The concept of tilt is something most poker players are aware of, but the severity of the effect is only realized by a few. Taking a bad beat or two then losing your composure during a poker game is called tilt. When another player gets under your skin it can also happen. You tend to make plays you wouldn’t normally make which end up costing you money when on tilt. Often these plays cost you a lot of money. When playing live in a casino or card room, you only lose control at one table at a time then usually can regain your composure after just a few hands. Playing online on 6 to 8 tables a once is a different story.

There are many advantages to playing online like multi-tabling and faster dealing, which allows you to play far more hands than live play. If you’re playing your best poker this is a great way to make money, until you tilt which can cost you a small fortune. You will more than likely tilt for 3 or 4 hands in a live game in the ten minutes it takes for you to calm down. During a game online in ten minutes you may see 60 or more hands go by. Chances are you will make more mistakes and lose more money if you are tilting for 60 hands. Poker players tend to become more agitated when this happens, instead of calming down, costing them more money. Of course losing money will cause a player to stay on tilt longer and so the cycle continues. These situations can be identified.

Generally if you’re playing fast and loose when you’re normally a tight solid player, you’re probably experiencing some degree of tilt. Another thing to look for is if you’ve recently lost several hands in a row. You may not realize that you’re on tilt, but if you’re hemorrhaging chips you better do something to calm down and stop the bleeding.

The easy answer is to just take a walk. Get up and take a 10 minute break and regain your focus. The problem is that if you’re playing 8 tables, and you stand up every time you lose a big hand, you’ll spend more time walking around than playing poker. Another, more realistic, answer would be to tighten up your game and pay extra attention to every play you make. I like to talk to myself to make sure that all of my plays make sense for a few minutes after losing a really nice pot. “Does it make sense to raise with Ace Four Suited under the gun?”. If the answer to my question is no, than I fold the hand. I also try to fold a few borderline hands that I may otherwise take a chance with. It sounds crazy talking to yourself, but if you try it you may be surprised at how many mistakes you save yourself from making.

Whatever the answer for you is while on tilt the most sensible thing is to do whatever works for you to get your head back in the game. Your bankroll may take a big hit otherwise, especially if you’re multi-tabling.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Paradise Poker Rakeback as well as Rakeback at Full Tilt Poker.

Tags: Poker

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