Dealing with TILT

by Ashley Adams

The difference between winning and losing is often the ability to keep oneself from going on tilt. You know what tilt is, don't you? It's a term borrowed from pinball, back before pinball was a digital, electronic, video game...when it was a mechanical machine. Back then, good players often tried to physically manipulate the pinball machine to make the ball score more points and stay alive longer. But the pinball machines were equipped with a switch to prevent people from moving the machine too aggressively. When that switch was jostled too hard or moved to far it disconnected the pinball machine -- literally shut it down -- flashing TILT. You lost the game immediately -- no matter how many points you had scored up until that point.

TILT in poker is essentially the same thing. You get set off in some way -- maybe because you just lost your fourth contested hand in a row, maybe because you started ahead of the field and lost to some clod who caught a miracle card on the River. So your good judgment and common sense get shut down. It's also known as steaming.

Well, how do you deal with going on tilt? Are there any things that you, the determined player, can do to prevent it? Or if you notice that you seem to be tilting, what should you do about it?

I have a few suggestions that have helped me.

I start by telling myself that I, and no one else, is responsible for what hands I play and what hands I don't play. I am the master of my own money. That's my affirmation.

It's an important one. It's all too easy to blame other people for our losses -- for our loss of control. But don't. Start by taking responsibility for your own actions and you'll be ahead of the game. So you're responsible.

Once I have taken responsibility, the next step is to notice the early warning signs of going on tilt. Before I actually GO on tilt, some event tends to get me upset. So I need to recognize that event and respond to it by resisting the urge to start playing differently from the optimal way that I have learned.
Once I can learn to recognize those early warning signs, I need to learn to inhibit my habitual response. Initially, this may mean leaving the table for a while. That's right -- actually walking away from the game. Maybe you get something to eat. Maybe you just stroll over to some other game and distract yourself watching it for a while. But leave your game for a while until you can calm down.

After a while, after you've learned to spot your tendencies to go on tilt and inhibit them, you may be fine just standing up for a hand or two. Eventually, you may be able to control your emotions as soon as the hand is over. But for a while at least, when you experience those situations where your blood boils, get away from the game until your temperature drops to 98.6.

Sometimes, by the way, what can set you on tilt isn't just a bad beat. It can be a wave of winning. Some players go on tilt when they're up -- feeling invincible or giddy or like they're playing with other people's money. SO they become loose, or maniacal, or crazy or wild. And their behavior feeds on itself until it is out of control. Large wins become small wins which can easily turn to losses and large losses. (If you have one of those poker simulation games like Turbo Stud by Wilson software try this experiment. Just go crazy for 15 hands -- just 15 hands. Raise and reraise recklessly with no attention paid to what you have or what you think your opponent has. If you're playing $10/20 you can easily drop $1,000 in just those 15 hands. Try it yourself and see.)

It also helps to recognize -- even before you feel the feeling of frustration or anger or frenzy or whatever it is that leads to TILT -- what SITUATIONS tend to make you go on tilt. For example, do you tend to get set off by loud, aggressive players? Do they make you uncomfortable? How about a table full of calling stations? Do you get annoyed when people draw out on you? Does that set you off? What about rocks -- guys who keep folding hand after hand? Do they press your buttons? For me it's short-handed play. I find that I get frustrated -- that I tend to become overly aggresive -- playing other than my typical, optimum, winning strategy.

When you can see, in general, what types of situations tend to set you off, just be even more vigilant about keeping your focus. And, if that doesn't always work, then avoid those situations. No one can force you to play in a game. So if you don't like playing with rocks -- if their tight style pisses you off -- then don't play with them. If you tend to lose control of your betting when you're playing against a table full of loose passive calling stations then for God's sake, stay away from it until you've learned the self control to master this type of game.

