The Bat Cave

10:20 AM: Just got back from yoga. I missed my first class in almost two months last Wednesday and I haven’t meditated since last Monday, but I did do a 10 minute session this morning. The reason I haven’t incorporated it into my routine yet is because I still haven’t done the reading required to create my baseline, but again, I figured some meditation this morning was better than none. I will try to get all my reading done tomorrow since I will likely be taking the day off.

So today is the last day that Palace will be spreading this $15/$30 Limit Hold Em game and it’s honestly a crushing blow for me. I love the Palace. It’s like my Century Link – I have a very distinct home field advantage and when I play elsewhere it takes me a while to assimilate to my new surroundings and a bunch of unknown players. But at Palace, I know everyone and I know their tendencies and it’s no wonder that I post my best results (as in Big Bets/Hour) there.

Unfortunately, the biggest game that Palace offers is $8/$16 and I grew out of that game the day that I got back home from the World Series Of Poker last year. I feel like I had the talent to move up long before that, but now I was grossly overrolled for it as well.

I feel like one of the biggest mistakes I made earlier in my poker career was not pushing myself to move out of the $4/$8 limit – because it was so much easier to drive 10 minutes to the local casino rather than 40+ to play a bigger game – and now I’m having the same problem with $8/$16. Palace is 5 minutes from my house while $20/$40 at Fortune is a good 40 minutes away if there’s no traffic and the average player in that game is substantially better. So I typically make it out to Fortune once a week.

So a local $15/$30 was such a huge thing for me. Even if it only happened on Mondays, there was potential for it to grow and start spreading on weekends also.

And now today is the last day. The alleged reason is because it is hurting the $8/$16 game and I can’t say I agree with that at all.

When this game rolled out Palace was an 8 table room and on Mondays – with the $499 jackpot promo going all day long – all those tables filled up, with massive lists, and multiple $8/$16 games and the $15/$30 went strong into the night.

But then Palace added two tables and those huge lists disappeared. People got in games faster and got their poker fix or busted faster. And the $8/$16 games started breaking earlier and I think the powers that be incorrectly blamed it on the $15/$30 game.

Palace also added $499 jackpots all day on Sundays as well, so players could pick one day or the other to play power sessions – thus decreasing the need to come on Mondays – or they wore out earlier after playing long sessions on both days.

I’m not saying that is exactly what happened, but it’s my theory and I think it’s a better one than what they have.

Finally, the $15/$30 game has gone until at least midnight every time so far, which means it was running at least 13 hours each time – a clear success.

Alas, this is the last day and next week they will be trying to spread a $30/$60 LHE game, which would excite me if I thought it had any real shot at sustainability. There are currently 8 names on the list for next week, which seems promising, but putting your name up on a list and showing up when the game is supposed to start doesn’t always coincide. I will be here to support it though and I hope it gets off the ground.

11:28 AM: Game started full for the first time today and there are multiple names on the waiting list. Perfect time to kill something! Just as it starts growing. 🙄🤔

Meanwhile $8/$16 is going strong with a second game on the verge of starting.

Today’s starting lineup includes Radio Mike, BVR (a friend from Kitsap County that would be a good Joker if he played regularly), and two certified maniacs!

11:39 AM: Running good against one of the maniacs.

Open QQ UTG, he defends SB and leads JT5 flop. I flat to raise turn. 5 on turn, he bets, I raise, he three bets… ends up showing Q5o.

He limps EP, I raise AQ, three ways to A82 flop. They both check-call. Turn is a King; I bet, the blind folds, maniac check-raises me; it’s close to a 3-bet here but I flat.

River pairs the 2 and now I think my hand is too strong not to raise, so I do, and he three bets and shows 82o.

I didn’t really think this river raise through though, as I overlooked the fact that I was chopping with all Ax hands.

I’ve also lost big pots to his J2o and J4s when I wasn’t at the top of my range.

I am down $700 already. My typical $15/$30 start! And the maniac has over $2k and an alleged 40 minute time limit. 🙏🏻🤞🏻

12:39 PM: The maniac just lost a monster pot with KK to BVR’s AA on a 774T9 board where both players were playing like they flopped full houses – with a player trapped between them.

I’m not joking. Cap flop. Cap turn. Cap river. KK vs AA on 774T9. I was asking for “quad sevens one time!” but instead I get to see BVR scoop a massive pot of chips that used to be mine.

And the maniac didn’t take another hand and left with less than $1000 after peaking at $2500. I haven’t won a pot in 90+ minutes and everyone at the table has more chips than they started with except me and one other player.

A total disaster. A hurricane that I was the only victim of and all my surrounding neighbors were able to collect the treasures from my wrecked home.

I’m down about $1100 and about to reload and reset now that the game has completely changed.

12:54 PM: There are now two $8/$16 games going with 5 on the list and $15/$30 is full with 8 on the list. But yeah… these games can’t thrive together.

First hand back from a break I post with KJo in the cutoff. It folds to me, so I raise and a player in the small blind that is capable of having any two cards (at least at $8/$16 – like Q4o against my UTG raise from MP) is my only caller.

Flop is QT7 with two spades. He leads out, I raise (with the J of spades as backup) and he three bets me. I call.

Turn pairs the 7 and he checks to me. I’m pretty happy to take a free card.

River is a King and he leads out. I’m beating QT, or any Q except KQ. Flush draws missed. J9 did get there. I feel like I’m only losing to KQ and J9, so it feels like I should be raising, especially against this player, but I’m running brutal so I just call and he shows A7 of spades which flopped a flush draw and turned trips.

1:38 PM: I just bluffed the turn successfully after it checked through on the flop. It was the first “pot” I’ve won in over 2.5 hours – and there were less than two small bets of profit in it.

I have my chips stacked in a way that I don’t know how much I have so I can focus on something besides how bad I’m running.

1:58 PM: I won my first showdown since the second orbit of the game! But I went right back to whiffing flops and missing my combo draws when I did flop something.

I couldn’t resist. I reorganized my stack: I am down $1840. 😮

It’s pretty hard to lose 3.5 racks in less than three hours but I’ve made it look really, really easy today.

This might be a good time to mention this: the most I’ve ever lost in a live cash game is $2300 – which isn’t that bad at the levels I’ve played and will certainly be topped – and today is looking like a strong candidate to challenge that.

2:40 PM: Finally got a great flop with a hand I opened: J94 with AJ in a 3-handed pot… but I don’t beat KT at showdown.

3 PM: I am down almost $2000.

Radio Mike is crushing it.

BVR is crushing it.

I’ve won one non-micro pot since 11:15, almost four hours ago – one of my all-time coldest stretches.

It’s kind of taken me out of the game so I’m going to really force myself to start paying attention and not succumb to the immense weight of this run bad. Starting…. NOW.

3:09 PM: A breakthrough! I defend my big blind with A8s in a multiway pot. Flop is A75 with two hearts. I check, the PFR bets, two cold callers call, and I call.

Turn pairs the Ace and I check, the PFR bets, one call, one fold, and I check-raise. I would maybe check-call against a solid player here, but this guy is way too loose and reckless, plus I thought I picked up a weakness tell. He 3-bets me though, the other player folds, I throw up in my mouth a little and then call.

River is the 4 of hearts and it checks around. I like that. I table. He shows A3o! I looooove that.

4:06 PM: It’s just all torture today.

I raise AA under the gun. One player cold calls and the big blind defends.

Flop QJ5 with two clubs. I bet and the cold caller raises, big folds, and I flat.

Turn is a 4. I check-raise and get three bet. More vomit. I call.

River 8c. I check-call and he shows KQ of clubs for a flush. Oh, I had the best hand? More vomit.

It is just sickening at this point.

4:12 PM: The player to my right just felted $1500 in a rather short amount of time and I’m stuck $2000 still. Do you know how hard it is to get crushed when the player you have immediate position on is hemorrhaging chips like he’s allergic to them? Very, very hard.

4:30 PM: On another break. I guess my last 1.5 hours have been a bit better than the first four hours. It’s not a straight down arrow… I’ve won some pots. I just got four bets in pre with JJ and lost to AQ. I am now 0-4 with JJ+ – and I think I’m yet to win with AK or AQ. I finally made a straight but I’m still 0% on flush draws.

In other news, $15/$30 is going strong with two on the list and there are two full $8/$16 games with 10 players on the list.

But $15/$30 is killing that game. 🤷🏻‍♂️

4:50 PM: I have asked for a seat change button in honor of The Human Torch being next on the list.

