The Bat Cave

I’m off to an unexpected start in my journey this week. My thoughts of starting my day at 9 AM were mostly Fantasy but for whatever reason I seem anxious to get back in action because I woke up at 6 AM this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep so here I am walking into Fortune just after 9 AM. I can’t say I feel well rested or fresh so it could be challenging to play 12+ hours today, especially if I’m not having a good session.

All 15 tables were full by 9 AM and lists for the smaller games are already off the chart on the app. Fortunately, the 20/40 list is short. Unfortunately, the game will probably be pretty bad for most of the day. I’m guessing decent regs are going to populate the game and weaker players are going to be mostly locked out.

I am officially on the list at 9:15 AM. Let’s see how long it takes for me to get in a game. I’m currently 4th up for 20/40, 3rd up for 3/5, 9th up for 8/16, and 20+ deep for both 4/8 and 1/3. With only two 3/5 games going and no one that just got here likely to leave any time soon, I could still be waiting for quite some time.

I’m going to be blogging my progress sporadically throughout the day, so check back in every few hours or so for an update.

11:00 AM: Officially in action at 3/5 after a 1 hour and 45 minute wait. I am currently 3rd up for 20/40 and I am not excited to be playing 3/5 until I’m in. Let’s hope I can avoid disaster while I’m here.

11:27 AM: All tables are full and lists are officially off the charts:

12:00 PM: Nothing too exciting yet. Picked up QQ a couple times and won smallish pots both times. Lost a smallish pot calling a bluff on turn and picking him off again when he made second pair. Up like $30 – only $9770 to go! First up for 20/40 now.

1:30 PM: Still waiting for 20/40. Oof. Pretty good last 90 minutes. I had a pot where I got 3-bet to $165 after opening to $35 with AKo in a straddle pot. I started the hand with a little over $600, so I 4-bet to $465 and got a fold. My biggest pot was a KQ open and 5-way action to K93 rainbow. I bet $55 and only button called. Turn was 4x and I bet $115 and he called again. River paired the 9 and I checked to my opponent, he bet around $150ish and I snap-called and beat his K6. Currently up $600ish three hours in.

3:00 PM: I made it! Started fourth up for 20/40 and it only took me 4.75 hours to get in the game. Not looking forward to the waits in the days to come. I finished 3/5 +$860 and I’d say that’s a pretty great result. Brand new to 20/40 but I already won a tiny pot with KK so that’s a huge improvement over my last session in this game.

4:30 PM: Decent start to 20/40. Standard hands so far, winning with most of my best hands. Up about 1k for the day.

6:00 PM: I was swinging down for a bit but then I won a big blind vs blind pot when I had AJ vs J9 on JT84A and got multiple bets on turn. I got the same player again a few hands later with 76dd on the button and flopped a flush vs his Ad that made top pair on the river and paid off two big bets there. This game is actually much better than I was anticipating. Five of the biggest regulars either didn’t show up and passed on their seat, so that was a nice surprise. Currently up $1320 for the day. This is the kind of progress you love to see:

8:30 PM: Ah, I forgot how boring it is to try and write about limit Hold’em hands as I’m playing. It has been going well today. Very little negative turbulence so far. Hopefully I’m not jinxing it. I’m up over 2k now.

12:30 AM: Good lord I am tilted. It’s been a miserable last 4 hours. I had a steady climb all day for ten hours straight and this is how my night ends:

Very frustrating. I don’t feel like I was playing leaky or bad or anything, I just started losing every hand – running KK into AA, JJ into KK, 77 into 99 – that sort of thing. But the last pot I played I can only blame on fatigue and a total lack of awareness. Two players limp, I raise with J9cc and we go multiway to a flop of 962. I’m in seat 7 and I get called by s5 and s6. The turn pairs the 9, I bet and only s5 calls. The river is a 7 and he folds when I bet. The dealer says, “show it if you want to,” and I toss my cards in face down and say, “I wish I could show that one,” and then he pushes the pot to seat 2 and I’m like WTF IS GOING ON. Apparently s2 called me on the river. I never even knew he was in the hand! I didn’t look his direction once. I obviously had the best hand and flushed almost $500 down the toilet at the tail end of a horrendous finish to my day. UNBELIEVABLE. I cannot fucking believe I just did that.

Anyways, I finish Day 1 +$1000. Mega disappointing, but I’m 10% of the way to my goal. Back at it tomorrow by 11 AM at the latest I’d say.

FUCK!