The Bat Cave

Someone asked me yesterday, “do you even blog anymore?”

Yes. Yes I do. But I was losing every time I blogged lately so I was cutting back for a bit. I’ll be more active again, starting tonight.

Because it’s not like not blogging worked out great for me. Here are last week’s results:

• Sunday: +$18
• Tuesday: -$74
• Wednesday: -$1500
• Thursday: -$249
• Friday: -$132
• Saturday: -$1024

Pretty cool week that turned what was looking to be a pretty good month into a mediocre one. And with three days and three sessions left in the month – and one big bet game – things can still change quite a bit.

At 6 PM, it is just me, The Man, and Part-Time sitting with chips in front of us and…

…we are dealing.

This is going to make blogging pretty difficult until we pick up some more players.

6:19 PM: Preflop stickiness is working out for me so far. I’ve 3-bet three times and got zero folds until I barreled postflop.

A good, higher stakes reg just sat down to my immediate left. That’s not cool. Hit&Run just walked in and doesn’t seem too interested in playing short-handed or with the current lineup.

Defend AT75 with hearts for $15 and three of us see flop. It’s A86 rainbow and it checks around. The turn is a 3 and The Man leads out for $40. I have decent straight draws and top pair and with a rainbow on board I’m not vulnerable to flushes not be river. I decide to make it $140 and Part-Time folds. The Man calls and we both check on the river when it pairs the 8. My AT is good.

6:33 PM: I open $15 with AAK8 with hearts, button calls, Part-Time calls, and The Man makes it $75 from the big. I pot to $255 and only The Man calls. He has like $600 behind, so there are some boards I don’t want to play for stacks on but the 963 rainbow is pretty safe vs his range. I bet $300 and he folds.

That’s a max bet on the flop and maybe that’s bad, but it is a little less than 60% of the pot. But I wonder… my hand is a bit face up and when I max bet on flop, I pretty much limit his continuing range to hands that have me beat or very strong draws. It is kind of a weird spot since he has a bit more than a pot-sized bet left. It seems unlikely I can milk him here and I don’t want to walk him into a winner in a pot that’s already large.

6:43 PM: Some new developments since my last post… we got a new puppy. His name is Albus… but he also goes by Big Al, Albie, Albert, The Wizard, Wiz, Dumbledore, Dumblydore, and Dumbo!

And here is how Hammy feels about his new brother:

On Sunday we went whitewater rafting on the Tieton River with a group of friends and family. We did this same river in late September of 2016 and it was amazing. I don’t know what made it different this time, but the river was much tamer. In 2016, it was basically all whitewater with many moments of excitement and this past trip had lots of floating time and only a few good rapids.

Some pre-rafting pics:

7:31 PM: A random walks in! Hit&Run takes a seat! Another player sits down! We are 7-handed now and I’m pretty sure one of them has ZERO clue.

And John Kim makes us 8-handed! I’m going to play PLO for longer than two hours tonight. Yay!

7:40 PM: And my read is correct… player I thought had no clue 3-bets with KQQ6 one suit, calls off a pot-sized 4-bet and gets stacked in his first orbit after flopping a bad flush draw vs AAxx. I’ve seen him get deep in 15/30 but he sat with $300 here and reloaded for another $300.

7:55 PM: Game is now full. I have to admit I did not see that coming when we were still playing 4-handed thirty minutes ago.

I would say three players in this game are absolutely dead money and it will be a race to get it because it will go fast.

8:38 PM: Ever since the game filled up, I’ve had few playable hands and zero interesting spots.

I brought back an oldie today: I took a cold shower. Once upon a time, I decided to take the 30-day Cold Shower Challenge. I thought I blogged the experience but I can’t find it while searching on my phone (maybe those of you on a PC will have better luck?). I didn’t complete it. I think I got about 30-40% of the way through and convinced myself it wasn’t worth it.

Why do this, you ask? I can’t remember. Google it and there are all sorts of benefits that can happen.

I’m doing this again purely for the challenge of it. I want to finish it. Because I’m a sicko. Because nothing wakes me up like a splash of cold water in my face.

Day #1 complete. Before jumping in the water, I stood there for about two minutes like am I really going to do this? Am I doing this? Finally I mustered up the courage and hopped in. It wasn’t as bad as I remembered it. But really that first shower is spent mostly soaping and shampooing while the cold water hits your calves and rinsing off as quickly as possible.

I’m looking forward to seeing this through and when I get a chance I’ll look up the benefits again myself.

8:53 PM: I knew if I got sidetracked there would be action.

First, two of the dead money players get it all in on the turn vs the higher stakes guy and they both felt to him. Yippee. On the bright side, they both reloaded (though Hit&Run felted again as I was typing this).

Then, I open KK44 double suited and get lots of callers.

Flop is KQ9 rainbow and I decide to check and see what happens. One of the dead players bets $100, which is close to pot-sized, and I’m the only caller.