4:57 PM: I raise a couple of limpers with AKcc, button cold calls, small blind calls, and we go six ways to 532 with two clubs. I bet and get three calls.

Turn is an 8 and I bet my draw because I fucking hate money and it seems unlikely I would get raised on this board, but the button does raise and one of the limper three bets. Good read, Mac. Awesome. I can’t wait to put $90 in and whiff the river. I call. Button calls.

River 6h and it checks around because a running heart flush got there. Limper has A4o for a flopped wheel and button shows me 98 of clubs.

Just pure torture.

5:07 PM: I stole the fucking blinds! 💪🏻

5:17 PM: The Torch just sat down with $200. Well that’s not gonna get me even.

6:00 PM: So tilted. Open AQ and only the BB defends.

Flop AT8. He check-raises, I 3-bet.

Turn 8, he check-calls.

River K. FUCK. FUCK FUCK FUCK.

Chop with A9.

Open 99. Flop JJ9. I get two callers pre, The Torch calls my flop bet, and no action on the turn.

Folds to my small blind and I get to chop with KK.

What a bunch of bullshit.

6:14 PM: Holy shit. Momentum? I’ve won a series of pots in a short amount of time and I hit my first flush of the day! I would guess I’m still stuck over $2000, but I’m not sure.

6:25 PM: The Torch is in $600, $200 at a time. Another player just felted and rebought $200. Maybe the poker room manager is right: these people shouldn’t be playing this game. These would be smallish (though a misguided standard) buy-ins at $8/$16, let alone a game twice as big.

6:41 PM: I really wish dealers would stop moving the button before the hand is over. Without a doubt, moving the button twice is the number one mistake I see happen and it’s almost always because of this absolutely stupid practice. Save a few seconds so you can make the same mistake hundreds of times over your career.

7:17 PM: More comedy. I open KQo, two cold callers, Torch 3-bets the big blind. I resist the urge to cap it even though I probably have him smashed.

Flop AQ5 two diamonds. I snap raise him. Button cold calls. Torch three bets. We both call.

Turn pairs the A, which I like. Torch bets, we both call. I feel like I have the button beat – he’s definitely not a solid player – and The Torch could literally have anything. He bets dark.

River is the 2 of diamonds. I call. He has 87dd.

Unreal.

Then a new player I don’t know sits down and asks if that’s my extra water. I say yes and he grabs it and opens it.

YEAH MAN. THAT’S WHAT IT’S FUCKING THERE FOR.

7:39 PM: Here is something that definitely has not happened today: three or four bets went in before the flop and I won the pot.

7:41 PM: Player to my left just called two bets with 98 suited and then showed it to me before folding when it was capped back to him. How is that a real thing?

The Torch is felted again. He snapped me off with that 87 less than 30 minutes ago and, of course, I got none of that back.

A player that limped in earlier and called when it was capped back to him with KQo (and ended up beating my 99) just limped in and folded when a bad player raised and everyone folded back to him.

I seriously hate them all today.

7:48 PM: Another capped pot lost. QQ on the button outflopped by AK, which loses to TT on the river.

7:56 PM: Praise Jesus! I 3-bet QQ, flopped top set, rivered quads, and got paid off, plus won a $499 jackpot!

It’s a miracle!

In other news, they are spreading their third $8/$16 game right now cause, you know, this game is killing that one.

To recap: $15/$30 has been running for 9 hours and they have had two $8/$16 running for at least 8 hours, with a third one going down now.

Now there is no list. So I guess now that all those $8/$16 players are in games gambling… if they wind up going bust in the next few hours it will be because we are playing $15/$30 on a different table?

8:33 PM: I limp after two limpers with A6 of clubs. Couple more limps. BVR raises SB. We all call.

Flop K63. A few of us call.

Turn 6. I raise. Two callers.

River Q. BVR check-raises. Has KK.

I mean… it’s honestly insane.

8:38 PM: Watching the masseuse use an elbow to massage someone while she looks at her phone with her free hand. This has been going on for a while. Totally inexcusable. It’s feeding my tilt monster.

8:53 PM: Under the gun raises. Three people cold call. I call 66 on the button.

Flop 976 with two diamonds. I get it capped with the PFR, one other player tagging along.

Turn Q. He still leads, other player folds, I raise. He calls.

River is a blank. He check-calls.

And shows me 77. FUCKING SEVENS.

This can’t be real. It really can’t be. I’m almost back to where I was before that $500 jackpot.

Unbelievable.

9:06 PM: I’m not even trying to be nice at this point. A new player sat down and asked for an Overs button (I’ve been the only person with one all day) and a couple other players asked for them and threw them back when I said it was $25/$50.

Then they threw a little fuss about it and voted to make it $20/$40 and I said “Yeah, maybe we can get $5/$10 Overs going in the $4/$8 game too.”

9:46 PM: I feel like I should mention that I won my first pot with AQ – especially since it was my most significant pot of the day (minus the jackpot addition in that QQ hand).

I three bet a bad player’s open and went at least 5-ways to QJx. Checks to the player on my right and he donks. I raise, two cold call, and he calls.

I’m already envisioning losing this pot when I make top two vs KT.

The turn comes a 5 and they all check-call me again.

River is a 6! I basically have the nuts unless the bad player has something funky like Q6 suited or J6 suited. I bet, two of them call, and the player to my right folds KT face up. What a dodge! And my hand is good vs the two callers.

But then I went right back to losing massive pots with good hands. Including AK twice, which I’m like 0-12 with today.

No progress.

9:59 PM: I feel like I’m up $1000 now! I actually have good news.

The poker manager just came over and said the affect of this game on $8/$16 has been “grossly exaggerated” to him and he will no longer be cancelling it!

I think he’s done an amazing job with this room and getting rid of the $15/$30 was the first move he made that really puzzled me and I was really going to question his reasoning after he watched $8/$16 flourish all day while this game was full.

But he is reasonable! I’m glad he can see what’s going on and adapt. A lot of people would be stubborn after making a decision like that and stick to it just so they wouldn’t have to admit that they/their staff were wrong.

This guy continues to impress me and he really has done wonders with this room. I feel bad about some of the trolling I was doing on this blog earlier, but I’m going to keep it up for authenticity’s sake and fluidity!

10:21 PM: You know you have the M.U.B.S. (Monsters Under the Bed Syndrome) when you have 99 on the 763 flop in a 3-handed pot and know that you’re never gonna win.

Take it KJ.

11:02 PM: Two streaks broken! I just won with 88 on 96595 after getting check-raised on the turn and calling a river bet – the first time I’ve won with a pocket pair less than AA that didn’t make quads today…. in 12 hours!

And I only won with AA once… heads up against the big blind… when I flopped the nut flush draw with my overpair… and he folded on the turn.

I also broke my AK streak. I opened with it, a player I haven’t beat all day cold called, a blind tagged along, and we saw the AJJ flop. I bet (in Overs), and they both called.

Turn 2. I bet and don’t get raised. Heads up now.

River 2. I bet and don’t get raised. Can it be?! I’m good!

I am now down $2000, which is the best shape I’ve been in since that jackpot.

12:02 AM: Open AQ of clubs under the gun, one cold call, big blind defends.

Q42 two club flop. I try for some deception by checking because I’ve been raising and checking the flop a lot today, but it checks through.

Turn 8 of clubs. I bet, they both fold.

Yawn.

Defend K5 suited in a 3-way pot. Check-raise K65 flop and they both fold.

Fucking YAWN.

12:21 AM: Multiple limpers. I raise AKo and everyone calls.

Flop is 743 with two diamonds. I check, BB bets, cutoff calls, and I call with A of diamonds in my hand.

Turn is Q of diamonds. I check, BB bets, cutoff folds, and this seems like a good time to semi-bluff and check-raise since I suspect this player (new to the game) won’t realize that I rarely have a made hand here, plus I think I should have some fold equity against his flop betting range.

He calls though and the river is a non-diamond 8. I go to reach for chips and he’s already trying to call, so I decide not to torch the bet. He checks back? With a jack high flush?

Yeah, that’s more like it.

12:34 AM: Taking my first break in hours. Just raised with QQ and everyone folded. Next hand I open with A9o a littler earlier than I should just because I want to feel the pain when I get multiple callers because I’m holding a piece of shit. All four players left in the pot call. I whiff. YES. MORE OF THAT.

I’m pretty close to quitting. I’m gonna sit back down and if I’m still feeling steamy I’m gonna call it a session.

1:32 AM: Welp, I’m home now. What a nightmare of a day. These last two pots I played did it in for me.

