The Bat Cave

2:30 PM: Perfect timing. Walked into Palace as they are putting chips on the table to start a 7-handed $15/$30 game and immediately get a seat.

One limper and I’m setting the tone on the first hand with a button raise with 76hh and the big blind 3-bets me. 3-ways to 943hh flop and I cap with the big blind. My free card/value raising play doesn’t slow him down and I call on ten turn and fortunately my massive draw comes in with one of my disguised straight outs and I get a double bet from my opponent on the river.

Peaking!

2:36 PM: Today’s starting lineup: The Flea, bad semi-reg, new player that is obnoxious in a small sample, nitty reg, John Stockton (the assist leader!), Part-Time, and another Palace reg.

Early, favorable clash with The Flea as I open with ATss and he 3-bets from the big blind. Flop is KTTdd and he bet-calls and then donk-calls Jd turn. River is a blank and he says, “dang it, I missed,” and checks. He’s all about playing games so it’s up to me to determine if he’s trying to induce a bet with AQ or not; I’m positive he doesn’t have a flush but I could see him playing AQ this way. I go for the bet because checking back is pretty criminal, he calls and my hand is good.

But he evens the score pretty quickly. We cap pre when I open QQ from the cutoff and he’s in the big blind. Flop is QTx and he check-calls before leading out when an ace turns. I pop him and he calls and catches a magic jack river, leads out and I lose to his AK. He then starts blabbing about how he had the best hand the whole way and should have 3-bet me on the turn… standard Flea speak. I, of course, due my extensive mum poker training, say nothing.

The new player in the three seat that I said seems obnoxious is saying something about me “raising his big blind three fucking times in a row” and that means I will be raising his next big blind like 80% of the time because if I’m getting under someone’s skin, I’m going to stay there as long as I can.

3:53 PM: Here’s a standard Flea move that drives me nuts: I check and some absurd amount of time goes by and he finally asks the dealer if I did anything. Yes bud. I did something. I don’t need the camera to stop on me for 20 seconds every time the action is on me. Let’s fucking go. I would absolutely hate playing with this guy if i didn’t enjoy seeing him lose so much. It’s a delicate balance.

We are 7-handed now and it’s a weak seven. This game is on the ropes but this is a group I would love to play some 6-handed, no chopping poker with.

🙏🏻 Poker Gods

3:59 PM: Some fun pictures from this past week.

Here’s The Joker:

Can you even imagine what is going through his head when he picks that hat out and leaves his house? Or how he walked into a store somewhere and decided that’s the hat he wanted to buy?

Here’s The Riddler:

If someone said The Riddler rode a motorcycle I think I would have bet my entire bankroll on the NO. It’s not Halloween and April Fool’s Day was three weeks ago, so… this is an actual thing?

4:25 PM: Pretty amazing when two people I have never said a word to in my life are openly rooting against me in every pot I play. Can’t say I mind, I just don’t get it. Quiet, confident and aggressive must just be an annoying combination to some people. 🤷🏻‍♂️

4:51 PM: We have a cry baby! The two guys rooting against me limp in and I limp along on button with A9o. Flop is K9x with two clubs and the first guy limps, Flea pump fakes a raise and calls and I call behind. Same action on blank turn. Like exact same, pump fake and all. I don’t see a good reason to fold here so I call and spike the 9 on the river. Dude still leads, Flea calls, and I raise. First guy goes into a 60 second fit before calling and Flea folds KJ face up. Other guy hasn’t stopped crying about that hand since and immediately racked up his chips like losing one hand on the river was just too much to handle.

Thanks for not raising, Flea!

5:01 PM: Might have just broke the game with that A9 hand. Seat three racked up and is now MIA and Flea just cashed out.

That leaves us in special no chopping territory.

I open J2dd (👀) from the cut and John Stockton defends his big. He donks on the 832 one diamond flop and I have a debatable raise here but I just call. Turn is a pretty nice ace of diamonds and he still bets which is sort of comical. This is obviously a great card for both my range and my actual hand, so I raise it and he snap calls. River 8 of diamonds! He check-calls and I win the pot with my flush.

Sigh.

This game broke.

What to do…

These players are talking about starting a 2/5 spread game and the last thing I’m going to do is support the birth of that game from the ashes of my 15/30 game.

I’ve said many times I don’t want that game at Palace because it seems like it would hurt the 15/30 game and, well, the first time they spread it I was in a full 15/30 and half my table left for 2/5 and we didn’t even play another hand the rest of the night. Needless to say I was fuming and I resisted the urge to blast the staff on my blog but not so much on Facebook.

I’m sure the game is plenty profitable and it might be worthwhile to jump in it, but I’d rather just see it die and go away.

Seems like my current options are play 8/16 and hope 15/30 starts back up later, fight through traffic to play 20/40 at Fortune, or go home.

5:38 PM: Looks like +$610 for 15/30 and I’m third up for 8/16. I’m gonna leave my chips on the table in the hopes this game starts again later.

6:11 PM: Just sat down in 8/16. Lineup: John Stockton, The Man’s wife, decent 15/30 reg, three players I don’t know, and two Palace regs I know as 4/8 players.

6:49 PM: 15/30 is about to restart. I have to admit… the list looks pretty unappetizing.

On the bright side, some good news: apparently J.Cole has a new album coming out at midnight (9 PM Pacific) tonight. This is pretty notable because J.Cole is a top five rapper currently. Can’t wait to see what he has in store!

7:02 PM: Ugh. Rough game start here. Bingo Man flaked now six players, including The Queen 🤦🏻‍♂️, are sitting here twiddling their thumbs. If this doesn’t get off the ground, I’m going home.

7:07 PM: Restarting 5-handed. And it’s weak. Someone might need to find a real job.

7:19 PM: So here I am playing 6-handed 15/30 and Taz, His Airness, Bingo Man and four other players that have played in this game are all still in 8/16. Such a bad omen.

7:42 PM: Full game now and The Atom is on his way here to ruin my J.Cole listening party.

Missing flush draws like a boss today.

8:52 PM: Nothing exciting to report. Game is pretty subpar. The Atom is in the game now, sitting as far away from me as possible and J.Cole’s album should be available in about five minutes, so he should be seat-changing over my way any minute.

A hand: bad player limps, I try to iso from the button and both blinds raise me. Who knows what they have because everyone checks to me on KTx flop and the preflop capper check-folds. The small blind ends up calling me down after I fill up and I’m still up for a high hand with 5.5 minutes to go.

9:10 PM: Folds to me on the button with The Atom in the big blind. I look at him and he’s shaking his head no. I look down at JJ and shake my head yes. Raise it! He defends. Flop is 655 and he check-calls. Turn is a blank and I think I get check-raised a decent amount here so I’m not surprised when it happens. The dynamic here might call for a 3-bet but it has been a long time since I’ve played with The Atom and bluffing in this spot is something I haven’t seen much, so I give him some credit and call down. River is a 9 and he says “9” and I table my hand and it’s good.

John Kim just walked in and saw me typing and said he knows exactly what I’m doing every hand because he’s been reading my blog.

You know nothing, Jon Snow.

Also, Apple Music is picking a great time to malfunction. J.Cole listening party on hold.

