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This is my way of sharing what I’ve learned that might help you play life’s game as if you’ve already won.
This lesson hit me hard years ago.
I was deep in a second-chance tournament at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. I peeked at red Aces, and without thinking, I automatically snapped my cards back to the table.
Half the players whipped their heads toward me. I had just “told” the whole table I had a premium hand. That was a lesson learned! Now I coach players to use that breath, that pause. It makes all the difference.
And, here’s what I teach that: Wait to look at your cards until it’s your turn to act. Stay neutral. Observe. Pause. Then say your two cards to yourself three times before reacting, which builds mental space, slows your energy, and reduces emotional tells, or emotional leaks.
Most players prepare for the World Series of Poker by using hand charts and participating in poker study groups. But there’s another kind of prep that can help you run deeper and win more often.
Enter Katlyn Slone: A $27 Poker Dream
Recently, when I met with Katlyn Slone, a newcomer to the World Series of Poker scene, she won her entry into the 2025 WSOP Main Event through a $27 satellite in the online poker club, Bluffers Poker, that I’m a part of.
We crossed paths in mini-tournaments, and I quickly realized that she was a player to be wary of and to stay away from.
Katlyn is a mom of two toddlers. She works full-time as a philanthropy director for a nonprofit that is dedicated to ending loneliness through genuine human connection, with a special focus on youth.
She’s tall (6’1” to my 6’5”, I might add). She’s intentional and deeply self-aware. New to the poker stage, but as a mother, wife, housekeeper, and grant writer with deadlines, Katlyn is well-acquainted with pressure.
Katlyn shared a story with me that reinforced the idea that she may have skills she didn’t know she had: she’s more aware, more willing to learn, and more open to change.
“Here in Washington state, we only have fixed limit poker, and with a modest bankroll of $100 for cash play, I often feel like I’m donating the money to the table,” she told me.
When I first learned to play 7-card stud limit in 1996, it was before no-limit Texas Hold’em became popular. Limit pots grow slowly, house rake siphons profit, and big wins take patience. Loads and loads of patience.
The Poker Edge Gained Through Reflection
Poker and life both require building patience through practiced self-awareness. That’s why I shared the Three-Question After-Action process with Katlyn that I use all the time.
What did I do well?
What might I have done differently?
What can I do now to be more effective?
I use them during breaks, after sessions, and even in the middle of a hand when needed.
Taking a few moments to pause and reflect can be life-changing in both business and relationships. This kind of feedback loop identifies what’s working, where the attention is needed, and accelerates growth.
Being “unconsciously conscious” and automatically aware is the gold standard both on and off the felt.
That’s where we began. From there, I shared with her the tools I’ve learned over the years. The lessons that come from playing, coaching, and yes, reinventing my own game.
Winning Poker: Mindset First, Cards Second
When we met for Katlyn’s pre-WSOP session, strategy wasn’t the focus. We started with the mindset and the internal stories we tell ourselves long before sitting down and hearing those iconic words, “Shuffle up and deal!”
Katlyn openly shared her questions: “Why me?” “Am I good enough?”
“But, will my kids be okay without me?”
Our words matter. We all slip into limiting stories. Instead of saying “I’m bad at reading players,” try: “I struggled with reading players until recently.”
That small phrase — “until recently” — rewrites your story in real time.
As we explored these tools, I watched Katlyn light up. Her background in personal development gave her a strong foundation, but she had never before applied those tools to poker. Now she will.
When I ran the Poker Pure & Simple program for eight years, we started every group coaching session this way:
First, it’s about YOU.
Then, it’s about OTHER PLAYERS.
Only then is it about the CARDS.
Katlyn told me, “Folding feels oddly powerful. Not weak. Not passive. Just right. I don’t feel FOMO for once. I feel peace.”
Play Quietly, Win Loudly!
After our session, a friend called and asked Katlyn to play during lunch. So, she went to a local lunch game with her $100 poker bankroll and left with $389!
On the surface, that didn’t sound earth-shattering until I remembered how hard it was to win big in $1/$2 Limit Hold’em!
Katlyn didn’t play many hands that day. She became a player more in the zone. She mastered the tempo without reacting at the table.
That kind of win in a limit game, nearly FOUR TIMES your bankroll? It’s more than a heater. It’s a shift. Katlyn didn’t chase the action; she claimed stillness.
She reported back to me, “I left feeling more like a real poker player than I had in months.”
That’s not a brag; that’s a breakthrough.
Poker Mom Parlays $27 to a $10K WSOP Main Event Seat, and then…
Could this be the next Moneymaker moment, when a Tennessee accountant, who played recreational poker, won the World Series of Poker Main Event Championship in 2003 and cashed for $2,500,000!
But this time, could it be a woman?
Every time I see that number, I pause. $27. Is it time again? Time for another unexpected win to rock the poker world?
Katlyn came to work with me as a first-time participant ahead of the WSOP Main Event. She left something more, as a woman who could claim space at any table. By the end of our call, her energy was different. She sat taller.
Coaching women like Katlyn is why I’m stepping fully back into this game, not just as a player, but as a guide.
I felt that truth land when her voice steadied, and she declared, “I’m done proving I belong. I now know I do.”
Katlyn Slone is ready to play the game on her terms.
Behind the Scenes
The original version of this article was published on July 2, 2025, on CardPlayerLifestyle. This version includes a few additional reflections and updates.
Co-author Katlyn has a fledgling Substack publication called Unfiltered Becoming, and I love who she is and how she’s blossoming, both on and off the poker table.
Her Thanks to Bluffers Poker
They have a public Facebook group that fosters a supportive and engaging environment, helping you elevate your poker skills to the next level.
“It’s not just about winning. It’s about learning, improving, and being part of a community that shares a love for poker.”
Katlyn’s Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event Just Began…
A total of 1,144 have taken their seats at the beginning of Day 1c at Noon Las Vegas time, July 4, 2025.
She pushes the $10,000 cash she earned through her Bluff Poker $27 online satellite.
Join me and Katlyn’s family, friends, and fans railing her around the world. Her first seat is Table 107, Seat 1, which is her favorite.
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