yea i completely agree with your analysis. i think all of us struggle to deal with tilt sometimes. often i will just send really lame HHs to people on AIM and type hyachachahcah a bunch

i wouldn't be surprised if (maybe this isn't a novel idea) tilt were the number one winrate-depleter in this entire forum. i've played many kinds of poker and sh lhe seems to be the worst as far as this pow pow pow cascade of grossness.

I know I lose money because of it and it's one of the reasons I haven't moved up. I struggle with it constantly. I'll go for weeks without any tilt and then for some reason a few beats in a row will get me riled up. It seems to happen more when I'm tired actually. And of course, those session turn into 3000 hands marathons.

def. easier to tilt when tired.

stoploss ftw

Abso, have you read elements of poker yet?

I used to win and win and win and win and then I'd go off for a big number, rinse and repeat. I don't even think it was tilt in the sense that most people tilt, I just would have very unlucky sessions and I guess I let it affect my play at least a little (although I can honestly say I've never been on insane monkey tilt). Also, I would play for long sessions when I was stuck and they would easily turn into long, disastrous sessions.

I set myself a stoploss and follow it religiously. I stop right away once I hit the stoploss and don't even play out my free hands until the big blind. (I know this is a little silly and technically -EV but it's something I've found I need to do).

It's helped so much I can't even explain. Now I have the same amount of winning sessions but I never go off for a big number. Also, if I really feel I'm playing well and get unlucky and hit my stoploss and have the discipline to stop I treat myself to a little something.

Nothing big but maybe I'll order Chinese instead of making Ramen for a latenight snack, someting that I know I'll enjoy a little bit but nothing major at all.

I know it sounds ******ed to reward yourself for losing sessions but I've found this really helps me and I'm much happier (and much richer) lately.

Stak

QFMFT. Do this. Do it now.

You're one of about two guys against whom I never ever miss when I semi-bluff, so that makes it hard to play well. "Well he raised, so that means I'm either beat or he's about to get there, what's my play?"

I try to go out and spend some money whenever I'm having a bad stretch. Helps to remind me that all is not lost and its comforting to acquire another possession that will never get burned up playing poker.

This is me. My cash outs almost always follow losing sessions. Another reason I haven't moved up.

TA seems to be a nice guy but 2+2 totally overrates elements of poker.
90% of the book is just not important
5% is just for yoga fetish people
but 5% is gold.

also read "the poker mindset" (I also know that SSSH hates hilger - and after seeing his hand vs boc4life where he totally crazy spewed off big time just to be lucky in the end I aggree)
but the book has some good points and might help you tilt less

what I wanted to say is:
read both hilger and tommy angelo

Would you say that its the worst during the U.S. daytime? Seems like nothing but tag regulars.

i dont really know. i know theyre usually pretty good right after i get up, so around 5-7 german time, what should be like 9PM-1AM or something american time. then they just insta-dry up until around maybe 4PM local time, so tha'd be around 10AM-12(AM/PM i dunno 2 hours later).

so my educated guess would be: games suck at stars when the fish are in bed

US daytime for 15/30 and 30/60 is usually the best time of day, imo.

I just try to stuff as much money in the pot as possible to maximize my implied whine odds.

Hell ya... 2k hands -100BB @#$%^&! Stupid donkeys....

So I'm finally busto, and I'm taking a break for at least a few weeks. I don't know why I'm busto, so if anyone has any thoughts on me, my name is DaveD123, and I was playing only 1/2. I dunno what was wrong, I'm around 22.5/16, but just kept losing.

How many bets did you lose? And why didn't you move to .50/1 before you went totally empty?

I lost around $1400 I think. I don't know exactly b/c I had to reformat my computer and didn't back up my PT DB correctly. I think part of that might have been from 6 tabling and maybe not concentrating as much as I could have been, but at least half is from only 4 tabling, which I'm fine with.

I've been playing poker since 2004 (although on and off since November of last year b/c I'm in law school). I didn't think it was necessary to move down, and that things would pick back up. My downswing has been more than what variance should be, so thats why I posted. I need to quit now anyway because I have finals starting wednesday, so its not the end of the world.

edit: I haven't been playing limit since 2004, I basically quit after UGIEA hit, and went exclusively tourney, and had brief stints playing NL. All I'm really trying to say though is that I know what's going on with limit, and am not just starting out.

Dave I don't know how the hell I have 122,000 hands at 1/2 in my DB but only have 58 for you.

At any rate, the sample size was small but you were at 15/12 in those 58 hands. And you went to SD 23%. All of which seem very low but still, only 58 hands.

Sounds interesting, where can I find this? Haven't been around much past couple weeks.

Yeah I've only played March and April. For a while I was doing well so I played 2/4 some of that time too.

Just for fun, my stats:

13,055 hands, 22.8 vpip, 15 pfr, 29.5 WTSD, won$ at SD is 60.

I only have stats for the last couple weeks or so, but from what I remember before I had to reformat, stats were very similar, maybe 25/17, at most.

those stats are tight - probably you can beat 1/2 but it won't be a huge rate and it'll be swingy as you've pointed out. sign up for the session reviews here, and post hands! both are very useful.

I hate to give sweeping generalized advice based on statistics, but showdown stats of 30/60 aren't going to get it done in very many games. You are very likely missing profitable spots to call down, and thus folding the best hand too often. You can also open up preflop, but certainly not wihtout showing down more often.