The Bat Cave

1/3/5 PLO action starting in 13 minutes!

5:49 PM: Currently 12 names on the list. I see four players here right now, but one of them is The Man and he’s still working. The Riddler is on the list and he’s confirmed not playing – at least to start the game. I recognize three of the other six names and none of them are present.

Looks like a slow start.

5:57 PM: I spent Sunday and Monday at Safeco watching the Mariners fight for their playoff lives against the Dodgers and Astros.

The game against the Dodgers was dead on arrival, when the Mariners pitted Roenis Elias – fresh off four rehab starts in which he never made it through two innings – against Clayton Kershaw, the best starting pitcher of the past decade. The Dodgers clobbered Elias in the 1st and never recovered, losing 12-1 and putting position players on the mound. On the bright side, I got to watch an all-time great (Kershaw) do his thing and then Zac Rosscup came in for the 9th and pitched an immaculate inning.

An immaculate inning is when a pitcher throws nine pitches, all strikes, and strikes out the side. They are less common than a no hitter and yet I saw Kenley Jansen throw one last May at Dodger Stadium. Less than 100 immaculate innings in MLB history and I’ve seen two of them. Pretty cool!

Monday was a much better game. The M’s were playing catch up after a 3-run 3rd that saw them trailing 4-1, but it was tied after six innings and then Robinson Cano hit a super clutch 3-run bomb in the bottom of the 8th to break the tie and Edwin Diaz did his thing in the 9th to close out the win. Very exciting!

I popped into Palace after the game on Monday but I was 4th up for 8/16 so I sat in a 4/8 game and there was a younger guy I’ve never seen before talking shit to everyone and acting like a hot shot. It’s one thing to be arrogant, but it’s something else to belittle every person at the table.

I wasn’t having it. Do I want my 8/16 seat? No, no I do not. Recycle me. I have a mission to complete.

When I decided I wanted to ruin this guy’s night he had about $400 in front of him. I eventually moved to his direct left and I had to reload another $300, but I was playing some serious target poker, 3-betting him with garbage and raising him on the flop with any piece of the board. One time I had bottom pair and he had a set and someone else did too. It was beautiful.

He felted the $400 and bought another $200, but he left the game after I 3-bet him with 85hh and barreled off on the K4358 runout.

I won another hand after that and cashed out +$18. I was pretty pleased with myself. I just hope he didn’t get in a car accident on his way home.

6:36 PM: Key hands while I was typing that:

One limper, I make it $20 on the button with a raggedy QQ63 one suit. The man calls from the small, Part-Time calls from the big and the limper calls.

Flop is K54 rainbow and it checks to me. I have a bad straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. Seems like checking is okay.

Turn is the queen of spades. The Man leads out for what looked like pot and the limper goes all in for $222. I have the second nuts and a bad straight draw. It’s definitely enough to get it in here. I max raise to $522, leaving myself with dollars behind. The Man folds and we agree to run it twice.

He has 8763 and a flush draw.

We both make a six high straight on the first board but I make a full house on the second one to get 3/4 of the pot.

New player opens to $10, one caller, I make it $45 with AAKJ one suit and only the opener calls.

Flop is KQ6 with two clubs and we get it all in for his stack. I have the nut flush draw.

We run it twice and I make the nut flush on the first board and he makes a straight with JT99 on the second board. We split that one.

I complete the big blind with 88xx in my hand.

Flop is A84 rainbow and I bet $15 into $20 and get two calls.

Turn is a 7 and completes the rainbow. I decide to check and see what they do. The first one bets $25 and the other player calls. They both have less than $200 behind and I’m not sensing strength. $25 is a pretty weak bet into a $75 pot. I make it $150 and they both go all in!

We run it once and the river is a 4. I snap roll my hand and one of them says, “wow I got lucky” and rolls A44x and the other guy flashes 77.

Wth.

After that flurry of events, I am down about $120.

6:55 PM: We have picked up three players and are now 7-handed.

7:20 PM: Call a $15 raise with AQJ3 one suit and it’s five of us to the flop.

Flop is AK8 and it checks around.

Turn is a jack and the PFR leads a weak-ish $30. I decide to call.

River is an ace, giving me the second nuts and he bets $100. He only has like $125 behind… I have the second best hand possible… it would seem silly not to raise… however, I was sort of leaning towards calling. But I kept coming back to the flop check and I just thought it would be too absurd to check the flop with AK against four opponents. It just made no sense. I put him all in and he snap rolls AK before calling. Lol.

Running pretty good tonight. 👍🏻

8:10 PM: We have a full game. Well, sort of. The Man is having a rough time, giving all his chips to Part-Time for some reason. That sucks because Part-Time could leave any minute… with the $2k+ that’s in front of him right now.

There are now four Palace staff members in the game.

8:44 PM: Another nice connection: call a raise multiway with AQT9 on the button.

It’s like 5- or 6-ways to KQJ and the PFR bets $30, the next player calls, and I make it $125. The small blind jams for $149 and the other two players fold. We run it once. He makes a running flush with KKxx.

I’ve folded 7655 on Q66x (vs QQ) and K876ss on KKJss4 (vs JJ) so I’m playing pretty well but the run bad is pretty real tonight.

I’m about -$555.

9:13 PM: Okay. Frustration is building. I just lost a pot when I should have folded the flop. That’s more annoying than losing the pots I’m supposed to win.

I’m -$800 now.

I just moved to the left of someone that came in drunk. He just felted $600+ in the five minutes I was clearing my head outside.

9:21 PM: Eh. Part-Time left with all the chips. The drunk guy felted, rebought $500, and decided not to play.

I reloaded and s1 has a lot of chips, but the other remaining players have an average stack of like $400.

10:00 PM: Obviously. I open AKQJ with one suit. One caller.

Flop J52 with two diamonds. I bet $15 and my opponent makes it $45. I have KQ of diamonds, so second nut flush draw. This is a pretty good flop for me but it’s also pretty easy to be dominated. Certainly the nut flush draw is a decent part of his raising range. But I’m stuck $1000 and looking to play a big pot and make it $175 to go. He tanks for a while and calls.

Turn 4. I bet $300 and he puts me all in for $450-ish total. I call.

We agree to run it twice.

He shows me AJ33 with nut diamonds and I just fold my hand and walk out the door.

GG.

-$1500