Two people limp and I raise T9 of spades on the button, both blinds defend and the limpers call.

Flop is 883 with two spades. I bet and two players call.

Turn is an Ace and only the small blind check-calls me.

River is a 6 and he checks. I bet thinking he might be on a spade draw that could be bigger than mine or maybe he will fold a 3 or a medium pocket pair. He calls with A7 of spades… and then does that whole get halfway out of his chair and say “what does he have?” spectacle some people do when they catch you bluffing.

I missed the same draw you did, asshole.

Then I raise the button with AK and get the AK6 with two spades flop in a 5-way pot. The big blind donks, one player calls, I raise, and they both call.

The turn is a 9. They both check to me and I bet. The big blind check-raises, the other player calls two bets cold, I three bet it, the big blind caps, and the other player calls again. I call.

The river is a T of spades and they both check to me. I look at them like “yeah fucking right” and check it back. Somehow the in between player doesn’t have spades. He has A9. Somehow the big blind doesn’t have a set of 6s. He has AK also. I take no solace in splitting this pot. Zero happiness that I didn’t lose the whole thing on the river. I flopped top two on the AK6 board and I can’t scoop a pot.

Done with it.

I finished -$2265 for the day which is my second biggest loss in any game EVER. And the only reason I didn’t set a new all-time worse loss today was because I hit a $449 (after $50 tip) jackpot.

I’ve made an effort to keep my blog pretty PG and refrain from any cursing, but today I decided to paint an honest picture of how I was feeling as I was feeling it. I think it’s more authentic. I think it might be funny. I know it’s therapeutic.

I basically played with the physical sensation of tilt for the entire session. Like, I could feel it coursing through my body. Was on my A-game? No way. But I do think I played pretty well under so much distress. I wasn’t spewing chips by playing hands I should be folding or raising with garbage (that A9o hand I mentioned being a possible exception) and I think the bluffs I did execute made a lot of sense, even when they didn’t work. I just ran nightmarishly bad the entire day and there wasn’t much I could do about it.

I have to say I’m very happy about where my C-game is. No one wants to play their C-game, but everyone should work on improving it. I’ve mentioned this before, but I believe one of my biggest edges is how good I am at losing. A lot of players have a Titanic gap between their A-game and their C-game – even players I think are way better than average – and I truly believe that my gap is rather small. Small enough that I think my C-game is better than most of my opponents’ (in the Tacoma area) A-games. There is no doubt I was on visible tilt most of the day and even though I was physically distraught, there wasn’t much deterioration in how I was actually playing. There is a difference. I won’t pretend like there isn’t, but I would guess that most people I play with wouldn’t be able to notice it.

Anyways, I will be happy to put this day behind me and hopefully I won’t be pressing this all-time low threshold again any time soon.

7:15 AM: Alarm goes off.

7:45 AM: Added a new element to my pregame routine: meditation. This weekend I got a meditation bench and a zabuton and this morning I did my first session. I have to admit… my preparation was poor. I basically skimmed through Tommy Angelo‘s Painless Poker and tried to find where he was talking about his routine and tried to hastily apply it. Eventually I want to have it dialed in so well that it becomes habit, but even if I’m not really ready, I figure something is better than nothing.

So far, I feel the same as I did yesterday.

On the other hand, I got a better night’s sleep than usual and I’m hoping I can parlay that rest into my first good $15/$30 session because right now it looks like this:

11/20/2017: +$25 in 16.25 hours
11/27/2017: -$695 in 13 hours

It’s stupid to set financial goals, but I’m going to make one anyway: +$2000.

Let’s get to it.

10:18 AM: Waiting at Starbucks for some coffee.

I did yoga for an hour this morning and can it be possible that I’m actually getting weaker? We did some stuff with legs and my body was like “NO.”

I do enjoy yoga though. I’ve gone to nine consecutive classes without missing one – consistency I’m surprised by.

What I need to do is work in some strength training. Mondays and Wednesdays are yoga days but I don’t have time after class to workout because those are the only two days I participate in a poker game with a scheduled start time.

11:02 AM: 17 names on the list today. They haven’t even tried to start the game yet. It actually looks like it might start full today though.

A player that berated me last week is on the list. I really hope he plays.

Here’s the hand:

Four players limp, he raises from SB, I defend A2o.

Flop is A high, disconnected but with three clubs. SB checks, I check, EP bets, SB calls, I call. I have 2 of clubs. It’s all very marginal.

Turn is T of clubs and it checks around.

River is a blank. We both check and EP bets. SB calls. I don’t love it, but I overcall.

EP has AJ no club, SB has AT no club. I win.

Dude in small blind is like “how can you call that? Did you see my hand? You think I have nothing?”

Let’s review. He raises from the small blind in a multiway pot and then checks three times when the board runs out four clubs. Yeah, really marking you for a flush, bud.

Then he starts berating the other player in the hand for how he’s holding his cards, saying I can see them. I mean… maybe I could? If I was looking. But I’m not. And I never do.

The other player checked the turn when the four card flush got there. He probably doesn’t have a good flush and if he has a weak one betting the river doesn’t make much sense.

So my call is super easy.

A few hands go by and the guy from the small blind picks up his chips but stops by me, leans over, and says “what did you have again? A2 offsuit? And I raised? You’re no different than me.”

I never said I was! My only interaction with this guy that day was:

“Did you use to work here?”

“Yes.”

So I don’t know where all this anger and craziness came from… but…

He just sat down in $15/$30 and I’ll be looking forward to giving him more hands to cry about today.

11:16 AM: Cards still not in the air. Looks like we are starting 8-handed.

I was hoping to start $25/$50 Overs today but only one other player bought in more than $600.

12:24 PM: I refuse to get off to a good start in this game. I’ve been battling a mega-maniac – trying to isolate him (unsuccessfully) and missing flops with ace highs and calling him down – and when I did make top pair he had two pair.

Plus this stupid hand: one limper, maniac raises HJ, I 3-bet A5o and the SB cold caps it. Limper doesn’t fold and four of us go to the flop. Sigh.

Flop is 743 with two clubs, giving me a double gutter and a backdoor flush draw – a pretty great flop for me in this situation. They all check to me. SB seems to be on a good ace high. I bet, they all call.

Turn pairs the 7 and they all check again and since I can still have all the good hands in my range, I bet again. SB and maniac call.

River is a Q and they both check. My hand is never good here, so I don’t have showdown value. I also feel like the small blind is rarely folding, but I can’t check. I’m getting 14-1 on a bluff so if he folds as little as 7% of the time betting is profitable, even though it feels like I’m lighting $30 on fire most of the time. Another thing working for me here is he has a maniac to act behind him that is folding no pair and capable of bluff-raising the river.

The small blind does call though and he wins with AK high and I’m already down $600.

12:48 PM: An old school All Star Lanes regular, that I’ve never seen at the Palace or in a game bigger than $4/$8, just sat down in $15/$30.

1:05 PM: False alarm! Just had my first real heater in this game, thanks to AA holding w/out a showdown, and these two hands:

I have 3-bet the maniac three of the last four hands, this time with T8dd and the player in the small blind comments: “don’t let him push you around, Mike.”

I get two cold callers and then the small blind caps it. We are five ways to the Q96, one diamond flop. The SB and maniac make sure the flop gets capped and four of us go to the turn.

A beauty! 7 of diamonds. SB leads, maniac raises all in, I 3-bet and the other two call.

K on river and no one has JT and I win a monster.

Then I flop a set of 7s in a multiway pot with multiple bets going in four ways on flop and a raise on the river when I fill up.

Currently up $800, which is the most I’ve been up in this game so far.

1:14 PM: We have seat open and no list. Oh oh. Should be fine, but we have some potential part-timers and at least one person that doesn’t like playing “short.”

1:24: Staff is unprepared for this game today, I guess. They were seating players with green ($25) chips which is whatever, but now people are sitting down with black ($100) chips. No way is that optimal. And it’s not even 1:30 yet.

2:21 PM: We are now 7-handed. Reinforcements please!

I prefer playing short-handed but most people don’t and this game breaking early would be a personal nightmare.

2:29 PM: Pretty uneventful 90 minutes, except these two hands:

Two limpers, I complete Q8o, BB checks.

Flop is Q44, two hearts. I check, BB bets, limpers fold, I raise, he calls.

Turn is a blank. I bet, he calls.

River is an Ace and we both check. I table and he confidently rolls J9o.

Solid misread in my favor.