9:38 PM: What. The. Hell. Tight-solid player opens and I 3-bet AJss on button, bad player calls from the blinds, and the nit caps it. Flop J95, nit bets, I flat, and so does the other player. Turn is a ten and they both check to me. I bet, call, tight player check-raises, I snap fold (?!), and the other player calls him down on blank river. He rolls AQ high and the loose player wins with 54.

HUH?

This is what I like to call a protected pot. Meaning, because of the presence of the loose player, bluffing in the tight player’s spot makes zero sense. You see what he got called down by. That’s why you don’t make moves like this in spots like this. You show the calling stations the best hand, not try to power your way through pots with fancy plays.

I know it’s my own fault for folding here but it’s a total boneheaded play that cost him two extra big bets and cost me the entire pot.

10:38 PM: Raise under the gun with AQss, next player calls, maybe a blind. Flop is AQx; I bet and he calls. Turn Queen; I bet and he calls. 8 on river and we have life! We wind up putting in four bets each on the river and he shows me… AQ. 😴😴😴

This one’s more exciting: bad player limps, I raise KQss on button, small blind 3-bets and the bad player caps. Flop is queen high with two spades and we cap it again. Turn jack of spades and the bad player is check-calling now and does so again when the queen pairs on the river. My flush beats his KK.

Scrappy Doo in the game.

12:14 AM: I’m running pretty hot. Flush draws coming in, getting free cards in raised multiway pots with 44 on K65 and going running 3-7. Running pure! Which is fortunate because I’ve been completely checked out of the game.

One thing I have noticed is that the tight-solid player seems to be on a different gear tonight. Not sure what’s going on. I’ve seen him drunk before and he’s not drunk, but he’s definitely playing like he is.

I saw him cap flop and cap turn on QT56 board with the table fish and couldn’t beat QT at showdown and then on the hand I had 44 on K6537 he bet river with A7 after five people put money in on the turn.

I feel pretty comfortable pegging him as a nit but he’s playing way outside the box the last few hours.

2:01 AM: Done updating for the night. Obviously using my remaining energy to focus on the hands I’m playing and not writing about them. I will post a final update when I cash out, which will be soon.

2:12 AM: Well this hand I have to talk about. Scrappy Doo raises, someone calls, drunk guy 3-bets, Part-Time calls and I defend 98hh in the big. Flop is T66 and I check-call a bet and three of us see the magic 7 on the turn. I check-raise and only Part-Time calls. 30/60 Overs now, 5 on river and he donks. WHAT?! I am perplexed. It’s an absolutely horrible lead if he has me beat. It makes no sense. So I have to raise, right? I pull the trigger and he snap-calls with 55.

What? How? Why?

Solid unbelievable runout at the tail end of my night. I mean wtfffffffff.

3:09 AM: Finished +$1258 for the day which seems good since I had a solid stretch where I seemingly lost every hand on the river, including that absurd 98 vs 55 (a $660 swing!).

We have a medical consultation in Kirkland at 1 PM tomorrow so it looks like I will finally put in my first session of 2018 at Fortune.

Schedule for this week going as planned. I showed up for PLO @ Palace last night and played what was probably my worst poker of the year. I finished -$800, which doesn’t seem too bad, but I played less than four hours and I felt like I gave it away. I got pretty unlucky once when I flopped a set of tens on a dry board vs a set of kings against a relatively short stack, but the rest of my session I lost chips in spots that were entirely unnecessary and I basically punted my last $150 because… I wanted to leave? I had another $1200 in black chips in my pocket, but the game was quite bad – no His Airness, Mister Magoo was unimpressed with the game also and left early, and Hit&Run didn’t show up until I was over it. Plus, I wasn’t playing good, so I made the wise decision to leave, even though I was 3rd (and possibly 1st) up for the $15/$30 game. Eh. Chalk up the loss and come back the next day when I can start fresh and give it my best.

Everything else aside, I was pretty happy to see the $15/$30 game going with a strong list, but I got word that it broke before midnight, which is not great.

I have an hour massage at 1 PM and then I’m heading straight to the casino. There are currently two 8/16 games going with four players waiting for 15/30 and I’m hoping by the time I get there at a little after 2 PM, they will be pretty close to starting 15/30.

Check back here around 2:30 for live updates!

2:22 PM: And we’re off! There are now three 8/16 games going with only five names on the 15/30 list and it’s not a list that looks like it’s going to start anytime soon. It’s still early though!

I’ll be keeping an eye on what’s happening at Fortune, but I probably won’t end up going there. I stopped taking the medication I use for anxiety a week or two ago and I can feel it trying to creep back when I’m driving, particularly when things get congested. I have zero desire to use meds as a crutch for the rest of my life so this is a problem I’m trying to face head on and hope I can just beat it into submission.

Alas, Fortune has two 20/40 going but I probably won’t be driving there by myself today, even if 8/16 ends up being my only option.

2:30 PM: Solid start to my 8/16 session. I pick up AK in the cutoff first hand, raise it up, peel on Q43 rainbow, jack it up on king turn and check back against two opponents on 9 river, that also brings in a backdoor flush… and small blind tables a set of threes.

No blog regulars in my starting lineup. Only one player in the game that I have any significant history with – maybe even three that I have zero hands with.

3:07 PM: Third game broke and I just moved from a bad main game to what seems like a good feeder. Three regulars in this game, none with nicknames though, and still three players I’ve never seen before.

Flopped a set of 5s against an obvious overpair for a big pot and then got two big bet streets of value with 88 (no diamond) on QT3ddd49 against someone that was basically playing his AK face by capping pre and checking every street postflop.

Still only five names on 15/30 list. 😐

Almost missed him… FBI Guy is in my game.

3:47 PM: Every once in a while I go through a little funk where I feel like I’m suffering from what I can only term as “poker depression.” This can obviously happen when you’re getting creamed for an extended period of time, but right now I feel like I’m experiencing it because the games have been kind of blah lately. The 15/30 still isn’t close to starting and I’m sitting in a rather lame 8/16 game. The Queen just sat on my immediate left and I opened with 87hh and she was my only caller and I never bet against her, so I turn an open-ended straight flush draw but she ends up winning showdown with queen high. It’s moments like that where I think: what the fuck am I even doing here? I don’t want to play 8/16 and I definitely don’t want to play in a below average 8/16 game.

This would be a good example of why poker pros advise against other people quitting their jobs to play poker. It it usually more grueling than glamorous. The bonus of doing this for a living is that I don’t have to be here if I don’t want to be, but my volume is already low lately, so… guess I’m gonna grind it out and hope that 15 game gets off the ground at a decent time.

4:03 PM: Complain about the game condition and right on cue: under the gun opens, two call, MP 3-bets, I call 99 from SB and it gets capped five or six ways. Under the gun checks a J76 flop and the preflop 3-bettor bets flop. I’m next to act and I can check-raise the rest of the field out possibly, but I feel I’m against two strong ranges and I’ve seen UTG player check big hands on the flop plenty of times, so I’m going to play my hand like a weak draw for the time being. Everyone calls.

Turn is a three and it checks to MP again and, interestingly, she pauses and hesitates long enough before betting that I think she’s weak here. I call and so does everyone else.

River pairs the three and I check-call after she snap bets river and one other player also calls. She tables 76 for a counterfeit two pair, I table my hand and it’s good.

