The Bat Cave

12.5k to start with 100/200 betting limits.

Yesterday sucked. I woke up at 4 AM to catch an 8 AM flight and I was in the $350 limit Hold’em at Commerce by 1:22 PM.

I never had any momentum and I think my stack peaked around 15k (from 12.5k starting). I managed to expertly bust out on the last hand before registration closed (for the second time this series in four events) to ensure that I got minimum value out of my second bullet.

I had 13.5k with blinds at 1000/1500 when I picked up KK under the gun. I jacked it up and got callers from the button and the big blind.

The flop was a very sexy KJ4 rainbow. I bet and only the button called.

The turn was a 9 and the button called again.

I’m not sure why, but when the button called on the turn, I had a bad feeling. Maybe there was a change in the way he put his chips in the pot or in his appearance that my subconscious was picking up on. Maybe it was just a case of MUBS (Monsters Under the Bed Syndrome).

Whatever it was, it was strong enough that I was seriously considering checking when the river bricked off. I had two big bets left. If I check-called and lost I’d still be in the tournament (albeit with one big bet left), but if I bet and called with the worst hand, I’d be out. But then I thought about how ridiculous it would be if I check and called with top set and it was good or if it checked around when I desperately need chips. It’s not like there was a front door flush draw this guy could bluff with and I can’t remember if the turn badugi’d or not.

So I bet. And then I called. And then I walked my ass right out of the casino and checked into my AirBnB where I was asleep for the night by 10:30 PM – one of the 4-5 times a year I fall asleep before midnight.

Oh. Yeah. He had QT for a straight.

I was back in Washington for roughly five full days and I only played ~5.5 hours of poker on Friday night, posting a -$142 in $15/$30 at Palace.

Saturday was spent fixing up our old house so we could put it on the market by Monday and we were so wiped we just stayed in and relaxed all night.

Sunday we hiked up the Little Si trail in North Bend and our little Pomeranians continue to be hiking superstars. Who’d a thunk?

Monday and Tuesday were more relaxing days before a long trip back to L.A. and we had at least three different parties walk through our old house and by Tuesday night we received three offers! And we reached mutual acceptance on one of them!

🤯

I really thought we might have to endure two months or so with our house on the market and we sold it in less than 48 hours. I am honestly stunned. I am not a religious or spiritual person by any means, but sometimes I really do feel like we are blessed.

Then again, here I am sitting with 10k in level 3 of this HORSE tournament wondering how the hell you win a pot in one of these things.

I had a decent Stud round but I’m right back to running like crap in LHE.

I open TT and QJo cold calls next in and gets the QQ4 flop and then JTss whiffs the AQ9 one spade flop.

Momentum! One time please!

First Break: 9.7k

Second Break: 19.8k

Got over 20k and then Hold’em happened again.

I got a free flop from the big with A8 vs one limper and the small blind and we saw the A73 flop and the limper had A7. Then I lost with TT to KQ in a 3-bet pot when they turned a king. Then I had 66 vs AQ in a 4-bet pot (yes, he put a lid on it with AQ out of position) and gave up on Q98Q. Then I defended 22 on the last hand and check-folded KT8.

Good God. There are only 8 hands of Hold’em and I played half of them, losing half of my stack.

This is my best game… and I’m just hemorrhaging in it.

I was all the way down to 10k or so when I decided to call a raise on the button in O8 in a multi-way pot with AKJ7 double suited. Pretty questionable but it looks like it will go 6-ways and I have a decent high only hand.

Fortunately the flop is T83 giving me the nut flush. It checks to me and I get two callers. Turn is a queen and I am now heads up. A low gets there on the river and my opponent check-calls and somehow I am scooping this pot still (I do have an A7 for low).

Some more good news: registration is closed. I won’t have to fire two bullets today!

5:25 PM: Things have been uneventful. I just wanted to say I’m starting limit Hold’em with 19k. Let’s see if I can avoid getting tortured this time.

5:42 PM: I did it! 24.4k after 8 hands of Hold’em!

Third Break: 18.8k

Betting limits will be 1200/2400 after the break.

