So You're Tilted (1 Viewer)

BarrieJ3

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I searched but didn't find this specific topic. We've discussed before what tilts people, but how do you respond? What actions do you take, if any, what routine, etc.?

I'm not a poker player, I'm a gambler. Throughout my life, rich or poor, money holds no real intrinsic value for me. As such, I've never been tilted playing live poker before, even if I ham it up occasionally just for fun, and didn't really think I ever would be. Bad beats, bad decisions, I don't love them, but they really don't get to me. Playing online, I've made a couple mistakes, $40 here and there. Technical/personal idiocy issue today caused me to be on the wrong side of a $400 swing. Pissed me off that a non poker strategy issue caused it, as in my own personal eff up. Queue pissed off to hell at myself tilt (I couldn't imagine being someone who felt this way every time they played bad or ran into bad luck).

Smart decision would've been to walk away immediately and go for a run methinks. But of course I did the opposite.

How do you react, what do you do? Is it different online vs live? Have a plan in place or play it by ear?
 
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Looooose more when I tilt, and more, and more!!!! Sucks I’ve learned to try and fix it and it’s been working.... I keep telling myself it’s variance and try to keep a solid game... I also will go back to my logs and graphs and realize in the long run I’m a winning player so that’s all that matters
 
The only way to stop the tilt is to win the money back and then some. You got to be in every pot, raisin', stealin', doing what you can to get back that money that is rightfully yours! Cards don't matter, you gotta look at it as a war!
 
I get tighter and more passive when I tilt, though it is rare. Fortunately this sort of game flaw isn't very expensive though it is a leak. It is hard to see from the outside looking in. Not much obvious difference between tilt and a card dead stretch.

Losing or a bad beat isn't likely to tilt me. It is real life shenanigans that is typically the culprit.

Last time I went on big time tilt was when the table jumped up and shouted kill the damn n-words when the Trevon Martin verdict came in while the game was going on. Really, I just wanted to send the whole crew home for the night.

But they didn't get my money -=- DrStrange
 
I’m a tournament player and I won’t hesitate to take a walk when I’m tilted. A lot of people don’t like to leave the table, because of the clock, but it’s usually a mistake not to. Take ten minutes. Miss some hands, forfeit a few blinds if necessary. So often in these situations in tournaments, if people don’t take a ten minute break, they’ll get knocked out in less than ten minutes.
 
Barry Greenstein talks about tilt in his book Ace on the River:

He gets up, takes a walk, washes his face and promises to himself to play better and not worse. If he sees that he is playing worse even after his break, then he STOPS playing and leaves for the day.

This always rang true for me.
 
Last time I went on big time tilt was when the table jumped up and shouted kill the damn n-words when the Trevon Martin verdict came in while the game was going on. Really, I just wanted to send the whole crew home for the night.

Wtf? Wow. I couldn’t imagine. I grew up in the south west and have plenty of cave man friends and views of my own that are probably not “pc” but I wouldn’t know what to do if I was around a group that had no problem saying that. Wow.
 
I get tighter and more passive when I tilt, though it is rare. Fortunately this sort of game flaw isn't very expensive though it is a leak. It is hard to see from the outside looking in. Not much obvious difference between tilt and a card dead stretch.

Losing or a bad beat isn't likely to tilt me. It is real life shenanigans that is typically the culprit.

Last time I went on big time tilt was when the table jumped up and shouted kill the damn n-words when the Trevon Martin verdict came in while the game was going on. Really, I just wanted to send the whole crew home for the night.

But they didn't get my money -=- DrStrange
Wtf? Wow. I couldn’t imagine. I grew up in the south west and have plenty of cave man friends and views of my own that are probably not “pc” but I wouldn’t know what to do if I was around a group that had no problem saying that. Wow.
Yeah lol that didn't help the tilt. Looked it up for no real reason/updates. Not a political post, but years later the guy G.Z. is selling paintings of the American flag for six figures, and apparently sold the gun for a quarter mil? Lol I'm gonna go look up some animal pictures and rainbows now.
 
I tend to get more aggressive/play more hands to try and win back my chips. I only really tilt when I know I'm playing poorly and making bad calls/limping too much and am overall just card dead, but want to play something.

I get annoyed when I'm one or two outed on the river or get runner runnered on the turn and river, but I don't feel as bad if I know I made the right call and the right play.
 
@Anthony Martino this is your living, ever tilted? How do you respond?

There was this one tournament I was playing with this absolute maniac on my right. In this hand he happened to be in the BB and I was UTG. Being known as a "nitty" player I opted to raise UTG with :td::8d:, because, you know, changing it up, they'll never put me on that hand!