Next notable hand: there are multiple limpers and a late position player raises. I defend with the 6 of clubs and a black 5.

Flop comes A43 with two clubs. I look at my second card and it’s the 5 of clubs. I have a monster and since the raise came from LP and I want to get as much money in the pot as possible, I lead out. There’s a flat, a raise, a cold call, I 3-bet, call, cap, call.

Turn is a Jc and I lead my flush. The flop aggressor is my only customer.

River Q. I bet and win the showdown.

Currently +$1100.

2:38 PM: Dude that lit me up for that A2o hand I described earlier just asked me if it was hard to shave my beard.

Never fails to amaze me how people think they can oscillate between being a total asshole and friendly to you at the poker table. It seems that if they win a pot or it’s a new day, all past behavior is forgiven.

I don’t really care, but I don’t really like people like this either.

When they do stuff like this, I put up a friendly facade, but what I’m really thinking is “get bent.”

2:46 PM: Sometimes the price is wrong.

I just defended 65 again from the big blind in a multiway pot.

The flop was A98 with two clubs and when the action got back to me I was getting 15 to 1, more than enough to call profitably with a gutshot.

But not all gutshots are created equal.

First off, there’s a flush draw available so maybe I only have three outs.

Secondly, JT is such a common hand for people to play and a 7 gives that hand a better straight.

I think if one decided to fold this flop with my hand it wouldn’t be that bad.

I call though and, of course, I turn my straight and, of course, someone has JT and I wind up losing multiple big bets.

3:29 PM: If you read my post last Monday, I mentioned that I was getting wrecked by a nit.

I guess he’s really comfortable in this game now cause he just showed 65o UTG+1 and 54o UTG the last two hands. Yum yum!

4:01 PM: Not a good 90 minutes. Lost that 65 v JT on A987x board plus some other unfavorable run outs.

I just seat changed because one of the players on my left is playing absurdly loose and I wish to punish him.

+$400 now.

5:19 PM: AQ is a pretty good hand.

First I raise a bunch of limpers with AQcc from the cutoff. Flop is 852 with two clubs. I bet and get two callers.

The turn is the T of clubs and I bet, one call, and the other player check-raises; I double-check my hand and 3-bet, the player in between mucks, and the other guy caps. Yay!

Unfortunately, the river is a J of clubs and I don’t get the two big bets I think I would if it bricked. But I do get called and win a big pot.

Next orbit, I’m on the button with AQo and raise another series of limpers.

Flop is pretty solid: QQ4 rainbow. They check to me and I get three callers, which is amazing because it almost always means I’m getting raised on the turn.

It doesn’t quite go down like that. The turn is a 6 and the big blind leads out. I raise him and he 3-bets me. I consider calling because any reasonable player would realize I have a strong Queen here a lot of the time – but I’m not sure he qualifies, plus he’s in the big blind. So I cap it.

The river is a blank and I’m very happy to see him check-call. My hand is good.

+$900 now.

5:35 PM: Radio Mike is in the game! In his first 20 minutes he has already raised about six hands, got off to a hot start, and just pantomimed a gun to his head and pulled the trigger after his AJ ran into J9 on J9998.

5:49 PM: Is it getting hot in here? I feel like I’m getting sweaty… is my blood sugar low?

No.

THE HUMAN TORCH IS IN THE BUILDING.

6:11 PM: The Torch just sat down with less than $300…

…and Radio Mike just sucked out on him on the river first hand he’s dealt in.

None of these things are good news.

But The Torch is in the game.

6:14 PM: The Torch is all in and felted on his second hand dealt in.

He just reloaded for $200.

Hopefully he has about 10 more of those short buys.

6:41 PM: The Torch has felted three times already, for a total of about $700, and just reloaded for another $140, which I don’t even know is legal – I can’t remember if it was here or Fortune that recently changed their short buy policy.

6:46 PM: The Torch just left Radio Mike in ashes after he ran Mike’s 22 down on 882×3 with pocket threes – despite the fact an 8 was in the hand helping Mike put max pressure on.

But The Torch didn’t come here to make easy folds!

The game is in a precarious situation. We are 7-handed with no list (there are two call ins) and two players (mentioned above) are probably on mega steam and might be itching to snap quit at the next bad beat.

7:20 PM: I’ve been pretty hot which is always nice, but it’s particularly fortunate because this game is on FUMES.

The Torch is felted for the fourth time and done for the night.

Five players have either passed on the game or sat down for an orbit and moved to $8/$16.

And a player has been sitting out for multiple orbits.

There are currently six active players. One has a very short stack and another is so tilted I’m surprised he hasn’t left already.

Hopefully these guys are willing to play short because I sure am!

I normally don’t chop 6-handed but the guy to my right is definitely an always chop no matter how short the game is kind of dude and he’s also the player that’s on super steam… so I’ll bring it up later. Lol

Currently up about $1700!

7:53 PM: Just picked up two new players.

First hand one of them limps in middle position and I raise AK on the button and bet all three streets when it runs out K9258 and he’s in total check-call mode so I’m kind of stunned when he rolls over 95dd.

Welcome to the game, champ.

8:36 PM: Just raised a limper with AThh on the button and both blinds tagged along.

Flop is T42 with one club and one heart. I bet and the small blind check-raises. The other two players fold and I flat to raise the turn, which will be Overs – the first time this game has seen a $50 bet.

He leads out on the 8 of clubs, I raise him, and… he 3-bets me. Gulp.

I don’t have a ton of history with him yet, but he’s played tight in this game and hasn’t been overly aggressive so I expect to be losing this pot. I call though.

River is a 9 and he checks. I still don’t think I can be good but I’m happy about the free showdown.

He shows JT of clubs, which turned a flush draw, and I’m good!

8:44 PM: Open AQss UTG and get multiway action.

Flop is K95. All spades. I don’t win this pot. I put in four bets on the turn when the 9 pairs against a player that can have a hand as bad as trips here and wind up losing to 55. Blech.

A minor hiccup in what has been a flurry of run good for me. Currently up a little over $1800.

8:55 PM: Speaking of Overs… I’ve had a button all day long by myself and someone finally asked about it after sitting down with $300 in a $15/$30 game… and then asked for one… and didn’t add chips.

And now he’s busto.

9:01 PM: And he just reloaded for $200… which is four big bets in Overs.

My blog needs emoticons. 🤦🏻‍♂️

10:04 PM: Nothing much new to report. They beat Radio Mike into submission. The short stack with Overs is unsurprisingly busted. We are currently 7-handed and have a feeling we won’t be picking up many players from now on.

10:22 PM: Shocking development: a $4/$8 regular, that may or may not read my blog, just sat in $15/$30 with $1700. In the 3+ years I’ve been playing here regularly I’ve seen him play $8/$16 once or twice so… kind of a big deal. Good luck!

11:23 PM: I’ve gone stagnant. Except for this hand:

One player limps, I raise 88 from cutoff. Four players to Q86, two heart flop. The limper donks into me, I raise, the BB calls, limper calls.

Turn 5 and they both check-call.

River is a sexy 9 of hearts. So like I’m never winning now. Limper bets, I call, and lose to his 52 of hearts.

I won a couple decent pots while I was typing this. Back to +$1700.

Two players just left though and we are 6-handed now and no longer chopping in the blinds – or what I like to call My Happy Place.

12:17 AM: Updates are going to be hard to come by. We are playing 4-handed now so I can’t really take any breaks and I’m playing basically every hand dealt to me.

12:47 AM: 3-handed now… because a player busted on this hand:

First to act opens, button 3-bets, small blind caps, and I have AQo in the big blind. And I want to fold it. Ludicrous. That’s ludicrous, right?

I just think the button is 3-betting tighter than he should be and I know the small blind is capping a narrow range.

But we’re 4-handed. Folding is ludicrous. It has to be. So I call.

Flop is AJ8 rainbow. SB leads, I raise, UTG folds, the button calls, BB 3-bets, I call, button caps. Goddammit.

The turn is a blank and the BB has one big bet left so he puts it in. Sigh. Can I possibly fold now? Knowing the button will raise here a lot? Ugh. I call, button raises, I CALL.

River is not a Queen. This is swell. Just swell. Now I’m heads up against the only player with an Overs button. And I have the best hand like never. He bets and I still want to fold. For the third time. But then I start looking at the pot size and, I mean, how can I?

I call. Button has A8. Small blind has AK.

Total disaster.

And to illustrate how hard it is to update playing 3-handed, I started this post at 12:47 am and it’s now 1:24.