The bottom line, is that YOU and only YOU can and must control how, when, and where you play. If you're starting to lose the discipline you need to play winning poker, leave. If you're not in a frame of mind to do so, don't play. If you planned to play but recognize that the game conditions are not to your liking, go elsewhere or don't play at all. Remember, there is no prize in poker for playing the best under the worst conditions.

[bls12]

fharmas please please please give us a post that's not copy and paste

and i guess the link will be edited as well lol just a wild guess mind you

[welshgit]

FEK OFF YOU IDIOT

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ENGLISH

WE DONT WANT TO READ BOOKS

IF WE DID WE WOULD GO OUT AND FEKING BUY ONE YOU IDIOT

I HOPE THIS MUPPET ISNT GETTING HIS POST COUNT UP WITH THIS CRAP ??

[ditto]

I'm not an article or strategy type of guy.So i didn't read the topic.But the member who posted it doesn't seem to be into forums for there games.But rather the information.

Read the replies and wow.Guys this is a strategy section of the forum is it not?How else are you suppose to post a article?Just curiously wondering...?

[welshgit]

Originally Posted by ditto

I'm not an article or strategy type of guy.So i didn't read the topic.But the member who posted it doesn't seem to be into forums for there games.But rather the information.

Read the replies and wow.Guys this is a strategy section of the forum is it not?How else are you suppose to post a article?Just curiously wondering...?

DIDNT CHECK WHAT PART OF THE FORUM IT WAS LOL

JUST CLICKED ON LATEST POSTS

BUT ANYWAY IF YOU WANNA GIVE US STRATEGY ADVICE IT SHOULD COME FROM YOU NOT BOOKS DONT YOU AGREE DITTO ????

[t1tpfdc]

Myself I find some such articles very informative! Saved this one to a text file and will read later.
Thanks for posting it! Keep 'em coming!

[ditto]

I agree GIT would have been nice to see this guy post his opinion after his numerous SPAM threads,but at the same time for some reason there are some who only just post cut and copy articles into forums(to help others i guess )

I can see the frustration especially if this topic has been posted over and over a few times throughout the years

Seen other long time members of wass posting replies in these types of threads too and the same thing there as well(all pretty rude replies Barty lol).But spam is spam no matter the topic sometimes.I can roll with that

(hmmm just did a lil research on the original poster of this thread out side this forum and seems cutting and pasting is his expertise )

[bartyuk]

Originally Posted by ditto

(all pretty rude replies Barty lol).

I have only replied to one and I dont think i was rude just told it how i see it. If he/she put one or two of these posts in amongst 10 posts they have made themselves there wouldnt be an issue as he/she has stated who the original author is that they have quoted, but to come on the forum and not post a single line in their own words is just not acceptable.

Everyone else here has read the rules and knows how the forum works so why should this guy/gal be any different.

Peace

[JuniorMontana01]

fharmas,

if you don't post any kind of quality post, you'll have a new title next to your name:


BANNED

lol

[critter.gambler]

There are many reasons why one may tilt, but the most common reasons, I believe, are losing big pots to long-shot draws. When it seems like you can't play a hand past the turn without getting checkraised by someone who hit two-pair, then it's going to be hard to maintain composure and shrug it off and move on. Often, just losing money will set someone on tilt. It may not have to be a spectacular two-outer that got there on the river, it may be enough to just lose small pot after small pot and slowly see your money wither away. Look for situations that commonly tilt people. Losing big pots. Losing to longshot draws. Missing several draws in a row. Rude players. Getting into an argument with someone at the table. A feeling of being unlucky. Maybe you've experienced other situations in the past that you know in hindsight that they tilted you. Make a list of everything that you suspect might tilt you. Study the list and/or keep it handy. It's all about perspective, and the best time to get that perspective is when you're smack in the middle of the events that you're trying to get a perspective on. That's why it's so important to get up and take these notes while you're still tilting. Don't continue playing, stop now, take notes, maybe return later. Because tilt is likely your largest leak, and what you should probably be working the hardest on.