Kind of weird that I picked up weakness when she was actually strong and kind of hilarious that she fires river against four opponents when her hand crumbles to pieces.

But yeah, when people are 3-betting 76 suited when three people have already voluntarily raised and called, the game might actually be pretty decent.

4:26 PM: I’ve noticed a certain phenomena with a particular player. He plays pretty well overall, but flies completely off the handles in pots against me.

Last time I played 15/30, I sat down and he had five racks and lost almost all of it to me in spots where I was thinking “what are you doing?”

Two examples from today:

We put in four bets on 733hh flop in a 3-way pot, turn 5, I call, river 7, we all check and he has a total airball and I win with A6hh.

Just now, he limps utg, I raise TT, a tighter player 3-bets small blind, and I put the cap on five ways. Flop is 853 and everyone check-calls me. Turn pairs the 3 and my new best friend donks and I raise the rest of the field out. He sort of chuckles and then 3-bets me and I call. River is a blank and we both check. He shows J4hh and there is only one heart on the board.

Huh? I promise we are not brothers and I pray he doesn’t read my blog.

Always amusing when someone is trying to outplay one person when the pot is multiway.

4:48 PM: Taz showing off his spazzy side here. He opens, I 3-bet 88 and he caps with four other players sticking around. Flop is sexy: QJ8ss. He, and some others, check-call when jack pairs on turn and then Taz check-raises 4s river and caps when I 3-bet and I’m a bit perplexed but when he tables 44 it makes some sense I guess?

Is it too late to erase my whining earlier?

5:11 PM: Just finished +$601 in that “bad” 8/16 game and 15/30 is now starting 8-handed.

Starting lineup: random that looks splashy, bad reg I know from Kitsap, another wild player, a nitty reg on my left, Taz, FBI Guy, and the dude that keeps leveling himself against me.

5:29 PM: We’ve seen how my buddy plays his air, let’s take a look at a big hand:

I raise one limper with AQo and this guy 3-bets from big blind and I cap it. Three or four of us to KK8dd flop and they all check to me. I decide to bet with Ad in my hand and two check-call. Turn is a diamond and I check back. River ace of clubs and I call a bet from big blind and he shows KQcc.

Obviously super aware of his image.

6:01 PM: Good read on the guy in s1. He opens from MP and ends up showing me a set of deuces, which is whatever, but just now, one player limps, he raises cutoff, I call KJo (mistake; should 3-bet given read) and check-call him on QQ33 and river is another queen and I wind up chopping with his 72o.

🤤🤤🤤

6:52 PM: Going out of my way to mix it up with s1 by 3-betting the 65dd and wind up riling Taz up instead. He calls it cold from the small blind and I c-bet A74 rainbow flop. They both call and the turn is a jack. This is a clear check. So obviously I bet and get check-raised before rivering the nuts.

There’s an important takeaway here: just because you won a hand doesn’t mean you played it well. Taz is never folding the turn here and I’m never bluffing my way to victory, so my turn bet is just a pure torch. It’s okay to find mistakes in hands you won.

7:17 PM: Second 15/30 game about to start. Maybe it’s the whole people have jobs thing that is going on during the day. 😂

8:04: John Stockton with another big pot assist. I open KJ and he 3-bets button. I call and check-raise KJ3 flop and he 3-bets. I expect to get a check-raise in on turn frequently so I just call. Turn pairs the king, giving me the nuts, and I think this is a card he can actually check back, so I lead and, if he does have a hand like AK, he’s going to raise anyway. That’s what happens and I get 3-bets in again. River is a blank that brings running spades in and he raises me again! I raise and he winds up tabling QTss. I mean, pretty unlucky connection for him, but goodness he just blasts off chips to me. No caution.

8:41 PM: Back-to-back monster pots:

Multiple limpers, there’s a raise, I call 66 on button, Taz 3-bets small blind, and it gets capped six ways. Flop is KT6 with two hearts and it’s capped four ways. Turn is a jack and Taz is still leading. Two calls. I’m getting worried about a set but I still have to raise here. He snap 3-bets, Kitsap player calls, and I’m bowing down into call mode now. River is a Q and it goes bet and raise in front of me and I have a trivial fold. They split. Taz AQhh and Kitsap player AJ.

Next hand Taz is on mega steam and straddles button with all the raises lined up ready to go in. Callers in front of me and how lucky can I be to look down at AA? I raise and I know I’m getting five bets in five ways pre. 🙌🏻

Flop KQT. Hate it. It goes bet and raise in front of me and my hand has been reduced to call down mode already. Turn is uglier: 9. I call and I’m heads up to river which brings in the spade draw and gets me a free showdown vs AJ.

9:03 PM: John Stockton to the rescue! One limp, fold tells behind me, I raise A8ss, and it’s four of us to 864 flop. Stockton leads, I raise, and still four of us to king turn. They all check-call me. River is another 8 and Stockton decides to go for the ole check-raise instead of leading out and allows me to get three bets in again. But wait! This is John Stockton we’re talking about here. Hall of Famer. All-time assist leader! He caps it and rolls over 87 for the L.

9:17 PM: Holy shit I’m running bad with big hands. Just got four bets in pre with TT and run it into KQ on QJTJQ. 🤦🏻‍♂️

9:34 PM: I’m having a decent 15 session but only because John Stockton keeps showing up with the sick alley-oop passes.

Okay, I have now flopped a set with three straight pocket pairs and this time I got the win despite another ugly runout: 76289. Fortunately I got it to heads up after the flop and I’m pretty sure they had a flush draw only.

10:13 PM: Feeder game is off the chains right now, with chips flying into the pot like crazy. Taz just left my game to go there and we picked up a bad reg and…

Snowflake.

As far as I know, Snowflake is the best limit hold’em player that still resides in Washington state. I’ve only played with him a handful of times but I’ve heard he’s a solid winner in limits as high as 100/200 that he plays when he goes to Commerce. The few times I have played with him, I have been impressed. He’s not a tight-solid abc type of player – he’s in there exploiting. Definitely not someone I’m happy to see sit down at my table.

10:53 PM: Joker at my table now. I raise under the gun with AA and he 3-bets and we are heads up so I just call. 30/60 Overs now. I check-raise him on 995 and he calls. Turn is a 4; I bet and he raises. Wonderful. Got him right where I want him. I 3-bet. Then he caps it. Really? If he caps here with KK-TT he’s just an idiot so now I have to think I’m beat and just call down and he shows me the T9cc, a great hand to attack my weak under the gun opening range.

😴😴😴

11:43 PM: Made the mistake of bringing up hip-hop with Snowflake and we haven’t stopped talking rap music for an hour now.

I’m running pretty bad. Lost flush under flush and then this gem.

Cutoff opens, Scrappy Doo raises button and I cap QQ. Flop is QJx and I check-raise Scrappy and they both call. Turn is a 9; I bet, cutoff calls, Scrappy Doo raises, I 3-bet and the cutoff ca- wait… what’s he doing? Capping? This nit is capping it?! Noooo! Scrappy folds and I check-call river and lose to KT.

I’m close to even for this 15/30 game which is bittersweet. I’m losing with some monster hands so I guess I’m somewhat thankful I’m still up?

12:48 AM: Flop a set of 7s against Snowflake and he doesn’t even call me with top pair on the river.