166 entrants. 21 cash. ~112 left. Average stack size is ~18.5k. Number of players left could be way off though.

$11.8k up top for 1st place.

BUSTED

Slow, steady drip with basically no hands of note. Just blinding and anteing out and immediately bricking any hand I did play.

I’m short in Razz. There’s a raise and call. I defend A2-K as the bring in with only two cards lower than a ten up. I’m super live.

I catch a 5 on 4th and am now heads up against two medium up cards. If I catch good on 5th, I’m raising to get all in.

But I pair the 2 and the guy fucking knows it. He has three medium cards up now and I’m two streets behind now. Probably. I fold.

My bust hand is bizarro world. I bring it in with a jack up and three people limp.

So I get to see 4th street at no extra charge. They all catch a king or queen. Jesus. I’m in the lead. I’m not far ahead though, so maybe this is a spot to check since I have very few chips and bricking on 5th could be devastating. But I bet.

I got called in two spots.

On 5th street I improve to 86-J35 and I’m facing boards of 6J6 and 4QA. I bet and am all in and I know the 4QA is calling but I’m shocked to see the 6J6 also continue on the big bet street. Unreal.

I make an 8 on 6th by catching a 2 and the J6 improves and the A4 catches a 9. I have the best hand. I just need to dodge…

… the J6 bricks, but the A94 improves to an 85. I have an 86. I need to catch a small card and I do!

But it’s another 2, pairing me, and I’m out with about 50 players left.

Razz is impossible. Poker is hard.

I hate this spot. I’ve already been playing poker for 7 hours today and I don’t typically start cash game sessions this late. But I also don’t really have anything to do tomorrow. I’m not playing the short deck tournament at 1, even though it sounds fun. There’s a T.O.E. (2-7 Triple Draw, Omaha 8, Stud 8) tournament at 5 PM, but I’m not sure how wise it is to lock up my Friday night playing a $350 tournament when going deep would also require me to come back for a Day 2 on Saturday.

I’m on the fence about tomorrow. I’ll probably just play cash games.

For studying purposes:

There is 3200 (two small bets) in antes plus 4500 (five small bets) from the three players involved on 3rd. Two players left on 4th and one big bet on 5th makes the pot 4.5 bigs bets. I’m getting 4.5 to 1 to continue, so I need about 18% equity to call here.

Basically, if he made an 8, I’m smashed. If he has a pair, a king, or a queen, I should call. I can call profitably if he showed me a made jack but not a made ten.

Here’s how bad that 5th street is for me. If I catch a good card, let’s say a 3, I’m 42% to scoop even if he has a made 8. That’s a sick swing there.

Ah well.

I decided to sit in a $40/$80 game, looking to avoid disaster and hoping to smash their faces in. My table is so juicy I have Barry Greenstein sitting at it!

I’m not going to blog hands though. I’m going to give this game my 110% attention.

10:52 PM: This $40/$80 game I’m in is amazing. Barry moved on to the next game and I’ve seen four different players in my current lineup open-limp! That’s something you mostly stop seeing at the $20/$40 level. It’s one thing to see one player at this level do it, but four?!?!

My mind is honestly blown.

I saw one guy open-limp the button and show 88. The next hand he open-raised the cutoff and showed A4.

I don’t even know what that means. He’s playing like 70% of the hands.

I’m admittedly running pretty good. Even after managing to lose with AJ of spades heads up on an A98 two spade flop (JT turned a straight) and QJdd to 98 after a AQJ flop, I’m still up $1400.

Here’s a fun hand: I open cutoff with 77 and the small blind 3-bets.

Flop is 653 with two hearts and that’s definitely a good flop for my hand. I jack her c-bet up and she just calls.

Turn is a queen and I check-back because I have zero interest in bet-calling here and I have to see a river.

River is an ace and she checks to me again. That’s weird. I’d basically be bluffing if I bet here. She’s definitely not going to fold a better hand here. I’m pretty happy to show down for free, so that’s what I do.

She tables QQ!

Sometimes you feel like you won even when you lost.

$40/$80 Final Score: +$1235 in 5.5 hours