So of course the maniac comes along, defending from the BB. Flop is gin, something like :ad::9d::3d: So he checks and I c-bet and he calls. I figure maybe he has one big diamond. Turn is :qs: and he check-raises me all-in! I fist-pump call, cause, you know, fuck that maniac. And he flips over :kd::qd: and I'm drawing dead, what a way to blow a chip lead!

Normally I would make a beeline to the nearest pet store, buy a puppy and kick it. But we were on an island and I don't think they have any pet stores nearby. So I decided I would lose in the tournament but make up for it by destroying the next canadian I came across in a cash game. I think his name was antlers or reindeer or something animal-related.

In all seriousness, I am not immune to tilt, not by a long shot. I think my worst was last year, playing against one of the tougher players in the 2/5/10 PLO game. I had AAxx vs his KKxx preflop and the flop was K85 with two of my suit, we wound up getting it in on the turn and he held and won a big pot. I managed to rebuild my losses only to flop top set of Kings later against his wrap, he whiffed the turn but called my $700 shove anyway and rivered the straight. I think I lost $1,900 total that day, but was just extremely tilted cause this one fucker just ran like gold against me constantly and I was pissed off about it, so I got a bit heated and started swearing and pacing around the room letting him know how fucking lucky he ran against me.

Fortunately that hasn't been the case when we battled this year, I've managed to beat him multiple times. But generally when I'm tilted I'll up and leave the game. I work too hard to let myself dig a big financial hole because I can't have the discipline to stop playing when I'm upset.
 
....Last time I went on big time tilt was when the table jumped up and shouted kill the damn n-words when the Trevon Martin verdict came in while the game was going on....

Really?

Regardless of the particulars of that case, I can't imagine being desperate enough to play cards with people like that.
 
Fortunately that hasn't been the case when we battled this year, I've managed to beat him multiple times. But generally when I'm tilted I'll up and leave the game. I work too hard to let myself dig a big financial hole because I can't have the discipline to stop playing when I'm upset.

Good advice, I always just walk, but experience really keeps the tilt down, but it's important to feel it and walk away. I also just make a point to sit out an orbit every few hours to make sure I don't get too much chair glue :p.
 
"Tilt", be it in poker or in life, is best handled the same way: Distract yourself until you forget about it.

Life is full of unhappiness. The key is to find things that distract you from the misery, then you will be happy. When I was diagnosed with cancer, The doctor explained all the side effects that I would suffer though. When he got to "any questions", I said "You forgot to mention which super-powers I might get." I think that's the first time that doctor ever laughed after delivering the terrible news. I was still focused on being happy.

If I'm on tilt at a game with friends, I'll focus on enjoying a good time with friends. If I'm at a casino, I'll order a drink, or take a stroll (which usually lands me at the bar where I can get a good martini). Online, I'll log off for a bit and do something else. You know, alt-tab to the window with the porn or something. :cautious: Basically, I distract myself.

Seriously though, when running out cards, I always root for my opponent. What I want won't change the order of the cards, so why not cheer when everyone cheers? Yeah, you'll look like a goof, but I'm used to it. If you win, you look like the super-gracious winner. If you lose, you share the joy. Either way, you avoid the tilt.

I did learn though, that that only works for cheering for yourself. I rooted against Mrs Zombie once, about 2 years ago, and I still haven't lived that incident down.
 
What I usually do if I’m on tilt. These are not recommendations:
-Get really aggressive play style. I’m never not straddling and my VPIP is through the roof
-Play as quickly as possible without really thinking through the decisions...snap calls, snap folds, snap raises
-Take on as much variance as possible


What I’d prefer to do:
-Play good fundamentals
-Focus on opponent bet patterns to exploit later
-Keep my ranges wide but still on the normal spectrum
 
Go all in the next hand...7/2, AA, whatever. Usually doesn't work out.
 
What I do to counteract:
Stand up.
Walk a few steps to the refrigerator, the restroom, outside if I need to.
Take things into perspective and try to get back to playing with friends (and having fun doing so!)
 
Wheres the how to play Jack's video when we need it lol
Also, it tilts me getting rivered hand after hand after hand. So I usually fold for a long time
 
I typically widen my range and pray for dream flops. It usually ends in me losing money faster, which makes my tilt even worse. Probably best to take a walk, cool down, and form a strategic plan moving forward before coming back to the table.
 
I used to tilt really bad when I first started. It was mostly me getting upset with the hand or the runout. I have never gotten to a point of berating a person at the table or anything. Personally, I find that distasteful. I dont think it’s cool to treat people that way.

Now, I’m just at a point where I expect variance to happen and I’m okay with that. I’m honestly more upset when lose getting my money in bad. I’m perfectly fine getting my money in good and having someone hit a 2-outter against me on the river. That means I’m putting myself in a position to win over the long term.
 

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