Raise one limper with AK and the small blind donks out on A24 two diamonds and then check-raises me on the turn while doing that thing where he’s showing his neighbor his cards like “can you believe this fucking hand I have?” I suppose that could be my cue to fold, but I have an ace and a king so I call. River king. It would be way too passive to not raise here so I go ahead and do that I’m happy when he just calls and unhappy whenhe tables 53.

1:44 PM: Snowflake and I seem to have a lot in common. Girl next to us is trying to describe some tool to us so we can tell her what it is and we are both like “I dunno,” and Snowflake says “the only things I know about are music, movies, and sports. And poker.”

And I’m like:

Did we just become best friends?

2:11 AM: No, I think not. He opens cut, I 3-bet KK and we get it capped on T65 two clubs and I feel like I should be calling down now because I think my range looks super strong and he should know that. He barrels off on A and T run out and shows me… KQ of clubs, which is a bit surprising.

2:21 AM: Been waiting for this to happen: I missed the action up until showdown, but The Flea is out of position on the river on a king high board and it goes check-check and he turns QQ face up and places a chip on his card to tip the dealer as he pushes his cards forward and… the other player turns over KT.

YES. He’s had that coming for a while.

Well, this session is just never going to get off the ground. I 3-bet QQ and someone caps it. Flop is T85 and I’m the only bettor. The preflop capper calls me down before raising me on a final board of T8566 and I call and lose to TT. I am now stuck about $20 in this 15/30 session and I’m ready to call it a night.

2:50 AM: From The Joker:

😂😂😂😂😂

3:28 AM: Cashed out +$136 for the 15/30 session and finished +$737 for the day. I guess a decent result considering how many monster hands I lost with in the bigger game.

Not really sure what my plan is tomorrow. We are supposed to go out with my wife’s side of the family but she was sick tonight and if she needs to stay home I’m not really sure how that will affect our day. Next for sure blog will be on Sunday for the $225 tournament!

3:19 PM: A little bit of a late arrival to Palace. We slept in ridiculously late for no good reason.

I ended up taking Tuesday off, as planned, but did play ten tournaments on Global Poker and managed one measly cash.

I also took Wednesday off from live poker but ended up playing on Global again. I got off to a similarly terrible start and was 0-6 while making decent runs in my last two events standing. Well, those ended up very well:

That makes 11 or 12 titles on Global and both of those scores were my best ever on the site. I also won 300 big blinds playing $1/$2 PLO and $0.25/$0.50 PLO cash games. All in all, a pretty great day online which has my Global bankroll at its peak and primed to play in their $200K GTD $540 event this Sunday – with an amazingly deep (1000 bigs to start!) structure.

Last night The Leak and I attended the Seattle Mariners home opener for the sixth consecutive year.

What a game! King Felix was amazing, going 5+ scoreless against a very good Indians team and Corey Kluber’s one mistake to Nelson Cruz was the difference in the game, a 2-1 Mariners win! Great way to start the year, edging out one of the two best starting pitchers in the American League.

3:49 PM: Started off with a $4/$8 warmup and played a fun hand where I 3-bet AQhh multiway from the small blind, call a cap, check-call J98hJ board and shrug-call blank river heads up and win against king high – and then spent the next ten minutes getting berated by that player, before leaving for $15/$30.

$15/$30 starting lineup: lady that had been coming in recently then disappeared for a while, Chief Wiggum, a rather annoying non-reg that Hollywoods almost every hand, a total unknown, a classic maniac, and a couple of nits.

4:50 PM: Nothing too exciting so far. We lost the maniac already, which sucks. I’ve picked off some bluffs and have a little sugar right now.

Dealer is asking me if I have any nicknames for seat four and I don’t. Not because he’s not deserving of one – he is quite special – but just because he doesn’t play much. The dealer suggested “The Pest” or “The Flea” because he super annoying. I won’t say who this dealer was, but it definitely was NOT The Man’s wife. Seriously, I don’t even think she works today.

I think my most interesting hand came against seat 4 when I opened button with QTo. Flop is KTx and we both check. Turn is a blank and he checks, acts like he’s going to fold, and then says, “maybe I can suck out” and calls. River is a ten. He checks and feigns fold again and snap calls when I beat and shows how unlucky he got with K4. Almost played me like a fiddle!

Speaking of fleas, it has been a few weeks since I’ve seen The Tick in here. Please come back! It will turn around, buddy!

5:14 PM: Hmmm… maybe he is The Flea. I open cutoff with JJ, Flea 3-bets big blind and I cap. Flop is ATx, he leads, and I call. Turn king, he bets and I call. River ace, we both check, he turns over K6ss and puts a $1 on his cards to tip the dealer before I do anything – a move straight out of the Douchebag Handbook.

Some wonder how I can have a win rate so high in this game and it’s literally because people go out their way to give me chips.

6:00 PM: I guess Palace is spreading PLO on Fridays @ 6 PM now. When I got here I put my name up, but I thought I was signing up for next Wednesday. Not planning to hop in at the moment, but I may change my mind after comparing the lineups.

I’m a bit of a weirdo when it comes to stuff like this. I came to the casino planning to play $15/$30 LHE and it’s really unlikely I’ll switch gears now and play PLO out of the blue.

But some lineups you can’t resist. There is already one player sitting down that is really good at PLO, so I’m leaning no at the moment.

6:15 PM: Just got back from my second run to the gas station to get The Leak something for her allergies and incoming cold and pick up JJ on my second hand and… go running quads to secure the top High Hand spot with 5.5 minutes left. Leggo!

6:37 PM: Naw. I’m not calling him The Flea. It fits but someone has to be Hollywood and this guy is the biggest actor I come across here.

Hollywood straddles, big defends, I 3-bet QTss and they both call. Flop is Q43 two diamonds and one spade, I bet, Hollywood raises, big calls, I 3-bet and they both call. Turn is 9s, I bet and both call. River is a lovely ace of spades, I bet and Hollywood raises. I reraise and he goes into his whole routine and feigns a muck which I thought meant he was eventually capping it… but then he did something weird… and folded.

Also, ship that High Hand for +$220!

7:33 PM: Couple of tough pots in a row. I have QQ in the big blind and the lead on JT9dd6d (with Qd) in a pot that was capped pre and 3-bets on flop. I get two callers there and the river is an ace. I check, UTG bets, and the cutoff calls. This is also the first street that’s been in Overs, so I’m facing a $60 bet. Kind of painful but I just don’t think I’m ever good here. I fold and AA beats TT. 😮

Very next hand, there’s some limping, button raises, I 3 with the KQhh from SB and all call. Flop is QT6 two diamonds. I bet, Hollywood raises, cutoff cold calls, I 3, Hollywood caps and we all see diamond turn. I check-call. I check ten river, Hollywood checks, cutoff bets, I call, Hollywood raises and I end up folding. Hollywood wins with J9dd.

8:00 PM: It’s always fun when you can sense the whole table rooting against you. Audible groans from people that weren’t even in the hand when I win a pot. Someone turning over an ace high when I give up on the river and someone else not in the hand chiming in with a giddy “that’s good!”

And just now, a “get him” when the third player in the pot folds.

I’m not complaining. I actually really do enjoy it.

🤷🏻‍♂️

8:26 PM: Just ran AQ into 66 on Q64 flop. I am basically even… with the High Hand… which makes the fact that multiple people are openly rooting against me all the more hilarious. I mean… I’m used to it when I’m crushing, but not as much when I’m running really mediocre.

