Dealing With Tilt - Big Poker

Email Address:

Tilt. We’ve all had it. We all hate it. We’ve all promised to never go on tilt again. And we’ve all broken that promise.

Or, maybe, you’re a new player (one whose poker career began all of twenty minutes ago), and have yet to experience tilt. Whatever your level of poker experience, and while I ain’t guaranteeing nuthin’, this tip will help you in keeping your most recent non-tilt promise.

What Is Tilt?

In Michael Wiesenberg’s excellent The Official Dictionary of Poker, “on tilt” is described thusly: “Playing poorly and irrationally due to emotional upset, often caused by the player in question having had a good hand beat by a freak draw or vastly inferior starting cards from another player (often in complete disregard of the odds and good play) or the player having lost a pot because of his own bad play. Also called steaming, having one’s nose open, opened up, unglued and being wide open.”

But tilt can take many different forms depending on the player; it doesn’t just mean betting and raising like a maniac. It can mean becoming a calling station; it can mean targeting the player who put the most recent beat on you, with no regard to your cards or the board; it can even mean crawling into a shell and folding hands with which you should be calling or raising. In summary, it is up to you to determine your own personal tilt. (Mine is of the calling station variety).

How Do I Stop Myself From Tilting?

Just like other forms of self-destructive behavior, the first step is realizing and admitting that you have a problem. If you have just had your aces cracked for the third time in two hours, this time by an 8 – 5 offsuit that went runner-runner straight on your ass, and you find yourself all ready to go off (in whatever manner it is that you go off), there are several actions you can take to avoid blowing off your entire bankroll. (Rule number one should be “Don’t tilt”, but if you could do that, you wouldn’t be here, would you?)

Stop playing for the day. This is the most effective, and the most difficult, cure for tilt. Just walk away. Easier said than done, I know, but it works like a hot damn. Come back tomorrow with a fresh mindset and a positive outlook.

Take a walk. If you’re in a brick-and-mortar room, just go have a smoke (if you’re so inclined); go to the washroom and splash icy water on your face; go get a sandwich; go outside and yell at the sky. All of these will help you to cool down, and get your head on straight. If you’re playing online, the same walk will perform the same function: it may be a walk to the refrigerator, or a walk into the next room to watch the ballgame for a while. This rule (unlike rule #1) can also be used while playing tournaments.

Talk to a mentor or other confidante. Sometimes, speaking with a more experienced player, or even one of your own ability, will help to release the frustration and anger that is tilt. (We know a guy who talks to his cat for tilt relief…hey, whatever works, man.) This doesn’t mean bombarding the guy with bad beat stories; ask for analysis of your recent play, or get tips on how he deals with his own tiltocity.

Don’t play when you’re already in a bad mood. I know guys who steam for several days after a bad beat (hell, I used to be one of ’em); don’t be one of them. And, if you’ve had a fight with your significant other, or just lost your job, the poker table ain’t where you should be. In the immortal words of lovable legendary poker curmudgeon Roy West: Play happy, or don’t play.

These little rules, whether used singly or en masse, should help you manage the next time you find yourself “with your nose open”. But if you simply can’t help yourself, and start raising like a complete idiot after your set loses to a runner-runner flush, well, make sure you’re at my table.

Next episode, I’ll help you to deal with tilt of other players. Best of luck!

By Mike McManus (aka North Shore Mike) a poker player, and customer support manager for online card room Full Tilt Poker.com.