5c/10c NL 9 max w/ antes.

Reads: on an earlier hand, I opened from the CO w/ Jc8c. Button, SB and BB (Villain) called. Flop: Ad, 9d, 8c. It checks around.

Turn: Jd. SB checks, BB checks, I bet 1/2 pot, Button calls. SB folds, BB clicks it back. I fold. Button folds, BB shows KcQd. Nice Bluff.

A few hands later, effective stacks 50BB.

I open 3bb with AcJc from MP, villain calls from button. Pot 12BB

Flop 9c 7h 3s. I bet 6 BB, Villain clicks it back, I call.

Turn: 7s. I shove. Villain folds.

Now, maybe this was a good bluff. It might have caused villain to fold a better hand, but that's not what I was thinking at the time.

My thoughts were more like, 'Villain is the type to call my pf raise from the button with air, and he knows this flop missed most of my range. He's likely to click back my c-bet with anything here. I don't think he has much most of the time. If I check the turn, he's liable to bet light again, and my hand is too weak to call with, so I'm going to try and bluff him off the pot before he has a chance to bluff me.'

The truth is though, I don't think villain folds many pairs here, and he never calls me with worse. I risk the same amount with a check call, and get paid off when he is bluffing. But I don't think like that at the table. I get into the mindset that we are playing a game of chicken, the first person to flinch loses, and it's not gonna be me. How do I get out of this mindset?

You could have just 3bet rip it on the flop if you think he's clicking you light. Against a pair you still have 25-30% equity. Why give him free turn?

Against these aggros it's slowplay, slowplay, slowplay. Yes he might occasionally get there with his gutter, but when he doesn't you have no problem getting your value hands paid. You'll lose 4 small pots again him then stack him while when he's repping the flush that actually you've just hit.

This isn’t the strat forum and that’s not his question.

OP, where do you learn/study? The mindset you have is similar to those playing during the poker boom. If you’re watching old WSOP reruns or something, it’s easy to get into that state of mind. I recommend watching more advanced training videos to start learning how to train yourself into thinking like they do in the moment. If you watch enough of them, you can almost hear their voice coaching you on what to do as you play. Good luck.

It's about getting the money throughout a session, not in a single hand. Often, that means letting the other guy win some small pots.

Now, most of the time, you are just playing straight-up poker. However, sometimes you need to play some games against a player who is over-aggressive and seems to have targeted you. First, get into his head. I guarantee that the over-aggressive types are emotionally based and will respond with clear body language. Study him, as he is the problem, not you.