9:40 PM: This place is about to riot because there are 19 players on the list for $15/$30 and they are not starting a second game. There are four $8/$16 games going and basically the whole list is in those games.

I have to admit, if I showed up late and got locked out with 19 on the list and there was no second game in sight… I’d probably just start going to Fortune instead. I’m not making a recommendation but there’s no way I’d be cool with that.

Man, I’ve had this situation where s7 opens from the cutoff and I’m the only caller from the big blind come up about five times and every single time he’s flopped top pair or better. I’ve had top and middle pair a few times and every time I think he can’t always have it and he always does.

And with that latest matchup, I am now stuck… and this game sucks. There are no spewers. No maniacs. No world beaters either, but still.

And as I type that, there’s a straddle and a 5-way pot for three beats each. 😂

9:54 PM: Some odd Overs dynamics: under the gun limp and I reluctantly check the JTdd. Flop is Q99 and I’m actually planning to check-raise, but he checks back. I’m obviously bluffing the turn here but hey, I just made a straight and there’s less than $25 in the pot. I think it’s clear he’s rarely calling $60, so I check again and he checks back. River is an ace and I didn’t take this line to start betting now. I check, he bets $60 and I can’t even contain my grin at the hilarity of it. I raise and he snap-calls and I somehow get him to put $120 into a $22 pot on the river. 💪🏻

10:05 PM: Here it is again: s7 opens cutoff and I defend AQhh heads up. I check-call down on KQ3J6 and he shows KJ.

Every time? EVERY TIME?

I am up less than $100 overall and I’m probably down $500 in this defend vs cutoff scenario alone.

10:45 PM: I am putting on a clinic on how to lose money playing out of position tonight. Two limps, button raises, I 3-bet AQ and they all call. Flop is TT8 with two clubs and I check-call button and three of us see 6c turn. I have Ac so this is an easy check-call. We are heads up and the river is a queen. I think leading has merit but I end up check-calling another $60 and he shows me the T9hh. Sigh.

11:25 PM: The Joker is at Run It Up Reno and just bagged 188k (47 bigs) in the Main Event, which is way more exciting than anything happening at my table. Good luck Pesky!

11:35 PM: Running AWESOME! I’m straddling on the button because this game is trash right now and needs action. Hollywood calls and says “oh, he straddled, I raise!” but dealer won’t let him, someone else raises, I look down at KK and know I can get five bets in without revealing my hand strength so I call and they put the bets in for me. They both check to me on 754 flop and Hollywood check-raises and caps when I 3-bet and the other player is in there too. Turn is a 6 and we all check. River is a 3. A fucking 3. And I have to chop this pot with AQ and KQ. Solid lines from both these champions.

I mean they are both trying pretty hard to torch off their chips here but I think I have to bet the turn. They both raised and reraised preflop and I can have anything, especially straights. That makes this a mandatory turn bet for my range, even if it’s not a great card for my actual hand. Plus, when they both check, I have no good reason to think I’m beat anyway. KQ turned a flush draw but maybe the AQ folds?

The dealer from earlier said she likes The Flea better. She’s right. Hollywood doesn’t even come close to describing how annoying this dude is.

11:56 PM: Small victories! Seat 7 opens cutoff and I defend my big blind with 55. We’ve seen this about seven times already with the same outcome. Flop is 742 and I check-raise… he tanks long enough before calling that I know I got him this time. Turn 3, I bet and he folds! HE FOLDS!

Meanwhile, he has like $130 in front of him, which is goddamn amazing considering I’ve given him $500 of my own chips.

12:02 AM: Well it’s a new day now so they decided to finally start the second $15/$30 game. I’m on the move list because my game is epic bad, but if I move tables I won’t be able to take The Flea’s chips and that’s something I really want to do. It’s a close call. The other game is substantially better. At least three players worse than anyone in my current game.

12:07 AM: My mind is kind of blown right now. I said earlier that I haven’t seen The Tick in weeks. Well, he’s here. And he’s been here since before I got here. It’s funny… I was looking at him earlier and I thought That sure looks like a respectable version of The Tick. But I didn’t think it was actually him. It’s the first time I’ve seen him without a hat on and he’s wearing glasses. And he’s sticking to $8/$16. God bless him.

12:22 AM: Sigh. The good news is I moved to the second game. The bad news is someone I wanted to play with took my old spot. Then, after no one left my previous game for 3+ hours, two other players cashed out and took another player I wanted to play with. 🤦🏻‍♂️

There is still a maniac in the second game. I believe I called him The River Man in my last blog. Plus there’s another player I don’t recognize and that’s always a good thing. The rest of the table is filled out with decent regs, including The Invisible Man.

12:29 AM: Amazing! Another player left and now three of the four players I came over to play with are in my old game. Is this real? Seriously. No one left that game for the last 3+ hours and three people have left in the ten minutes since I switched tables. I swear, sometimes the poker gods just hate you.

12:51 AM: The bad news is The River Man is almost out of chips. The good news is he just doubled up. The bad news is he doubled upthrough me. 🤦🏻‍♂️

12:59 AM: I just saw something crazy. The River Man raised pre and everyone checked Q55. The turn was a ten and the big blind led out and The Invisible Man raised (after open-limping) and the big blind called. River was a blank and the big blind check-called and The Invisible Man shows KJ high. 😮😮😮 A stone cold three big bet bluff! Never seen that from him before. And apparently this detour from his comfort zone was too much to handle because he literally didn’t take another hand and cashed out instead.

1:40 PM: I was eating chicken wings while playing 6-handed so no updates, but Peter “The Joker” Lynn checked in from Reno with a printout of chip stacks after Day 1A of the Main Event:

Joker in 9th and some random with the chip lead.

8:34 AM: Whoops. Forgot to post a wrap up. Not a very good session. Never had any upward momentum. Any time I got ahead I’d lose pots. On the bright side, I didn’t lose pots all day either.

Final Score: -$90

3:42 PM: Just got to Palace and didn’t have to wait long to get in the $15/$30 game.

Unfortunately I hit snooze on my alarm at 10 AM this morning and next thing I know I’m waking up at 1:15 PM. Ugh.

$15/$30 had already started at that point and I took my sweet time getting there since I was 9th on the list.

When I arrived at 3:30 there were two games going and I was third up for the second game.

I helped them restart the second $8/$16 game and picked up AA under the gun on the first hand and had a $15/$30 seat by the time I was on the button. Starting my day off with $33 sugar!

Starting lineup in $15/$30 feeder: Taz, Part-Time, Elmer and Cobra; a tight-passive lady, a weaker semi-reg, a former reg that hasn’t been coming in much, and a Shelton area player that’s been coming in recently and playing drunk and high.

4:01 PM: Tilting people already. Open QJdd, one cold call, one blind defender. Flop is 982 rainbow with one diamond. I lead, the cold caller raises, blind calls, I 3-bet, he caps, and the SB folds now. I think my hand plays fine as a 3-bet here, even though I’m out of position with queen high. I have multiple weak draws that actually combine to a pretty robust holding that does well against 9x hands or straight draws. Turn pairs the 2 and I check-call. This is actually a great card if he has 98 as queens and jacks make me a winner. So I plan to donk those cards on the river and that’s what I do when I river a queen. He calls and I’m good vs A9.