So… don’t expect anymore updates until these guys give up.

2:55 AM: Just got home. Wrap up coming soon.

3:22 AM: I’m going to be honest. I just put on a 3-handed clinic. I also ran better than both of my opponents, which didn’t hurt. And I got one hell of a compliment. After absolutely torturing them and sending one of them to the felt, he turned to me and said “you’re a great player, man.” He was sincere, which was surprising because I could see how visibly frustrated he was. That was about the last thing I was expecting.

I was obviously in a pretty good position before we got super short, so it should be no surprise that after running good in that situation I finished in a very good spot… at +$2725.

It’s always nice when you set a goal and exceed it!

My friend BVR is threatening to make an appearance next week in the comments. That should definitely be entertaining if he follows through!

7:15 AM: Alarm goes off. Time to get to it!

7:23 AM: Welcome to Marathon Monday! Bookmark this post and check back throughout the day as I will be updating all day long when something interesting happens or at least every 90 minute break.

I slept like absolute crap last night. I took a nap in the middle of the day yesterday and decided it would be a good idea to drink some coffee to give myself a boost for my second shift on Global Poker, so I was drinking caffeine as late as 6 PM. Not sure if it was the caffeine or if I’m just anxious to play poker today – Mondays at the Palace have quickly become my favorite work day. Either way, it felt like I was never able to fully rest last night. Could make for a tough day, but I still feel pretty good right now.

8:05 AM: Arriving at Crunch Fitness for some pre-session yoga and light lifting. I could sleep an extra two hours by cutting this out but I’m determined to commit to yoga, so here I am.

9:57 AM: Back home with Starbucks coffee and sausage sandwich. 19 people signed up to start $15/$30 today… let’s see how many of them actually show up at 11 AM. I predict we start without a full game again.

10:58 AM: 6 seated players with chips so far! Lol! If you build it they will come though. Took a couple hours to fill up last week but I bet it’s full before noon today.

11:03 AM: Cards in the air. Started 6-handed… 13 no shows and 1 flake. Maybe they don’t know the game starts at 11?

11:08 AM: AT > AK on KQ97J and we have sugar 16 hours earlier than we did last week!

11:22 AM: A player joins the game and he’s one of the all-time biggest maniacs I’ve ever seen. Yum yum! He’s also the player that sat down and busted last week when I was on a 5 minute break. He did buy an extra $200 this week.

11:26 AM: We have a full game! This likely won’t be a super marathon. I have an appointment in Bellevue at 8 AM so no 16 hour craziness today but I’ll be here til at least 11 PM.

11:51 AM: Just found a way to lose to 44 with 77 on a 762 two heart flop. Three bets pre, three bets flop. Yawn.

12:43 PM: So much for early sugar. Another brilliant $15/$30 start. I think I’m down about $700 already thanks to that 77 hand, KQ < K9 on a K9x flop, a couple nut draws that missed, and my one premium pocket pair that went down in flames like this:

I raise JJ under the gun, next player calls, and maniac defends big blind. Flop is 642 with two hearts – I have J of hearts and lead, next guy raises, maniac calls, I 3-bet, cap, call, call.

Turn is 2h and I check and overcall. Last time UTG+1 played like this he had top two so I assume he’s strong again.

River is an Ace. It checks around and the maniac wins with A3o.

Also, when the player to my left sat down this morning – after asking me if I used to work here when we played together two weeks ago, like he didn’t remember me – he asked me why he hasn’t seen me on T.V. yet. Okay, buddy.

1:08 PM: The maniac has felted after buying in for $500 and peaking at $1300. I almost got none of it but this was his last hand:

Multiple limpers, he raises cutoff, I 3-bet ATdd from the button, some fold, some call, he caps, and at least five of us see the flop.

It is pretty nice: K83 with two diamonds. The small blind leads out, a call, maniac raises, I 3-bet, call, call, maniac all in.

Turn Qd! I can see the light! I bet and small blind calls.

I don’t hit the $4766 Diamond Royal Flush on the river but I do get paid off and the maniac somehow doesn’t fill up with KQ.

A very nice pot on the brink of a reload.

2:40 PM: It’s not all bad! Thanks to the pot above, a couple small ones, and a set of 9s before taking this break, I am now down only ~$275.

2:54 PM: The Riddler is badgering me for updates. I just ordered two bottles of water so someone can take my extra one later without asking. Also just made my first ace high call down of the day – it wasn’t good.

3:30 PM: Not really sure about this one. One limper, I raise KTss, couple cold calls, and 4-ways to KJ9 one spade flop. I decide to check because a free card can’t hurt me too much and this is a flop I don’t really want to get heavy action on. It checks around.

The turn is a 7s, so now I have all sorts of good things going on: top pair, double gutter, flush draw. The preflop limper bets out and I raise it, planning to take a free showdown and bet when I improve.

I don’t know about this play though. The pot is big enough that I don’t really mind driving players out, but my draw is also so big I don’t really mind letting them see the river either.

I think it’s pretty close, but it feels less close when they all fold and I get 3-bet. Ugh.

I miss and he wins with KJ.

4:10 PM: I’m getting wrecked by a nit today. It’s pretty embarrassing… but I didn’t know yet!

Game climate has definitely taken a turn for the worse. My favorite player lately ended up passing and leaving and now we are getting Radio Mike instead.

4:18 PM: Yikes. I just cold called a raise thinking I was opening AJo from MP. This is a hand I would actually fold to an EP raise against a reasonable player.

Instead I wind up losing lots of bets to the big blind’s A9 after seeing an A98T4 run out.

And now I’m reloading. In for $2800.

Maybe it’s time to refocus.

4:54 PM: Was on the verge of disaster before winning the last two hands before this break, which included a rather spicy open with K8cc from a position that wasn’t the button, or the cutoff, or the hi-jack…. and got to show Radio Mike trips when he defended and called me down.

I already received a text about that one.

The session hasn’t been going well. Here’s a hand that I wasn’t very happy about:

Two limpers, small blind calls, I check ATo. I raise sometimes here but I check this time.

Flop is 542 and the first limper bets, button calls, SB calls, I call. You could debate folding this, but I’m not really convinced anyone has anything. I admit a 3 or an A might not be great cards, so maybe I should fold actually.

The turn is my nut card: a T. I check, planning to raise the field since I expect the flop bettor to bet most of the time – he has a very itchy trigger finger. But it checks through.

K on the river and now I’m bluff-catching. I check, first limper bets, button – a new player to me that seems to lack experience – calls, and I overcall and lose to button’s K7o. Just beautiful.

I think I’m down around $800-$1000 at the moment.

5:04 PM: I sit down and try to buy the button for $30 (it’s only $20) and the dealer is confused. He gives me back $10. I put it back in. I’m confused.

I say, “I don’t know what game I’m playing.”

Radio Mike says, “that would explain a lot.”

5:28 PM: I pick up AA, which is only the second time all day I’ve had JJ+, and open with a raise. One player and a blind calls.

Flop is 772 rainbow and I bet and only the cold caller stays.

Turn is a 9 and I’m considering check-raise but decide to lead and he raises me! Goodness. This isn’t a player I expect to raise light here so I’m already mentally preparing for the bad news. I call.

River is a blank and I check-call and he shows… 98ss, for one pair. The heck? I’ll take it!

5:46 PM: How do you put a stop to some solid momentum? Like this:

MP opens, I 3-bet KJhh and we go four ways to a J43 with two hearts flop. Three of us end up capping the flop, with the other PFR and myself putting in the bets and raises.

Turn pairs the 3 and they both check-call me.

River is a 2h and now the small blind leads out. Okay, I’m still raising here. But then the PFR makes it $60. How is this real? Now I can’t beat much. Maybe QThh or some other overplay. This player doesn’t have to have the nuts here, so I’m never folding. I call, SB calls, and the other player wins with AThh. So sick!

7:26 PM: If you’re wondering why I haven’t updated it’s because I’m completely and utterly card dead. They did just let me win with KQ though. I have about $1900 in front of me, so I’m down $900. ~3.5-4 hours to right this ship!

8:08 PM: One of my favorite players is in the game for multiple buy ins. He’s the guy that capped pre with 82cc, then capped the 532 flop, in an epic hand against me when I flopped a wheel.

I will refer to him as The Human Torch going forward.

8:19 PM: Momentum! Thanks to some battles with my friend Ryan O.

He opens, player B calls, I 3-bet AKo from the big blind (I would flat here like 10%) and Ryan caps it.

