What a massive session. 426 hands, up 4 buy-ins, and officially back in the green for the challenge—that’s a huge milestone. I can feel the “A- Game” starting to become the standard. My discipline with the fold button is saving me stacks, and staying on top of those “domination” spots with $AQ$ and $AK$ proves that the pre-flop work is paying off.
Even though I caught a flicker of tilt at one point, the fact that I neutralized it immediately is the real victory. To keep this momentum, I need to look at my biggest losing hands to see if they were just “poker” or if I left money on the table.
Technical Hand Analysis
Hand 1: $Kc 9c$ vs. the 66/66 “Aggro-Whale”
The Spot: I opened $K9s$ from MP and got called by a very loose SB ($66/67$ stats).
The Action: He “donk” bet pot on the flop ($4-3-2$ with two clubs) and potted the turn ($6$). I called both with the flush draw and two overs.
My Take: I like the calls. Against a guy this wild, I have plenty of equity, and I can’t fold a flush draw to a maniac. The river check-back was standard since I missed.
The Fix: He had $88$. If I’m going to call down with a draw against a guy who pots every street, I have to be prepared to miss. The only thing to consider here is if a flop raise might have been better to maximize fold equity or get the money in while I was still a slight favorite.
Hand 2: $AQo$ in a 3-bet Pot
The Spot: I 3-bet $AQo$ from SB against an MP open.
The Action: Flop is $Q-6-K$. I bet small (1/3 pot), he calls. Turn is a $9d$, I check-fold to a half-pot bet.
My Take: This is a disciplined fold. In a 3-bet pot, a $K$-high board is better for his calling range than my 3-betting range. Once he calls the flop and bets the turn when I check, my $Q$ is likely crushed by $AK$, $KQ$, or even $KJ$.
The Fix: Zero notes here. This is exactly the “hitting the fold button” I talked about. I saved money by not being “married” to top pair, weak kicker.
Hand 3: $KQo$ vs. the River Ace
The Spot: Called a BTN raise from the BB.
The Action: Flop is $K-7-2$. I check-call. Turn $10c$ goes check-check. River is an $A$. I bet 9 BB (about 40% pot) and get called.
My Take: He had $A9s$. I was ahead the whole way until the river.
The Fix: The river bet is the mistake here. When the $A$ hits, it’s a terrible card for my King. I’m essentially only getting called by an $A$ (which beats me) or a $K$ (which might fold to an $A$). By betting, I turned my hand into a “bluff” that can’t get better hands to fold and only gets called by hands that beat me. Check-fold or check-call a small bet would have been safer.
Hand 4: $QJs$ - The Monster Draw That Missed
The Spot: Flop $T-T-9$ with two spades. I have the straight flush draw—huge equity.
The Action: I bet the flop and turn. River is a blank $7$. I check-check.
My Take: BTN had $65s$ and hit a miracle 6 on the turn to make two pair ($T$s and $6$s).
The Fix: Sometimes you just miss. I had $87\%$ equity on the flop! This is just a “standard” loss. I played my draw aggressively, which is correct. The only takeaway is to stay calm when the “math” doesn’t go your way.
Mental Game & Growth
A- Game Assessment: I’m giving myself that A- because I stayed aware of my emotions. The “tilt flicker” was likely caused by that $A$ hitting the river in Hand 3 or the monster draw missing in Hand 4.
Areas for Improvement:
River Logic: Stop and ask: “If I bet this river, what worse hands call me?” In Hand 3, the answer was “nothing.”
Profile Consistency: I’m getting good at identifying fish and nits. Now I need to make sure my bet sizing reflects that—charging the fish more when I have it and keeping it small when I’m “probing” a reg.
Total Status: 4 buy-ins up. Bankroll is healthy. The “Microstakes Challenge” is officially back on track. Stay tight, stay aggressive, and keep hitting that fold button when the board gets ugly.