4:37 PM: Open AQo early, get 3-bet, loose button calls, I call. Flop is AJ7 with two spades. I check-raise flop and get 3-bet, other player is still in. I feel like this is a call down spot, even when the ace pairs on the turn. River is a ten and I check-call and lose to AK.

Open button with KK and only Elmer defends. He donks 873 flop and I call. Turn is a 2, I raise, he calls. River king and he check-calls with JJ. Ugh. Definitely not my optimal line, especially against Elmer since he’s so likely to bet-call flop and still lead turn.

4:58 PM: Lots of movement in the $15/$30 games. I didn’t particularly want to move to the main game but here I am.

New lineup: nitty reg, tight-passive lady from feeder, unknown player, the King of fucking Pop, loud reg with halitosis (obv sitting next to me and obv talks all day long), BVR (!), and the former reg from last table.

Wow. I don’t think I’ll be here long. They keep sitting people I don’t know in the feeder game and people I don’t know are people I want to play with.

Or maybe not. One of those unknowns just got moved to my right and I also have position on the MJ impersonator so probably have to ride this out now.

5:18 PM: One limper, I raise AA on button, both blinds call. Flop is 873 and two players check-call. Dragon Breath donks on queen turn, other player calls, and I’m so confident he’s betting a naked queen that I feel very comfortable raising turn and then betting the 6 river for value when they both check. Both fold river though.

5:50 PM: OMG. Dragon Breath just breathed directly into my face. I don’t mean in my general direction, I mean 12 mph winds straight into my nostrils.

6:00 PM: Feeder game broke so pretty happy with my decision to move. I’ve been winning lots of smaller, uninteresting pots, with some unnecessary assistance from The King of Pop. I’m up a little over $900 already and it feels like I’ve barely done anything. The good life!

6:22 PM: Bad player limps, I raise Q5cc, button calls, four of us to JJ2 one club flop. I bet and two call. Turn is 3c and I barrel. Button calls and other player folds. River ten of clubs and I make my flush. I bet and he raises. Seems like a slowplayed jack to me and I only lose to JT, so I 3-bet, he caps and shows me J3ss. What. Pretty unfortunate because this runout was primed to tilt his shit into oblivion.

Woah. There’s a Joker here. He snuck in very quietly. He’s third up for $15/$30. Hopefully that means ~9 PM.

6:36 PM: Did I say it was smooth sailing? Well, I jinxed it. Open hijack with A5dd and only BVR calls on button. Flop is 654 one diamond. Perfect to check-call and let him bluff off. Unfortunately I don’t improve and he has the 87o for the nuts.

7:04 PM: The bad news is The King of Pop is busted, the good news is he punted his remaining stack to me. I have 87 in the blinds and peel T8x flop. Four of us to turn and I check-raise him when I make trips, he 3-bets and has like 1.5 big bets behind so I help him get the rest of it in, then I make a full house on the river and we’ll never know what he had.

Joker coming into the game now, two hours ahead of schedule, but on my direct right. This dude is carrying six racks of blue to the counter right now. Not even sure if he was in that game for an hour. Jesus.

7:17 PM: Unexpected surprise: haven’t really been paying attention to the list but someone just left and one of the bigger maniacs just sat down. Haven’t played much with him at $15/$30 so no name for him. I have him and Joker on my direct right so…. Jesus Seat.

Maniac wins battle #1: he limps, I raise TT and double barrel A326 and get check-raised. It would be a catastrophe to check back this turn against him, but I also don’t feel like I can call down on this board texture. I suppose I’m ahead of hands like 65, 64, 43, etc. but I’m sure he will provide me with plenty of better spots to take his chips. I fold and I don’t feel that bad about it.

8:02 PM: I went running one card flush with AJo in a 3-bet pot when BVR had AQ and turned a queen.

Maniac started with $1200 and is already down to $300 or so. I just got pretty lucky against him as I was typing this. Turning a straight with K9cc when he had QThh on 875hh board and dodging his redraws.

8:22 PM: The maniac torched off his $1200 stack in just over an hour. Of course, he got a lot of assistance from Joker and myself on his left constantly 3-betting him light (but way stronger than he’s opening) and punishing him.

9:07 PM: Tight-passive lady picks a great time to lose her mind. Maniac limps, I raise AA, she calls SB, big blind defends. Flop is T73, one spade and she’s my only caller. Turn is a 4 and she check-calls. River pairs the 4 and she check-raises. Last thing I ever expected after that amazing runout. I’m never good against this player, but wtf? I also can’t fold. She shows me 42 of spades. WOW! And whyyyyyy?

9:44 PM: Took a really non-standard and potentially dangerous line with AA. 15 players limp in and I raise SB. Flop is 972 or something like that and since I would raise a lot of hands from the SB that can’t c-bet this flop, I go ahead and check one that’s near the top of my range, hoping I can check-raise a bet from late position. That doesn’t happen. In fact, it checks around. Ouch. Turn is a jack. Screw it, let’s try that again. I check, Taz bets, three players call, and I check-raise all of them. No one folds. River is a king. I guess I could bet here? But I’m not folding to a raise and the king improves a lot of hands people are willing to put two bets in on the turn with. It checks around and I’m good.

No, I do not recommend this line. Keep it simple, stupid.

10:23 PM: Wow. No list already. We are 8-handed now. Action Bronson and Joker played an incredibly entertaining hand where Joker button straddles and Action Bronson has declared it will be his last hand prior to action. Board is A42K and when Action Bronson 3-bets it the entire table is laughing at Joker, obviously rooting against him. I’m yelling, “come on, take this pot out of the room, buddy.” But then Joker caps it. Action still leads river and Joker calls, but Action turns up K4 and obviously that’s never winning. Joker has AA. Solid bluff catcher if I’ve ever seen one. Then Action emasculates Joker on his way out the door for just calling on the river and I chime in with “if you’re ever going to slow down with top set it should be because someone might have 53.” Good times! Wish I could have got that hand on video. Not too often you see an entire table laughing hysterically.

Shortly after that, I raise a limper with AK on button, very aggro SB 3-bets and the limper caps it (thanks bud!). Flop is A74 and I raise the small blind and call when he 3-bets. Very unconcerned about being beat here so I’m planning to jack the turn in Overs. He bet-calls and then check-calls river and I’m good.

I am up about $1600 now.

11:35 PM: I don’t know if I’m just card dead or if the game has gotten slow/bad, or maybe it’s a combination of both, but I’m kind of checked out and wondering if I want to go home instead. Pretty rare for me to be thinking like that with a full game before midnight.

I’m getting my taxes done tomorrow, which should be interesting. I already sent the IRS thousands of dollars throughout the year and I’ve been saving all my expense receipts so I’m very curious what kind of damage will be leftover. None? 🤞🏻

Crazy hand against Puss-In-Boots, making a rare $15/$30 appearance. He opens and I defend 55. Flop is T65 and he checks back. Ugh. Turn is an ace and I consider check-raising but he is overly aggressive and very capable of raising a bet. He just calls though. I guess I’ll have to get three big bets the hard way. I check-raise the 4 river and he tanks for over a minute and finally calls. And then the last I ever expect to happen, happens. I lose. He rolls 66. Holy shit! I guess I can take solace in the fact that I lost minimal bets in this mega-cooler, but what a nit/slow roll. My god.