Turn pairs the queen and I go ahead check it because I don’t think this guy has any clue. He bets $100. That’s a bit disappointing and now I feel like I have to size down on my check-raise and only make it $250 to go. He snaps.

River is another queen. Sigh. That’s not a bad card because I’m worried about quads; it’s a bad card because I think this dingbat was going to call $300 on the river with JT. I bet $100 and he calls.

Very next hand I open with QJT9 with spades and get multiple callers again.

Flop is T83 with two spades. We have a pair. We have a wrap. We have a flush draw. Yum yum. I bet $60 and it folds to The Man in the small blind and he check-raises to $215, leaving himself with just over $300 behind. With no one else in, this is a great spot to get it in and play for stacks so I make it $515 and…

…he folds.

What. I decide to show and he says he had a set of 8s.

🤯

9:14 PM: Open-limo AJT4 double suited, there’s another limp and the good player makes it $15, and seven of us see the flop.

Flop brings the Q82 with two hearts. I have the nut flush draw and a gut shot and lead out for $60. Only the solid player calls me.

Turn is a black king. I have no idea what to do here against this player. I have a massive draw now. I also have the ace and jack of hearts and the queen of hearts is on board. He probably doesn’t have a flush draw and there weren’t many good straight draws on the flop… maybe a hand like JT9x with the T9 of hearts? Also, we are both deep. I don’t want to pot it and face a $300 raise and totally telegraph my hand by calling. But then check-calling feels pretty face up also. I dunno. I guess it might be best to barrel and put more money in the pot with a hand that makes the nuts on the river a lot… plus he can fold if I bet. He can’t fold if I check.

So I check. He checks back?

Huh.

River is a 2, pairing the board. I don’t have enough history with this dude for him think I will play a set this way, so if I bet river he’s going to think it’s a bluff. Always.

I give up and he bets $60 and I fold.

>Someone educate me here.

9:44 PM: Pot of the night alert:

I open with AKQ5 double suited and people call me.

Flop is KQJ with one of both of my suits on board and it checks around.

The turn is the ten of clubs. Now I have the nuts, top two pair, and the second nut flush draw. Part-Time leads out for $50, the next guy calls and I feel like I should want more money to go in this pot. I make it $250 to go. That clears the field. Part-Time makes it $550 to go and the other guy goes all in for just over $600. Okay, maybe I didn’t want more money to go in. It’s obvious that Part-Time has the nut flush draw with his straight… but I’m committed to seeing the river so I call and…

…it’s a king! I have the nuts. What a luck box. Part-Time checks, I bet $300 (dumb) and he folds. I should just size down and make sure he puts more money in the pot. If I bet $100 it’s brutal to fold there.

Bad raise? Great result! $1800+ pot my way.

10:55 PM: Playing 5-handed now and I open to $15 with AJK one suit. Yeah. I didn’t look at my fourth card. I’ve seen enough. Two players call.

Flop is T74 rainbow. Checks to me and since I have zilch with my three cards I look at the last one: AAKJ. Pretty solid. I decide to bet $20 and they both call.

Turn seems great: it’s a queen. Now I have aces with a broadway wrap. I bet $80 and button pots it to $345. That’s unfortunate. Other guy folds and she has maybe $300 left. I call.

River pairs the 4 which could be good and I feel optimistic when she bets $125 instead of her remaining chips. That gets her QQxx paid off.

11:24 PM: Random dude I’ve never seen sits down with $500. This always makes me happy.

11:43 PM: Button limps, SB makes it $10, I call with an ugly T993 one suit. Not sure what I’m doing here.

3-ways to the KK2 two diamond flop. SB leads $25 and I decide to make it $65. This is a pure bluff. It is swiftly interrupted when the button calls. SB folds.

Turn is the Ace of diamonds. I now have a flush and I’m pretty sure my opponent has a king. I check and he bets $90. I call, planning to re-evaluate on the river.

The river is some card. I check and he checks back.

We good!

12:08 AM: Good lord. Raised pot 5-ways. I have 9876 on 865 with two spades. Someone leads $50, I make it $150, loose terrible player calls, so does flop bettor.

Turn is 2d giving me a flush draw. I bet $300 and loose terrible player is my only action.

River is ace of spades. I check and he bets $300. Pretty comical. Notice how if he has a flush he put in $450 drawing to a non-nut flush. Of course, he’s plenty capable of doing exactly that. I have the 6 of spades in my hand, which isn’t a huge blocker, but it does block some of his pair plus straight draw/flush draw type hands. This dude is a loose cannon. I should probably fold. He can have all the flushes, even the shitty ones.

Would he bluff non-flushes here? I think he’s capable.

I ended up calling and hating it. He shows me a ultra disgusting TT73 with spades.

Lord have mercy.

I’m kind of ready to go home but this super torcher has over $3k in front of him now. He’s one of the players I said was drawing dead earlier. He still is… if this game keeps going.

1:31 AM: Well, the game broke and dude escaped with over $3000. Pretty sick.

I was up around $2700 at one point but had to settle for a +$1650 and I can’t be mad about that.