Playing on Tilt

player goes on tilt when his or her emotions take over. A player on tilt no longer plays rationally and instead plays like a maniac. Often, the player just suffered a terrible set back and is very irritated. A player on tilt often loses a lot of money, money he cannot afford to lose. However, even the best players go on tilt at times.

If you are like me, you have experienced poker tilt and the purpose of this article to help you learn the cause, consequence and the cure for tilt.

Causes of Playing on Tilt

1. Overly Tired. Exhaustion is one of the best recipes for tilt. When you are tired, your decision-making will fall off and you become prime candidate for making mistakes. If you are constantly yawning, you have heavy eyes, and having a hard time staying awake, it is time to stop!

2. Cold Cards. Poker players often experience a wave of frustration from catching cold cards. You need to maintain a calm approach or take a walk because players who face poker frustration tend to push the action more. Will often play hands out of position and chase cards.

3. Suck Outs. Suck outs and bad beats are the MAJOR CAUSE of tilt. By "suck outs," I mean a BIG POT that you COULD have won... Then again, even perhaps OUGHT TO have won... but you did not because another player caught a "miracle card" on Fifth Street. For some reason, poker players can always dredge up their FAILURES, but never remember their ACCOMPLISHMENTS at the poker table.

4. Abusive Opponents. Don't allow other players to put you on tilt with their sarcastic attitude and foul mouthed words. In the brick and mortar venues, poker etiquette is the rule of law among professional poker players. However, playing online, you have the advantage of hiding behind a computer screen. That secrecy allows people to get away with poor behavior that he would not get away with in real life. It is common to find players online who will cut loose a heavy flow of racial insults, curse words, and harassing statements. The best way to handle those players is to mute them.

5. Problems at Home. Usually when bad things are happening to you, it tends to affect your play at the tables. If you are fighting with your wife or you just lost your job stay away from the poker table. POKER and PROBLEMS do not mix. Do not look at poker as a way to escape from your problems, because if you are running from your problems you will only find them magnified at the POKER TABLE.

Consequences of Playing on Tilt

1. Tilt Distresses the Mind. Tilt is an emotional condition, which affects the way you think and behave. As much as we would like to believe we could ISOLATE our emotions from our thinking, we cannot. The truth is our emotions are MORE POWERFUL than logic or reasoning. When on tilt, you will start playing in a way that JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

• * You might call bets you should not.
• * You might allow a personal feud to cloud or dominate your judgment.
• * You are likely to try too hard to get even.
• * You might play in games you cannot win. Players playing on tilt play more aggressively because their trying to catch up.
• * There is a universal poker rule: GAINS COME SLOWLY. LOSSES COME QUICKLY. It can take three hours to win a hundred dollars but only THREE SECONDS to lose it all. Texas Holdem strategy is all about playing smart and keeping the odds in your favor. A player on tilt is hoping to catch a MIRACLE HAND like quads or a full house. The problem is... the ODDS do not work like that. You cannot SUDDENLY win what was lost in the previous hand.

2. Tilt Distorts the Perception. A pre-flop raise of 1,000 chips no longer looks "big" after you have just lost 10,000. Therefore, you decide to call the raise with your K 2 offsuit... because TILT has you by the balls. Accept the outcome of every hand and then forget about it and move onto the next hand.

3. Tilt Destroys the Bankroll. Going on tilt will wipe out your bankroll. It takes months sometimes even years to build a bankroll which can be lost in one hand. So, save your bankroll and quit when you feel the poker frustration.

• * Get up and walk away.
• * Turn off the computer. I mean it! You will be glad you did.

Cure for Playing on Tilt

1. Get Away. Getting away is the secret to avoiding tilt. Take a break from the game. Take as much time as you need. A day, a week, or a month. However long it takes. Just "sit out" for the next few pots and pay the blinds. Getting away from the game allows you to KEEP THINGS IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE.

2. Proper Bankroll Management. Circumventing tilt can quite possibly have the BIGGEST effect on your bankroll. Whether you spend ten hours or ten THOUSAND hours "grinding it out" at the poker tables, your money will DISAPPEAR if you go on tilt. The key is to avoid playing limits that will destroy and wipe out your bankroll.

3. D.A.P. There are three things that separates a great player from an average player and it is D.A.P.

• * Discipline. Learning to discipline the emotions, playing within their bankroll and having total focus at the table.
• * Attitude. Have a positive attitude. Focus on winning.
• * Patience. If you are patient, the good cards WILL come!Once a player can do this, they will have an advantage over their opponents.

It is not enough to know what we have covered in this article, you must be able to do them 100% of the time. It is all up to you.