12:24 AM: Was thinking about how cold I’m running after I 3-bet a late position open with K9cc on the button and get the 653K9 runout against 66 that is playing like they have Kx but then I flop a set of 7s in a 3-handed capped pot and get paid off on all streets, so… 🤷🏻‍♂️

1:12 AM: Just took a two orbit break and as soon as I sat back down, two players left, which leaves us 6-handed. Probably not planning to play too much longer.

The Riddler just sat down with $300 so I’m definitely not leaving now.

1:41 AM: One limper, Joker raises, I 3-bet 76dd, and, surprisingly, we go heads up to the flop. It is K65 and Joker check-calls. He usually check-raises or donks his pairs so I feel really good barreling the 2 turn and I’m pretty surprised to get check-raised. This is kind of atypical from him so I’m skeptical and peel river. Hey, it’s a 6! He bets, I raise, and he snaps so… maybe the poor bastard actually had something?

I was debating how I could write this to make myself look like a genius and make Joker look like an idiot. He predicted I would just leave it out… but there it is… in all its wonderful glory.

Riddler lost half his stack on his post hand with AK vs 55 on K5x board and now he is gone without even tangling with me once.

2:21 AM: Just played a capped pot with Joker and his AQ outflopped my JJ and I ended up paying it off after we both checked flop and if I can’t river three of a kind against this guy every time then I don’t even see any point in playing anymore.

Final Score: +$1600

Whoops. My late start today seems to have cost me. I just checked Bravo and Palace already started the $15/$30 game and there are six people on the wait list. Ouch. On the bright side, that might mean there’s a chance for an early start to a second game. The Leak and I will be heading there shortly, but looks like I might have to play a little $8/$16 today.

I finished February off with a scorching two weeks, going +$12,000 over the last 14 days of the month, despite punting almost $900 in Lincoln City. Safe to say my 2018 is back on track and I’m right where I’d want to be at this point of the year.

Yesterday continued my hot streak as I booked a +$2080 day to kick off March, most of it in $15/$30. I can’t think of too many interesting hands off the top of my head, but one thing I can say for sure is that The Tick won basically zero pots against me and, even though he plays reasonably tight overall, he seems to be one of those people that just has to play whenever I raise preflop. I’ve mentioned before that he’s run well above average against me previously, but the tide turned full circle yesterday. I either had him crushed in every pot we played or made the winner on the river. He was a pretty big nuisance to me in the first half of last month, so I enjoyed squashing this bug multiple times yesterday.

We have a lunch planned in Federal Way tomorrow and I think we’ve agreed to finally play our first session of 2018 at Fortune. I might be taking Sunday off in honor of the 2018 Academy Awards and I’ll try to pump out some quick reviews for Lady Birdy, The Post, Phantom Thread, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and The Florida Project before the Oscars air.

Heading to Palace now.

2:06 PM: A little locked out at the moment. I’m #5 for $8/$16 and #6 for $15/$30. So I’m going to play $4/$8 for a bit and rank shortstops for fantasy baseball.

Obviously not planning to post $4/$8 hands but some things need to be done: I’m sitting with my boy Shonn’s fam (T and C) and I ask for a table change because I’m not sure they know I sit down to crush and crush only. Well, before I can even start my session in my phone, C limps, I raise AA, T 3-bets me and C back-caps it. Flop is AKQ and they both call. But things get crazy on the turn and we get it capped there. River is a non-pairing blank and any concern that C has JT is relieved when he checks river; I bet, T calls all in, and C folds AT face up and I cooler T’s set of queens.

2:56 PM: Finished my $4/$8 warm-up at exactly +$200. As I was about to take my $8/$16 seat there was a flurry of movement in the $15/$30 game and I suspected my wait would not be long, so I passed on $8/$16 and seconds later I was in the $15/$30.

Starting lineup: The Tick, $8/$16 reg, super loose $8/$16 reg, some guy I’ve never seen with about $2500 in chips, another loose player, myself, Elmer, a decent $8/$16 reg, and Game Genie.

3:27 PM: Slimer has replaced one of the $8/$16 regs.

3:37 PM: Slimer just felted Game Genie’s AA with JJ in a massive multiway pot, which is pretty annoying. I probably root for him even less than The Tick.

3:45 PM: New nickname alert: we have been joined by The Invisible Man, a name earned from being by far the tightest player in the greater Tacoma area. In fact, it’s probably a waste of a name because he never plays a pot and will basically never be mentioned on the blog.

I’ve won good pots with AK and a set of jacks so far to get off to a decent start.

Game Genie has been replaced by someone I don’t have much experience with.

3:52 PM: It’s a tarp! Elmer buys the button and it folds to the cutoff who limps in. I raise KK on the button, Elmer folds, and the cutoff calls. Flop is Q8x and he check-calls. Turn is a king and now I get check-raised. Yum yum! I 3-bet and he calls down with… AA! A nice little cooler reversal that I would have won more on if not for the expert slow play.

4:41 PM: Triple donk alert! It’s Elmer vs The Tick: Elmer raises pre, Tick 3-bets, and four other people see the flop with them. King high board and Elmer donks, Tick raises, some others call, Elmer calls. Turn pairs the king and Elmer donks, there’s a call, Tick raises, Elmer calls, and they are heads up. River brings in the running spade flush and… Elmer donks! Tick just calls now and Elmer’s AK > Tick’s KQ. And we are happy because we like Elmer and the ole Tickster lost a big one.

4:50 PM: Taz and his friend have joined the game and it’s about to get a little better, but there are three legit nits in the game right now.

Two players limp and I check 64cc. I bet all three streets on 86648 and The Invisible Man calls me down – the last two streets for $50 each – with what was probably QQ.

Blog LEGEND Radio Mike just replaced Elmer.

5:09 PM: Back-to-back sexy hands against Taz:

Hand 1 – I raise 88 under the gun and he calls from SB. There are other people in the pot but they fold on 762cc flop. Taz check-calls. Turn pairs the 6 and he check-calls again. River Kc and when he doesn’t donk, I think I can safely narrow him down to a 7 and I go for the value. He check-calls and I’m good.

Hand 2 – Very next hand, Radio Mike posts in the big so I’m under the gun again and greet Mike to the table with a splashy KTo raise. Taz calls button and Mike defends. Flop is T83 with two hearts, I bet and Taz raises. He can’t have many better made hands than KT so I expect to be ahead here almost all the time, however, he could have draws that aren’t far behind. So I plan to donk the turn if it doesn’t improve QJ or a flush draw. Turn bricks, I donk and he calls. Great success. River 7h, I check-call and he was bluffing with QJ. Got em!

5:33 PM: Here’s a good hand from Slimer, showing he really understands hand ranges and the player pool: Taz limps, Slimer raises, Radio Mike cold calls, another caller. Flop K22 with two diamonds, Slimer bets, Mike raises and they are heads up. Slimer check-raises a blank turn and Mike calls. River is 8d and they both check. Slimer tries to hesitate long enough for Mike to table first but winds up showing down 44 and Mike wins with KQ. Nice hand, SLIME!

6:00 PM: Pretty good run out where I have 84dd in the big blind in a limped pot and lose to QJ on 842 flop. Of course, I get popped on the turn while I’m still ahead before losing on the river.

