Don’t go on tilt

Filed Under poker tips

tilt on pokerGoing on tilt in poker is something that happens to virtually every player in the game at some stage. It occurs either after a series of big wins or even a single big win or after a series of losses. In the case of going on tilt after winning you may feel that you’re invincible and begin playing cards you should have folded pre-flop. You might do okay for a round or two if you’re lucky but ultimately you’ll find yourself going on tilt for the second reason.

Going on tilt after a losing streak is common and stems from frustration or a need to chase your losses. As is the case in so many aspects of life acting in anger or frustration usually makes matters far worse and if you can’t correct the situation you’re likely to turn a tilt into a long term playing strategy.

To put it bluntly going on tilt shows a lack of discipline. Allowing yourself to go on tilt is something you do to yourself and allowing it to continue merely allows those around you to profit from it. Think how great it must be to play at a table with a person who is aggressively playing every hand to the river and is getting more aggressive as their stack is reduced.

You’re sitting at an online table in any case so no matter how frustrated the player gets all they can do is curse and complain and play in an increasingly more desperate fashion. If it were me playing I’d ignore the chat and take all the money I could from them.

So how can you prevent yourself from going on tilt? First of all you should never lose sight of your playing strategy. Even if it isn’t working for you at the moment, a good strategy should not be abandoned lightly.

Make sure you don’t get too emotionally attached to the hand you’re holding. Having someone beat your supposedly unbeatable hand will be a blow to your ego and you might feel the need to teach them a lesson. Better to play a good hand aggressively and accept the fact that you can’t win them all and neither can your opponent. You’ll get them the next time and if you’re playing better poker than they are you’ll get back everything you just lost and more.

Most important of all is to remember that you’re playing poker to enjoy yourself. If you’re frustrated and angry you’re obviously not enjoying yourself. Try doing something else for an hour or two until you calm down and then go back to the game.

Lastly, if you see someone else going on a tilt take advantage of the situation. Get them to help fund the deposit on your new car or send your kid to college. Think how much you’ll enjoy your poker when someone is handing their bankroll over to you.

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