Tilt is Not Your Friend

While reading the poker newsgroup RGP, I noticed a thread titled "How to Handle Going on Tilt." Although I have gotten fairly good at avoiding being on tilt, I can still remember many times when I would have benefited from good advice on the subject. In this column, I will present the original question, as well as some of the responses to the question.

Cheran wrote: I don't go on tilt when I lose, I go on tilt when I get outplayed. Do any of you have any tips on how not to go on tilt?

Dave Holdsworth: Make sure you can distinguish whether you are on tilt. You need to tell yourself the truth. Check for tilt at the beginning of each hand, especially after being outplayed. If you are on tilt (or in doubt), get up and walk around or quit.

Use each hand in which you are outplayed as a learning opportunity. Take notes and discuss them with a coach or on a newsgroup. See if you can find opportunities to pull the same play. This mode of thinking should diminish the upset associated with being outplayed.

John Vincent: Don't fight it. I see players all the time trying desperately to fight it, while it only becomes even more pent-up inside them. They attempt to stammer out a "Nice hand, sir," but they don't understand the concept of repressed rage. Find a release for your anger, something that makes you feel better immediately. Go to your happy place, à la Happy Gilmore. If you don't have one, I recommend getting one.

Don't play higher than you can afford. If the money matters that much to you, you can't afford it. Put things in perspective … think of the things that you live for (hopefully not poker – that would be sad).

Ashley Adams: If you are furious with yourself for any reason and are distracted by a bad beat or a good beat, get up and leave the table! It is hard not to stay, but you should give yourself time to let your anger and frustration subside. They will affect your play. Don't compound your bad play with more bad play. You can always come back after you've calmed down.

David R. Huberman: Go to Amazon, or wherever, and buy yourself a copy of Zen and the Art of Poker. Read it once, read it twice, and read it once again.

Burt Madden: I used to think it was absolutely amazing how a "bad beat" that I incurred was invariably followed soon thereafter by another "bad beat." And then I began to realize that bad beats may not necessarily be independent events for some people. The reason, of course, for these bad beats occurring close together is that the first one caused me to go on tilt, which caused me to play inferior hands, which caused them to get beat often, which caused me to think that another bad beat had occurred. In fact, after the first bad beat, the other losses were not usually because of bad beats at all. They were the result of playing on tilt. Playing on tilt is the downfall of most players. Overcoming this trait should be at the top of all poker players' priorities. It's probably impossible for some people to do it, since the cause of the trait is rooted in psychological behaviorisms. Each player should adopt his/her own technique for overcoming the trait. Good luck to all tiltees …

Calahan MacCool: A couple of glasses of ice water will do you wonders. I find that consuming sugar lessens my concentration and focus ability, while sipping ice water enhances it. Stay away from alcohol or soda.

Stephen Jacobs: I started to attack tilt by taking up Omaha eight-or-better, which gives me a lot of practice at tilt-inducing events. I think I tilt a lot less now, and I'm beginning to be able to separate how I play from my emotional state (at least in Omaha eight-or-better).

Mark Parisi: Are you new to playing poker? When I started playing, I went on tilt much more often than I do now. Bad beats that seemed so unfair, or being outplayed, or losing streaks, I realized, actually happen fairly often to a lot of people, including you and me. After experiencing tough sessions often enough, you'll realize they are nothing personal.

Oh, you want some specific advice … um … don't play at too high a limit, and don't play too long. Oh, yeah, avoid playing pot-limit or no-limit. Taking a bad beat or being outplayed in limit poker costs a few bets; in pot-limit or no-limit, your whole stack is gone! Talk about tilt-inducing …

I thank all of the above participants who agreed to let me quote them for this column. I hope some of these suggestions will help the next time you get angry at your bankroll and go on tilt.

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