Flop is King high, two middle cards. I check, Ryan bets, B raises… B has like one big bet left, so I think the best way to maximize is to cold call this bet and lead the turn. So that’s what I do. Ryan calls flop and then calls the turn when a blank hits and the flop raiser folds. What???

River is another K. I bet and my hand wins.

On my button, the hi jack limps in and I raise with J9dd. Both blinds defend and the limper calls.

Flop is J53 with one diamond. Everybody calls me.

Turn is a 6 of spades, opening up a flush draw. Everyone checks to me and honestly, I think this is close to a check. Very close. The turn is pretty good for the two blinds check-calling ranges. I can check and fold to bad river cards, or call one bet with a decent pair, or bet if they all check again.

I bet though and Ryan check-raises me from the big. Ew. The limper tanks for a very long time and then folds. I call.

River is a Q and Ryan checks. I’m very happy about this because it means I might win. I check back. He shows J8 of spades and I do win. Limper that folded on the turn claims QJ. Wow. Thanks Ryan!

Thanks to these pots and another huge hand where it was capped multiway preflop and I flopped a flush with AKcc, I am now down about $500.

8:44 PM: The Riddler is on the $15/$30 list and now I’m thinking maybe I’ll never go home tonight.

8:52 PM: I have acquired the Jesus Seat. I went from having The Torch, Peter, and Ryan on my immediate left to having all three of them on my immediate right. Radio Mike moves into my old seat and I chuckle inside.

9:15 PM: We have sugar!!

I open 66 from maybe too early of a position. I get 3-bet, Radio Mike caps it, The Torch is in. We are five ways capped to a pretty decent 655 flop.

I check. Radio Mike bets, The Torch torches – and has two small bets behind – so I make it look like I’m thinking about isolating him and 3-bet it. One player takes all three bets to the face but Mike just calls. Whoops.

Maybe I should have flatted. I could sell a hand like 88 or 99 by calling but now Mike is on defense. The Torch puts in his last small bet and I get four bets four ways after flopping a full house.

The board comes running deuces and everyone pays me off and The Torch helps me get the flop capped holding… 98.

I am up like $20 now.

9:27 PM: The Riddler is in the game. I don’t know what happened, but Peter is showing him the A6 on the J22K6 run out and The Riddler is looking at 55 like wtf just happened.

10:21 PM: Peter’s doom switch has been activated.

First, he has J9 on a 95597 board in a very large pot and he waits until the river to raise it. He’s heads up and his opponent calls with… 97.

The runout is bad enough but when he just gets called he knows he’s never losing this massive pot – and then he does.

Shortly afterwards I pick up the QJdd UTG and it winds up getting three bet and four or five us see the ATx flop, with one diamond. I check-call a bet from Peter and another player tags along.

Turn is 8d and I check-call again. Radio Mike also sticks around.

River is 6d and I lead out? Eh. Pretty safe river. I can probably check-raise and it’s even more apparent when Peter flats and shows a set of Aces. Whoops!

11:13 PM: The Riddler wanted an update so bad he decided to do something crazy:

He opens from EP and I 3-bet AK and we go heads up to the K64 flop. I bet, he calls.

Turn is a T and now he check-raises. I call.

River 9. Bet call.

I say, “I really don’t see how you can have me beat here”

“Like that,” he says – and snap rolls QJ.

I mean… I just… I can’t even…

12:30 AM I am home now. Sometimes you rack up and leave. Sometimes you rack up and play another orbit.

I posted another big blind. Someone limped in, Radio Mike raised it, I 3-bet TT and they both call.

The flop is 8 high and I bet, limper calls, Mike raises, I 3-bet, the limper folds and Mike calls.

Turn and river are blanks and Mike calls me down with… JJ.

I post the small blind. It folds to Ryan O in the cutoff and he opens. Folds to me in the small blind and I 3-bet because Ryan’s cutoff opening range is disgustingly wide. The big blind calls and Ryan calls.

Flop is AKQ and I check. Let’s be honest. This is not a good flop for me. If I can show my hand down cheaply I’m okay with that. If the big blind shows aggression I might end up folding. He checks though and Ryan bets. I call. Big blind folds.

Turn is a blank and I check-call.

River is a K and I check. This is a card I expect Ryan to check a lot, but he bets and I can’t help but ask “does that mean I was winning the whole time?”

Yes… Yes it does. I call and he shows K3o.

I did pick up KK this last orbit, but I got minimal action and a board that ran out poorly for me.

I’m really loving the $15/$30 game and the action has been really good, but it was another subpar session for me. I was stuck almost all day and finally got back to even, only to have a bunch of bad run outs push me back down right before I left.

I ended up finishing the day -$695. Not sure how I’m going to sleep tonight knowing that The Riddler is out there somewhere playing poker with red chips.

10:50 AM: Arriving at Palace and ecstatic to see 17 names on the list for this game. Last time I was here – late on Wednesday night – there were only 5 names on the list and I was legitimately concerned that this might not happen.

I like to buy in for at least 37.5 big bets for LHE games, but I typically buy bigger for red chip games. I will be sitting down with $1500.

11 AM: Okay, make that 20 names on the list. Not sure how many of them are actually here.

11:06 AM: Cards in the air starting 6-handed with the 20th name on the list getting a seat. Oh oh.

11:19 AM: Still 6-handed. I can see three people on the list that are in other games right now. If you scared, say you scared!

12:07 PM: This is fun. We are still 6-handed and the only reason this game is going is because the right players are losing (me!) and right players are winning.

Currently -$500 as the only pots I’ve won are preflop steals and small continuation bluffs.

I just had this awesome hand: open 66; cutoff and button cold call and big blind defends. Flop 742 two diamonds, I bet and get two callers. Turn 7h, opening up backdoor flush draw. I bet and both call again. River is a black ten and I check-call, losing to T8 of hearts.

12:13 PM: We gain our first player! And he’s a certifiable maniac. Game on!

12:37 PM: Taking my first break. I’m down $500 and still haven’t won a showdown. I was pretty close to reloading – which is at about 1.5 racks for me – but I just made a flush in a decent pot and didn’t get called on the river.

Had our first hit and run. No surprise there. Picked up two players though – we are now 8-handed.

12:46 PM: A new player sat down with $300 as I was getting up to take my break and was busto before I sat back down 8 minutes later.

1:16 PM: Game fills up for the first time!

People buying in for $500 and taking $20/$40 overs buttons. Uhm. Okay.

1:23 PM: The maniac is batting 1.000 against me. Seems like KJ will turn the tides on KJx two club flop but he check-raises me on 9c turn, and I decide to call down unimproved. He shows JJ and his expert slow play costs him multiple bets. Bright side?

Still haven’t won a showdown. Down ~$800 and working on my Zen deep breathing exercises!

1:35 PM: Reloaded! In for $2500.

1:46 PM: Early break. I’m officially steaming.

Maniac raises three limpers, I cold call KT of clubs, and we go six ways to T84 with two spades. Everybody checks to me and I bet. Folds to the maniac and he check-raises me. Unbelievable. I call him down and he shows me 44. Dude risks a free card in a huge pot with 5 opponents just so he can raise me? Oh, it hurts! This dude is SMASHING me.

2:06 PM: I’m down over $1100. I still haven’t won a showdown. The maniac has over $1600 in front of him on my direct right. If the Poker Gods really hate me today, he will rack up and leave in the next hour.

2:33 PM: I three bet a LAG with 66 and flop middle set. The flush gets there on the river and I’m actually ever so slightly disappointed when I don’t get check-raised. I won my first showdown! 3.5 hours into my session – and I was playing 6-handed for over an hour. Pretty impressive.

2:40 PM: I sit down and buy the button and the maniac button straddles. I defend Q9dd and two others come along. The pot doesn’t go off for five bets each so I might actually have a shot here.

Flop is QJ8 one diamond and only the maniac calls my flop lead. Check around on 9 turn and he calls when I bet the 9 river. He shows J8. We are breaking some serious ice here! Maniac is no longer 100% against me and I sucked out on him.

Finally picking up a little momentum with four showdowns won in the last hour.

3:30 PM: The Legend is in the box. The mother#%$*ing Legend!

3:47 PM: Someone asks for a setup. There’s no escaping that nonsense.

A short while ago, there were 11 names on the list, but when someone got up, half of them passed and now there are 6.

4:00 PM: Five hours into my session and I’m stuck $1200 or $1300. I have not been running good when I play pots but I’ve also been crazy card dead. I’ve had TT once. I’ve had JJ+ zero times.

