us see the flop.

We are in Overs.

Idiot 1 donks on K95, Idiot 2 raises, and I 3-bet. They both call.

Turn is a 6 and now Idiot 2 check-raises me with Idiot 1 still hanging around.

River is a ten and both of us pay off Idiot 2’s 96 suited.

No justice. All pain.

Going to need to focus on deep breathing and medding today. You know you have a lot of accumulated tilt when you are showing your emotions 30 minutes into a session.

Get it together, DK.

12:15 PM: Some justice:

Flea gonna Flea. Limpers, he pops it on button, I defend with QT and it’s multiway to the flop.

KJ9 with two spades. Ding ding ding! I donk. I know Flea will bet, but I also know he will get into a leveling war with me even though there are ten other players in the pot with us. I can check-raise him here, but then the other players have to call two bets cold. I’d rather collect the flop bets from the other players before making it 3-bets when Flea inevitably raises me because he seriously can’t help himself – he is the king of jamming the flop with little or no equity. So I bet and that’s exactly what happens.

Three of us to the 8 of spades on the turn. Not my favorite card, but I do have the ten of spades as minor back up. I bet, middle player calls, and Flea folds.

River is a 7. I bet and I’m good vs JT.

Flea opens, I 3-bet A6ss, and Part-Time calls from big.

I bet A64 all heart flop and Flea calls.

Turn is a T and now he check-raises me. I call.

River king. He bets, I call and I’m good vs KhJ.

A somewhat reasonable line from Flea but God bless his soul.

12:49 PM: This is what my dreams are made of… someone messages me on Facebook:

“Where is this Palace place and is there a seat open right now? I’m at Fortune.”

Yes. More of that please.

1:21 PM: AK-AQ curse still alive and well. Cutoff opens, I 3 with AK on button. Flop K83. Pretty tough board to win with AK heads up. Take it A6 of clubs.

1:44 PM: Flea gonna Flea. Tight-solid players raises, he calls. Others are in the pot also.

Flop is QT8, two spades, one diamond. I didn’t see the action.

Turn is J of diamonds. Tight-solid player bets into two opponents. I think he has AK here, like, always. Flea raises. Part-Time cold calls. Tight-solid 3-bets. No surprise there. Flea caps! Part-Time folds.

River 6 of diamonds. Tight-solid is apparently unaware of the levels of spew Flea is capable of and decides to check-call AK of spades here. Flea tables J9.

Totally clueless.

More Palace fun: 6-way limped pot and the flop is AQ3 all spades. It checks to Part-Time and he folds, seat five checks, Flea folds, s7 folds. We just went from 6-handed on the flop to 3-handed on the turn without a bet going in.

That is all.

2:19 PM: Damn. After at least 15 straight hours of playing and no sleep, Flea felts, says goodbye to everyone and then spends 15 minutes at the cage trying to get money.

It’s a no go.

Have a nice day, good buddy. Drive safe.

Suddenly we are 7-handed, but at least everyone has a decent amount of chips.

Also, a new player I’ve never seen play bigger than 4/8 just sat down with at least $1500. That can’t be bad for the game.

2:30 PM: I feel like I should mention something good happening so… aces held up heads up vs QQ.

2:44 PM: Sigh. What a joke. Game just went from 7-handed to 0-handed in five minutes.

So lame. On the list for 1/3 NL now.

+$110 in 15/30.

3:58 PM: 1/3 is super lame. Most of these pots are heading to flops with $12 in them.Muckleshoot just started a 20/40 O8 game. I’m on the fence… I’m tired… I’m annoyed… I might just go home… but I also know I won’t be playing Sunday, Monday or Tuesday so it’s hard to just toss an entire Saturday aside.

But sour mood plus tired is not a very good recipe for poker success so I probably will just go home.

4:25 PM: Confirmed done for the day. I’m definitely experiencing some burnout. After a miserable WSOP, the games in Lakewood are no longer reliable and I’ve run poorly when they have gone. I’ve basically been bleeding out since May and it’s a bit depressing. This is why people that play poker for a living never recommend this career path to anyone else. These stretches can be brutal and really ware on you. My motivation is seriously lacking right now. I want to go to Palace and play 15/30 and if that doesn’t happen, I just feel like sulking. It’s pretty gross.