Written By: Mark
Tilting describes an emotional state which stops you from making good decisions during a poker game. While the most common form of this is anger, there are also forms of tilt which include ‘resigned’ or ‘negative’ thought patterns which can be equally dangerous.
This article looks at 5 ways of managing tilt while playing poker online. The theme throughout these tips is that awareness of the forms of tilt and associated remedies is a pre-requisite for successfully avoiding the consequences.
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Managing Tilt – Tip #1 – Angry Tilt Requires Immediate Action
Everyone who plays poker will suffer horrible bad beats at some point down the line. Those players who are able to cope with them without ‘losing their head’ actually have a large advantage over their peers in the long run. Those chips saved by not tilting will add up to significant sums of money over time.
Angry tilt has the advantage of being easy to notice, the key is to take immediate and decisive action. This action will usually involve moving away from your screen for a while, but where this is difficult simply ensuring that you fold the next few hands can be worthwhile. Continuing to play while angry could be an expensive mistake – when ‘Angry Tilt’ occurs those players with the discipline to walk away will make more money from the tables over time.
Managing Tilt – Tip #2 – Passive Play Is Not Profitable
Sometimes when playing poker you will feel like it does not matter what you do – you will lose anyway. Those aces will be cracked, ace-king will never hit the flop again and so on. After losing a series of big pots it is easy to become despondent, to believe that there is no point raising – since you will get called and then lose the hand post-flop anyway.
This is a form of tilt which is almost as dangerous as the angry type. By playing passive poker you will only increase the out-draws and lose yet more money. Positive aggressive poker involves variance – but is profitable over time. Next time you find yourself feeling like you can not win take a break from the tables. Come back when you feel that you are ready to play solid and positive poker again.
Managing Tilt – Tip #3 – Those Last Few Dollars Add Up
When losing a big pot which you were favorite to win you will often be left with a small proportion of your starting chips. The temptation will be to throw them in the next hand and to see if you ‘get lucky’ regardless of your cards. Make sure that you discipline yourself not to do this.
Whether playing a money game or a tournament those last few dollars will add up considerably over time. In a money game you will be able to leave the table (or reload your stack if you are sure you are not tilting). With tournaments there is always a chance to come back – and with the top-heavy nature of the payout structures you only need to do this once in a 100 tries to turn a great profit.
Managing Tilt – Tip #4 – Aim To Depersonalize Your Play
It is easy to find an enemy on the virtual felt. Someone re-raises every time you open a pot, beats you with an unlikely suck-out or makes disparaging comments in the chat box and – bam – your focus becomes on taking this individuals entire stack.
This is a dangerous situation and one which you need to learn to ignore. Firstly your poker strategy against this person will often be mathematically unsound over time – for example calling with sub-standard hands to try and out-draw him. Secondly, there is a very real danger that you will be run into a strong hand held by a 3rd player. For example your constant raises of your ‘enemy’ providing the perfect opportunity for someone to trap you both. Make sure that you depersonalize your play – switch off the chat for a while to ensure that you regain focus can be a good way of achieving this.
Managing Tilt – Tip #5 – Have A Plan, And Stick To It!
Once you are aware of the different forms of tilt and the effect they can have on your profits there is only one factor remaining – whether your actions match your ideas. Making a plan and then sticking to it requires discipline and practice, yet differentiates many long-term winners from their peers. Learn to acknowledge that tilting is a real issue for almost every poker player – and make sure you take the action required to minimize the adverse effects.