This game is good right now but if the wrong people get up it could turn in a hurry. Three of the next four players on the list are either solid or nitty.

4:37 PM: Finally picked up QQ! In a 3-bet multiway pot no less. Didn’t show it down but I’ll take it.

Also added on for another $1000, so I’m in this game for $3500 now. I can hardly wait for people to stop by and comment on how well I’m doing.

5:24 PM: The maniac just cashed out. For like $200. He peaked around $1700, mostly winning pots against me. I got basically none of that back as he sprayed it around to everyone else. I’m still -$1500. His departure and replacement by a nit makes this game significantly worse.

6:09 PM: My buddy Peter sits down an hour ago and just immediately goes to crushing and already has a $499 jackpot under his belt. Dealer didn’t see the straight flush and I was trying to back him up, but they are paying Peter anyway.

6:22 PM: Peter raises a series of limpers and I 3-bet AK from the small blind. Limpers fold! Well that certainly doesn’t happen in a Palace $8/$16 game. 3-handed and I bet A98 and they both call (Overs). Turn is a 7. I bet, one snap folds, and Peter tank-folds and asks “Ace no good, right?” Claims A2. Peter, always a thorn in my side.

6:30 PM: Cha Mang in the game. Getting close to house game status.

7:07 PM: Just a brutal session so far. Currently stuck about $1800. Still super card dead and any step forward is followed by three steps back. Absolutely no momentum in 8+ hours of play. The game is far worse than it was a few hours ago. There’s a chance I might not try to stretch this into Marathon territory tonight.

7:19 PM: Now I’m really on tilt. Cha just took my extra water because he “didn’t want to wait for the server to come back around.” Oh, really?

8:04 PM: Captain America is in the box. I told him he probably won’t be saying “thank you” to me tonight and he promptly deals me QQ which flops top set and holds up somehow.

Before that, I picked up AJdd in the small blind. Peter raises the whole table on the button and since the limpers have been folding to 3-bets I just call and play a multiway pot.

The flop is all medium cards with two diamonds and I act without thinking – I check. With the PFR on the button I actually like leading out here better as it gives the field a chance to call one bet before Peter likely raises. I want to get as many bets in on the flop as I can and betting is the best way to do this. Especially since Peter isn’t a reckless c-bettor. If he flopped no immediate equity, he’s not torching a bet here.

He does check and I get zero bets in on the flop. Ugh.

Turn is another small or medium card and I don’t think I will win by betting so I check. There’s a bet, a raise, and a cold call back to me and this pot is large enough for me to continue.

It stays at two bets and, by God, I make my flush. Two players call and I scoop my only substantial pot of the day. Currently at -$1300.

9:12 PM: I’m finally on a little heater. Sets and overpairs winning showdowns and my buddy Radio Mike sits down and immediately tries to triple barrel bluff me with AK high in a four bet four-way pot. I call down with 99 on T High run out. Only stuck $1100 now. I actually thought I was in better shape than that, but I’ll take the forward momentum!

10:29 PM: Heater over. Back to card dead and flop whiffs. Back to -$1500. Radio Mike’s been playing for 90 minutes and has had QQ+ three more times than I’ve had them in 11.5 hours.

11:42 PM: Peter is no longer running good. He is running really, really bad. Like so bad, I can see that he’s in actual physical pain.

And then this hand happens:

Two players limp in, Peter calls, I check with AJo from the BB, which is something I basically never do in this situation so maybe I’m on tilt myself. But really I’ve been whiffing so many flops that I’ve been doing a lot of raising pre and checking on the flop. So I decide to check in bad position with a strong hand.

Flop is A62 rainbow and Peter leads from the small blind. Very tempting to raise here but the pot is micro and I have a monster for this situation. I flat and so do the other two players.

Turn is a 5 and now Peter checks. I bet, one caller, and Peter check-raises! What?! I can’t fold here so I call and so does our straggler.

River is another 5 and now Peter checks! I think about for quite some time before saying “I want the pain” and betting. The other player folds and Peter shows immediate vocal and physical exasperation which is basically like turning A2 face up. He doesn’t though. He folds it instead.

I’ve had some better luck recently and am currently stuck less than $1000 for the first time in HOURS!

12:45 AM: The Riddler distracting me for the last half hour.

1:15 AM: After going my first 14 hours of this session without getting AA, I get them twice in three hands, the first time flopping A99 in a 4-bet pot. I have come all the way back to -$500. I can still salvage this thing!

1:27 AM: AA again! Crazy how these streaks happen. All three hands good too.

1:32 AM: Variance is INSANE. AA again! Four times in less than 20 minutes. That’s just crazy.

1:50 AM: I took a short break as a player was cashing out and there were 6 people still on the list. I somehow came back to a 7-handed game with no list 5 minutes later.

3:35 AM: I just got home. I was severely distracted my last few hours, but a flurry of KK and QQ followed those Aces and somehow managed to book a +$25 win for the day. Perhaps the best $25 I’ve ever made. I’ve been stuck more chips in a poker game and booked a win, but I’ve never been stuck $1800 and booked one. I would say it feels amazing but I’m too drained and tired to feel anything. Looking forward to a real day off tomorrow!

Oh, how I forgot how fun it is to be a complete sicko degenerate. Back in the dark times when I had a day job, the marathon session was a much more common experience for me. When I was flooring at Palace from August 2015 to October 2016, my schedule was tailor-made for me to put in very long sessions on my “days off” and on Thursday, in particular, I would make it a point to try to play from noon to midnight.

Now that I don’t have to put in those pesky suit and tie hours, my pathological need to put in massive sessions to get my poker fix have all but disappeared. I typically just play around eight hours four or five days a week, and while a 10-12 hour session happens occasionally, it is never my intention anymore.

Enter the new Monday promotion at Palace: Starting at 8 AM on Monday morning and extending all the way until 8 AM on Tuesday, every jackpot at Palace is worth $499. In addition, with High Hands running most days of the week during peak hours, it’s also one of the rare times the massive Royal Flushes are available to pay out. They recently had a Royal pay out over $36,000 and right now the biggest one is around $15,000. Needless to say, this promotion packs the room and if you aren’t there by 2 PM, good luck getting a seat.

The promotion and the Royal Flush payouts are cool and hitting any of that stuff would be a nice bonus, but the main attraction of Mondays for me is all the action players it brings into the building. With three $8/$16 games typically running on Mondays, what is already typically the best $8/$16 game I’ve ever seen, is even better. Mondays used to be one of the days of the week I don’t play poker and now because of this promotion, I’m not only playing, I’m committing to serious overtime.

While I have played some previous Mondays, yesterday was my first time sitting down for a Marathon Monday with every intention of playing 12+ hours.

I got off to a brutal start. After 4.5 hours, I was down around $700. At my lowest point, I was down $800 and in the game for $1600. And it was still early. I was planning to play at least another 7 hours and I was already approaching my worst sessions of all-time territory.

For context, I just filtered all my data that goes back to August 2014 and I’ve played 350 sessions of $8/$16 LHE over that span. My all-time worst result was -$1847 – a glaring outlier. I’ve lost $1200+ two other times and I’ve lost $1000+ five times total – and the last time that happened was a year ago tomorrow. For contrast – in case anyone might accuse me of being a nit – I have won $1500+ five times and $1000+ twelve times in 2017 alone (Note: these are $8/$16 results only).

So yesterday was shaping up to be my worst session of the year and possibly one of my worst $8/$16 results ever.

I lost with AT to 86 on a A97Tx run out. My AK lost to two people with QJ on a KTxxA board. I defended K6 of clubs and turned the second nut flush only to run into AT of clubs. AA lost to KJ on QTxx9. It seemed like every hand I lost to was a hand that I was blocking from improving.

And then there were these two gems:

I raise with A6 of diamonds from MP and the cutoff, button, and both blinds call. The flop is K75 with two clubs and one diamond and I decide not to continuation bet a complete whiff against four opponents and it checks around. The turn is the 4 of diamonds and now the big blind leads out. I have an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw now and while there’s some merit to raising here, I think I will have to improve to win and I’d rather keep other players in. The cutoff folds and now the button raises and the big blind responds with a three bet. With 11 big bets in the pot, I’m getting 5.5 to 1 to call and I will make a straight or a flush about 30% of the time. Obviously I’m continuing here. The button calls and the river is a blank. I fold and the big blind wins with K7 over the button’s AK.