6:35 PM: Slimer has left (good riddance) and has been replaced by The King of Pop himself, complete with vintage MJ glitter fedora. This is good. Very good. A nitty player leaves and is replaced by a borderline maniac! And the game has been needing the boost. It’s been about as bad as I’ve seen the $15/$30 here.

6:49 PM: The King of Pop finds lots of joy in beating me in hands, making sure to let the table know “only him.” He calls me “young tiger” and insists on fist-bumping people after he sucks out on them in massive pots and, unfortunately, I am within arm’s reach at the moment.

7:19 PM: The Invisible Man just raised back-to-back hands which is something I feel confident in saying I’ve never seen before.

7:30 PM: A little high variance poker here. One player limps and I raise 97dd on the button, the big blind 3-bets and limper folds. I call. Big blind has been playing quite LAG, so when I see the JcTc3d flop I’m already thinking I might have to take a more aggressive approach here against someone that could be super wide. I decide on just calling the flop but when the turn is the 6d, I spring into action with a raise. We are in Overs and I’m immediately punished by a snap 3-bet. Okay, I guess I have to make something now. River Jd. Well, that’s something. He still leads but that doesn’t matter much, so I raise and he pays it off with… AQcc.

7:44 PM: I open AJo and Taz is one of the callers from the blinds. Flop is JTT and Taz donks. I call. Turn J, he bets, I call. River blank, he bets, I raise and he calls with T9 and then throws his cards off the table and leaves the game. Lol.

Cobra takes Taz’s seat.

Also, The Riddler is in the building. Playing poker. Not even on the list for my game. Some villain.

7:59 PM: Cobra introduces himself to the table by trying to steal my big blind from the cutoff. I look at the ace of spades and call. We are heads up to 643 two spade flop and I check-raise without looking at my second card. This flop just seems better for my range than it does for his. He 3-bets though. I peak down at the 2 of clubs. Well that’s disappointing, but it is something. I call. Turn is Ts which gives me the nut flush draw and I check-call. River is a jack and he bets again. I made it this far and I know he’s capable of leveling so I call and he shows Q9 high. 💪🏻

8:27 PM: I love when they punt to me. Under the gun opens, wild player calls, another call, I 3-bet AKo from the small blind, and everyone calls. Flop A64, I bet and only the crazy dude calls. Turn pairs the 4 and I bet-call in Overs. Check-call 9 river and he shows KQo. Oh, thank you Santa.

The King of Pop’s magical fedora in temporary time out:

8:50 PM: King of Pop limps UTG and I raise KQo from MP and he check-calls me down on QJ86A board with… A2o. 😂🤦🏻‍♂️

9:20 PM: Another sick run out: Radio Mike opens from MP, I 3-bet 98ss (no respect), and the loose, wild player sticks around in the big blind. I bet all the way down on Q9428 and get check-raised by the wild player and he shows me… 88. Really?

9:57 PM: I open A6o and only the wild player in the small blind and the big blind call. Flop is 954 and I get check-called by the maniac – a good result. Turn is a 2 and since I’m never folding on this card and I want to showdown, I check behind. River is a king and he leads. I’m thinking about calling but I don’t want to lose to a 4 or a 2 so I pop it and he folds.

10:31 PM: Heater is on: Cobra opens button, a good player 3-bets small blind, and I defend KQo. Flop is K76 with two spades. SB bets, I raise and he 3-bets. Cobra folds and I just call. Turn is Ks, which seems like a great card for my range so when he still bets I just call not really sure if I have the best hand or not. King on river makes me a little more confident though and I get two big bets from his TT on the river. Kind of surprised by his line here.

Very next hand, Tick opens, multiple cold callers, I cal J9dd. Board runs out 996Q2 and the wild player gives me multiple bets on the turn.

I appear to be up about $1300 after treading around even all day.

11:42 PM: Speaking of treading water… I’ve played zero pots of note in the past hour plus. I did get the top High Hand for quad kings and added $230 to my stack. Cobra took one of the players outside to smoke weed or something and that player is now basically dysfunctional, slowing down the game tremendously.

12:08 AM: I haven’t won a pot in almost two hours and a slow drip has become a bit more steady. After peaking around +$1500 I am now up about $650.

12:24 AM: The Tick saves the day! I open AQ, 5-ways to Q94hh, I bet, Tick raises, field clears, I 3-bet, he calls. Turn 6, I bet, he raises. Okay, I guess I’m paying off. Check-call river and we have a KQ overplay!

12:42 AM: Call me The Exterminator! Tick opens, button calls, I defend KQo. Flop is KQT and I check-raise, Tick 3-bets and I cap. I lead turn and he raises. This is where I, once again, have to believe he’s saying he has me beat. I just call. River king! I check-raise and I show some faux pity when he tables AJ.

Folds to small blind and he tells Radio Mike he wants to run it… for a $250 High Hand… that will put $6 into the rake. You may recall me saying no to someone when they asked me to run it before and this is why: they run it, the small blind “wins” the pot and then gives Mike back $12. I say “got him” and laugh in Mike’s face.

2:33 AM: That’s a wrap. I’m home now and it was a decent run to the finish line. The heater is real: I finished +$1580 for the day between $4/$8 and $15/$30.

The bad news is I went to Chinook Winds in Lincoln City, Oregon this weekend to play their amazingly structured $575 Main Event. You start this tournament with 40K in chips, blinds at 50/100, and 50 minute levels. If you’re lucky enough to make it to level 7, you can add on another 30K in chips for $200. It’s super deep. It’s honestly hard to mess this one up before the add on.

I lasted 2.5 hours. I lost two big pots on the river and missed a flush draw in another big one. I was in level 3 with around 10K in chips when this hand came up:

Blinds 200/400/50, I open with JJ for 1000 from middle position and only the big blind defends. Flop is Q53, I bet 1200 and they call. Turn is a 4 and we both check. River is a jack and she bets 5K. I only have like 8K total left, so I put the rest of it in and she snaps with A2. Good game.

It wasn’t even 3 PM yet. I had a hotel room booked for the night. I checked out with no refund and drove home.

To recap my trip: I drove 8.5 hours round trip and spent $785 (plus gas and lodging and food) to play less than three hours of poker and see Phantom Thread!

The good news is I was home by 8:30 PM on Saturday night and saw that there were 18 names on the list for $30/$60. I’m #19. If history is any indicator, I’m going to get in my car in about five minutes, drive to Palace, and start the $30/$60 game at 11 AM.

11:06 AM: Amazing. 2 of 20 names on the list were here for the $30/$60 game start. There’s obviously a disconnect somewhere. The only way I can think of to solve this problem is to either have a later game start or just have an interest list every day and fire it off when we can. It boggles my mind that 90% of the list doesn’t understand they need to be here at 11 to start the game.

Or move the game. A Friday night game seems more plausible. Two Fridays ago there were enough $30/$60 players here to have two games – and two $15/$30 games. Can’t say I really want to start a $30/$60 game at 6 PM though.

I don’t really get it. I guess people just want other people to see their names up for $30/$60 but don’t really plan to play it?

I’m currently playing $8/$16, but seeing as how I haven’t unpacked and I have a big mess at home, I might head out of here soon and come back around 4.