The video Andrew posted tonight struck a chord in me. Played for the first time in a while today and think I made some rather large mistakes. Sharing 2 hands in 2 different $100 Hydra satellites on Global. Both early stages. Both AK. For context, these tournaments can only be entered by qualifying from another satty, so field seems a bit more loose in general. Feel like I played both of these way too aggressively but curious what you guys think. First one, a preflop spot I went to war with... https://play.globalpoker.com/gp/10/hand/c3183607-6549-3336-941c-eee6ef3387af Had villian pegged as a loose player tho sample size was very small. In retrospect, seems like a 5x open in these tournaments is usually too much strength to play back this strong...is that correct? We are around 40 BBs effective so my guess is...I probably shouldn't be going to war here, especially if the best case scenario is often a coinflip. My 3bet sizing seems a bit much, wasn't really much logic behind it honestly...acted kinda impulsively. Raising large seems like it's done to either push him off his hand or to more accurately size up his range. But probably not a great idea preflop especially after he raises so large, right? My guess is...because of stack depth, a flat here is likely the move because of his bet sizing, correct? Second one... https://play.globalpoker.com/gp/10/hand/ba25ab43-3e27-3eaa-9014-4108ed3060b4 Think my mistake was under-estimating the strength of my opponent. The check-raise on the ace high flop is a pretty big red flag I overlooked. Then I tried to protect myself against the flush...as I thought that could be in his range (this is also something I probably do way too often). His turn bet is once again way too strong for me to play back like this, yet my judgement was clouded in the moment. In both of these hands, it seems the pattern is that I'm underestimating my opponent's strength and overvaluing my own strength...and overcommitting myself in the process. Haven't played in a while so I'll go easy on myself...but definitely a big leak I would like to correct.

Just finished reading thru the courses in the Classroom. Fascinating stuff @Andrew Lichtenberger Often when exploring esoteric topics (like the Tao), it can be hard to wrap my mind around it all. Curious if you could suggest any particular ways to apply these concepts beyond using the I-Ching? Any daily habits you've found valuable to integrate these teachings?

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts, experiences and feedback about Flow State. I will start the discussion off with this: I came across this recent study supporting how Flow State may be a whole brain phenomenon. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811926003642?utm_source=chatgpt.com Basically, a fascinating new 2026 NeuroImage study compared brain activity during flow, boredom and anxiety using EEG. The finding that grabbed me: During flow, the brain showed the highest overall connectivity, flexibility and complexity of dynamic activity. Researchers describe flow as a highly adaptable, metastable state, where different parts of the brain remain specialized while dynamically coordinating with one another. In simple terms, being “in the zone” may not just be a feeling. It may represent a measurable state where the brain becomes extraordinarily good at working together without becoming rigid. That raises a question I love: Do we enter flow by trying harder... or by finally getting ourselves out of the way? What do you think?