The Bat Cave

Chip counts here throughout the day. Maybe some hand histories.

I forgot to post a final score for my 40/80 session last night. Once I got stuck, I never recovered, fluctuating between -$1500 and -$500 for the rest of the night.

Well, at least until I took a break, sat back down and posted my big blind. Someone limps, a good prop player raises, a loose and bad player cold calls, and I look down at AQ offsuit. I don’t mind a 3-bet here, but I also don’t mind a call. It’s nice to have some good hands like AQ in my calling range from the big blind. Plus, AQo doesn’t play all that amazing in a 3-bet pot out of position against three players. So I call.

Flop is Q97 with two diamonds. I have the ace of diamonds in my hand. This is a slam dunk check-raise, so I go ahead and take that line and the prop player just calls and allows the loose player to call behind him for one more bet. I would expect him to raise anything better here.

And if he doesn’t, I would expect him to raise me on the turn. It’s a black ten. I bet and they both call.

River pairs the 9. As long as the loose player didn’t stick around with one of those, I expect to win this pot. I bet and only the prop player calls. I have the effective nuts here. Nothing he would play this way beats me and I am desperate need of a nice pot and some upward momentum.

And then he turns over pocket kings.

That sends me into shock and I collapse from heart failure. Or low blood sugar. Oh yeah, that’s my thing.

After they stab glucose into my fatty tissues and revive me, I finish out the orbit and cash out -$2060 for the day after 8+ hours of poker.

The game was pretty good, but I didn’t see much point in reloading since I wasn’t planning to play much longer and I just called it a night instead.

Starting stacks in this HORSE are 15k with 40 minute levels. I have Carol Fuches and Ron Ware at my starting table.

First Break: 12,475

Not a great start. I won a couple of Stud 8 pots with split aces, but they were both small. I didn’t win any hands in Hold’em, Omaha or Razz, but I also didn’t lose any big pots.

My most notable hand came up in Stud when Ron Ware completed with the 8 of spades up. I have A6dd-A, isolate, and he calls.

I catch a blank on 4th and he makes another spade. I bet, he calls.

Another blank for me on 5th and another spade for him. My hand isn’t developing and his board is a disconnected three flush. I’m going to get raised a lot when I bet here, I think, so I check it over. He checks back.

I make aces and sixes on 6th and he catches the jack of clubs. I’m pretty sure I have to lead here, so I bet and now he raises me? Okay. My hand is too good to fold, so I’m paying this off.

I brick 7th and check-call again. He shows me a flush and I’m pretty sure he had it on 5th street. Interesting check back.

Second Break: 9175

I just went on an epic cold stretch in this tournament. I won a couple pots in Stud 8 in the first few hands after arriving late in level one and here’s what happened before I won my next pot (didn’t even steal blinds or antes):

-four full 40 minute levels passed

-nine different variants passed

-3+ hours passed

At least I wasn’t active and losing every hand I played. I was just ice cold. In fact, I only lost one pot of significance, but it was a doozy:

We are in limit Hold’em and the cutoff opens. Folds to my big and I defend with JJ.

Flop is QJ8 with two hearts and one diamond. It checks around. Gross start.

Turn is the ace of clubs and I highly doubt he’s going to check that card, so I send it over again. He does bet and now I raise and he calls.

River is the ten of hearts. A very bad card for me, but I’m considering going for some very thin value. I decide against it and check. He bets. I expect most players to bet this flop with AK, a flush draw, or any straight draw against a single big blind defend, so not really sure I can fold, but at the same time, I don’t expect to be winning very often.

I make the crying call and this guy shows me the K7 of spades.

Oh.

My.

God.

The hand that finally broke the cold stretch is back in Stud 8. Ron Ware limps a king, guy on my right limps, and I decide to come along with a very marginal AhTh-5d with no hearts or pair cards dead.

No one raises and I catch the Qh on 4th. Ron bets with K9 showing and I peel.

On 5th he catches a blank and I get the 6h. I call a bet again.

6th street is the Ks for me. I call another bet.

On 7th I somehow catch a jack and make a Broadway straight. Amazing. Ron check-calls and is in disbelief when I show my hand. He shows kings and nines, but can’t produce a full house and I scoop a much needed pot.

I played one more hand of note, 3-betting to isolate with 88 in limit Hold’em, but I picked up two additional hitchhikers.

I tried to peel the AAT flop for a single bet, but a flurry of raises pushed me out and AT ended up scooping vs A8.

Coming back to 500/1000 betting limits with about ten big bets. Registration will be closed after this break.

BUSTED

One of the first hands back, I lose a 3-bet pot with AK to 33 after c-betting Q86 and giving up on 5-6 runout.

The hand that cripples me, I open AA74 double suited aces from under the gun in Omaha 8 and only the blind defends.

Flop is 854 with two hearts, so I have an overpair, gut shot, the nut flush draw and a weak low draw. I bet and he calls.

Turn is the 2 of clubs. He checks and I think for a while about whether or not I should bet here. I’m blocking A3 pretty hard and I’d expect him to lead that hand anyway. I decide to bet and he jacks me up. I call.

River gives me top set and a live 7, but I’m getting scooped by almost any 3x hand now. Maybe it’s a fold, but pot is big so I call and pray for a piece. He has 63 and that scoops me.

That left me with less than 2.5 bigs, which I got in two hands later with K643 double suited in a 3-way pot. I made the nut low but bricked a flush draw and had to settle for half the pot.

I opened under the gun in Razz with 63-4 and almost no low cards out and it folds to the bring in. He has a queen up and I know he’s going to bust me. I just know it.

He does call and shows A5 in the hole.

Amazingly, I make an 86 on 5th and he’s caught nothing but face cards and he’s drawing dead already.

A short while later, I open the 84-3 and get multi-way action. On 5th street I have 84-3J9, Ron Ware has 4Q5 showing and Craig Chait has 2QA. Craig has bet and Ron has called. I have 1.5 big bets left and while I do have the best made hand at the moment, I’m pretty sure I’m a favorite to get stacked here… so… obviously I go with it.

I pair the 9 and they both improve and that means I am drawing dead here like 99% of the time.

GG