I’d like to focus on the ridiculousness of the button’s line here. First, they just cold call my raise instead of punishing me with a three bet and forcing the blinds out. Maybe the K7 folds? Certainly not a guarantee, but they are far more likely to fold to a three bet than for one raise. And how about that flop check? You have AK on a K75 flop and everybody checks to you and… you check? And then you wait to raise the big bet street when three medium connected cards are on board and the big blind leads out? And, of course, this insane flop check lets me see the best turn card in the deck for free and winds up costing me three big bets before whiffing when I could have just check-folded the flop! Thanks a lot!

My other favorite early hand was when a player to my right, who raises a wider range than most, raises from middle position and I three bet with 98 of clubs (a rare move from me) and the player to my left caps it, the button calls four cold, one of the blinds comes along, the limper doesn’t fold, the dealer calls, a crow caws, and we end up going to the flop six ways for a cap. Not really what I had in mind when I tried to isolate with 9 high. The flop comes down 973 with one club and it checks to me and since I have poor relative position I decide to donk into the preflop raiser in the hopes that he will raise and the rest of the field will have to call two bets cold. I don’t necessarily think I have the best hand, but I think this is the best way for me to limit the field. Unfortunately, he just calls, as do the button and the player to my right. On the bright side, the chances of me having the best hand have drastically increased. The turn card is the 7 of clubs, giving me a flush draw. I bet and everybody calls. The river is the Jack of clubs, I bet my flush, the PFR folds and now the button raises all in for 1.5 big bets total and shows me… Q5 of clubs. Well, you can’t fold that hand for four bets cold preflop!

I did start to make a comeback after five hours of torture. Someone limped in with AA and let me see the flop for one bet with A5 of hearts (which I would fold to an under the gun raise) and I wound up making a flush. Then I switched tables to an action game and picked up my own pair of Aces in a button straddle pot that went off five ways for five bets preflop and somehow held up on a 63325 run out.

Just like that, I was fast approaching even. But it wouldn’t last. After having a period of run good, I cooled off completely and found myself stuck $500 again. I picked up AA three more times during this stretch and lost with two of them, including this interesting hand:

I raise after one limper in early position and go five ways to the 882 rainbow flop. The early limper donks into me and I have three players to act behind me. This board is about as dry as it gets, so it creates an interesting spot. It seems better to try and let some players call behind with very little equity, rather than raising and likely getting it heads up. Plus, the flop bettor could always have an 8. And after I call on the turn and river, that is what he shows me. This wasn’t interesting because I lost the hand, but because the best line on the flop wasn’t clear to me.

From this point on, I was on fire. After falling back down to -$500, I hardly lost a pot the rest of the night. Unfortunately, I also stopped taking notes on my key hands. I do know that I had 80% of a Royal Flush twice with cards to come and did not hit the massive jackpots, but… I did win both hands.

Ultimately, I ended up finishing the day up $890 after being down $800 at one point – without the aid of any jackpots. It’s one of the best comebacks I’ve ever made and really illustrates how key it is to keep your cool when things are going miserably. I’m not sure I’ve ever turned a four rack loss into a four rack win. Five years ago I probably would have left this session four hours into it and booked a substantial loss. These days I’m significantly better at weathering the storm and staying composed as I get throttled, trying to appreciate the challenge of it and find the humor in the run bad. I really feel this ability to play my A-game during brutal stretches is one of my biggest edges today.

So my goal with these session blogs is to do a couple of week and last night I didn’t take any notes for my $20/$40 limit hold em session at Fortune, but there were three hands that I don’t need any help remembering and really feel the need to share:

Hand #1

Hi jack opens, a player I don’t have a ton of experience with but I imagine is quite good three bets on the button, the small blind calls and I have KK in the big blind. I decide to just flat. As I said, I don’t have much history with the button, but I know he’s astute and I feel like capping it here out of the big blind will really tip my hand strength. 

The flop spoils my dastardly plans by bringing an Ace, as well as a 6 and a 2 and two spades. I check to the cutoff and he leads right out; the button calls, small blind calls and I call, holding the King of spades in my hand. 

The turn pairs the Ace, which is a pretty good card for me, but I’m still playing defense and check it to the cutoff and he fires another bet and now the button springs to life with a raise.

The small blind folds and I go deep into the tank. I felt like I’m supposed to fold here. I really can’t imagine what hands the button is flatting, with two players behind him, on the flop that have me beat. Surely, he would be raising an Ace on the flop. The cutoff can definitely have an Ace, however. 

I wanted to fold, but I could feel something telling me I would regret it and, in the past, when these “easy” folding spots have come up and something doesn’t feel right, my instincts have almost always been correct. Unfortunately, I have made about 5-6 folds in substantial pots that I would have won and I almost always had this feeling beforehand. Like, folding seems standard, but something is off. It’s my instincts telling me: “DON’T DO IT!”

This time I decided to make the tough call and slid the $80 cold into the pot. I believe the cutoff folded and then the river bricked out and the action went check-check and I won the pot.

Hand #2

This is an insane hand. It’s especially crazy because I had logged a total of less than one hour lifetime with the villain in question to this point. I also rarely consciously use physical tells to make my poker decisions. Every once in a while they may factor in, but most of that is so subconscious that I’m not even aware of it. But I had noticed something about this player that I couldn’t help but inventory. He was a confident dude, to the point where I felt like he was bordering on cocky, but more importantly, he practically dripped with hubris when he was betting the best hand. 

So when he raised my big blind and I defended with the K3 of diamonds heads up, I checked it over to him on the 752 rainbow flop and I couldn’t help but notice that when he bet, that glaring cockiness was missing.

Time to execute: I check-raised. 

He called and I led into him on the 9 of hearts turn, which opened up a backdoor heart draw. My read was really being challenged when he decided to raise me. Again, his strength wasn’t convincing, but I had King high with literally no draw. I felt like I should probably just fold and give it up, but what’s the point of picking up these tells if you aren’t going to utilize the information? I really believed what I detected was true, so I went ahead and three bet him. He called pretty quickly.  Shit.

The river was a 2 of hearts, completing the backdoor flush and pairing the board. There was a chance that he rivered a flush and I felt like he would never ever fold a better hand than me at this point, so I just checked it over to him. Would I call a bet here? Absolutely. Sure, it may feel like a torch, but I’ve come too far now. I didn’t have to call though because he checked behind.

I announced, “King high.”

He waited me out, so I said, “is it good?”

He asked, “King high flush?”

I said, “no. King high.”

I tabled it and…

…he mucked!

Don’t try this at home, kids.

Hand #3

I have moved back to the third $20/$40 game at this point and I am playing four-handed near the end of my session when this hand comes up. 

 The button opens, a really bad player in in the small blind calls, and I defend with A7 offsuit. 

 The flop comes 752 with two hearts (I have the Ace of hearts) and the small blind leads out. Obviously, I have an easy raise here, but I also have a massive amount of intel on the small blind at this point.

 In the past, I’ve seen him donk the flop with top pair hands and quality draws – this will be important later.

 So I raise and now the button three bets it and we both call. 

 The turn card is a beautiful Ace of spades and we check to the button; he bets, the small blind calls, I check-raise, and they both call. 

 The river is a 6 and now the small blind leads out. Okay, now I’m officially perplexed. My first instinct is to call. When I’ve seen the small blind lead out on the big bet streets he has been pretty nutted, so flatting and trying to get an overcall from the button made a lot of sense to me – it may save me a bet or two when I’m no good and it will probably win me the same amount when I have the best hand. 

 But then I really started thinking about it and realized that his most likely drawing hand was 43 and that hand made a straight on the turn and all he did was call twice then. 

So I raised. I didn’t think about it long enough. 

The button folded and then the small blind three bet me. I mean, this is basically a fold now. I think if I thought longer about the river and realized that this player can actually show up with a hand as bad as 66 here or that he may have started with 98 of hearts, I would have determined that calling was my best line. 

He didn’t have either of those hands. I reluctantly made the call and he showed 98 offsuit. Ouch. 

 I had never seen him bet the flop with a draw that weak, so I wasn’t even considering the 98, but for whatever reason I overlooked the fact that he could have 98 of hearts and because of that I cost myself an extra $80.

On the bright side, it was a pretty amazing session for me considering I spent about 8 of my 9.5 hours in very bad, super nitty lineups. I ran pretty good in one of the worst $20/$40 games I’ve ever played in – so bad, I would probably play something else if I didn’t get off to such a hot start. Plus, for whatever reason, I have a tendency to get unwarranted action even from normally tight players. All in all, I was pretty happy to book a +$1445 win under these conditions.