This is supposed to say "The impact on your ability to think is immediately lessened and you give yourself a chance to get back to your thinking game."

Great post(s)!

I believe tilt is one of the main reasons decent players are break even or losing.

Here's my little story:
Lost a whole lot of money myself playing the game doing everything wrong i could do, playing semi-depressed, doped up or drunk all the time, $1000s in debt (had my own business which went wrong due to burnout) trying to win big quick to get out of it, no br management, depositing more and playing higher the more i lost, frustrated, anxious, tilted... the worst downward spiral in my life, as a result i'm now living with my younger brother until i have payed back all my debts. (since december 08).

The first 6 months i didn't play any more at all, sick of the game, busto on all sites.
I started to feel better again, landed myself a great well paid/low stress job and started to feel the itch again, i said to myself; ok Tommy you can play again but you'll never deposit 1c again!
So that's what i did, started playing freerolls and satelites with the points i had left and applied the nittiest br management ever.
Now i have a decent microroll of $600 and i am working very hard on my game.
Had some ups and downs in the beginning of my comeback but the last couple of weeks it finally clicked and i'm really starting to get my tilt under control.

Things that help me to tilt less and play well more:

1. Tommy Angelo's series on DC was the catalyst, the breathing exercises really help you relax, also bought a book on mindfulness and am studying the techniques.

2. Focus; turn off everything but the game and play no longer than you can keep your focus, for me about 1h/session is ideal, i also set a target nr of hands and stop if i reach around that number, doesn't matter if i'm up or down.

3. Multitable; used to play only 3 tables max and played too many hands out of boredom, got tilted when i lost a hand.
Now i play 6-8 tables shrug and insta-rebuy when i get bad beat, no more time to worry about the beats, there's to much going on at the other tables.
Also if a certain player starts to get on my nerves i try to close that table and open another one, trying to stack someone out of hatred is -EV as are any other negative emotions.

4. Reading strategy on 2+2 ldo.


Thanks to applying those rules i'm now consistently winning for the first time ever and it feels great even if it's at the micro's, right now i'm on a 12 session / 16 buyin winning streak.

Something i still have to master is to stop getting all excited when i have Aces or Kings, when that happens my inner voice goes "Oh yes! i'm going to make alot this round, get ready to be stacked!" which is the ideal setup for tilt if beaten and makes it hard to let go of your hand if you have the feeling you're beaten.
Instead you should think: "cool, i have AA,nice hand but it's just 1 pair let's see how i can play this hand best, oh and if there's a wet flop with lots of action i might have to fold"

I don't think you can ever truly eliminate those feelings (at least I haven't), but as long as you minimize the effects it has on your game by following some guidelines that I (and others) have posted, then you'll save yourself some money!

Such a great point, I recently have been guilty of this. As I was nearing a goal that I said would allow for me to move up to 200NL, I felt like I was pushing myself to try and make that last $1200. Before I know it, cards start running bad, and I'm trying even harder to get that money back.. Before I know it, I'm in a 18BI downswing

probably most of those were somewhat unavoidable, however, I certainly remember making some decisions that I would normally not make. Even if it's just a few buyins difference.. That's a lot of money that could be saved!!

I now start every session with the thought: 'This session a Donk will make 3 mistakes in a row by calling my bets/raises and he will suck out on me on the river'
When this then actually happens the small voice in my head that wants to go 'x#**%##@, donk!', now goes 'see, I told you so' and I can play on without tilting or thinking about that hand again. disclaimer: doesn't work every time.

For me The tilt-warning lights start flashing whenever I realise I didn't think about pot-odds, implied odds or betsize on a particular street but betted/called anyway. Iow my brain is starting to make 'thinking' short cuts or avoid thoughts that could lead to folding the hand (folding = GIVING UP on trying to win the hand).

Remedy: Hit all the 'sit out next hand' buttons. Leave the room. Figure out whether I'm just tired, distracted or on tilt and take apropriate action.

I started thinking about this thread while I was playing tonight and I noticed an insidious way I have of tilting. Say for example an 80/20 aggrodonk is betting every street and winning a lot of pots without showdown and is up almost a BI. I think it's unfair that he's playing like that and winning and I make it my mission to set things right by taking his chips. Very -EV, especially since I'm not actually good enough to do it.

Aggrodonks can be very tilting because they force you to run good, and when you don't run good you try and force yourself to run good, and that is how aggrodonks seem to get their money.

This is the first time I hear this..I'll definatelly try it!

Great post, OP. Great discussion.

For me, tilt either manifests itself as anger or apathy.

Anger is obviously the easier to spot and deal with. When I go on anger tilt, I slam the table, break the mouse, cuss...whatever. I've trained myself to immediately un-click the auto-post, shut down the tables and leave the game. I go out in the garage, do a couple of pull-ups, some curls, then sprint on my spin bike for 5 minutes. It doesn't take much, but the short burst of physical activity does wonders. Then I go in the house, kiss my kids, curl up next to my wife, and realize I have a pretty awesome life. **** poker.

Apathy is the real danger. You lose every session. The Joy of the game is gone. You expect the donk to river the flush, every time. This type of tilt is normally surrounded by a slow, steady decline in your BR, combined with running slightly under EV...you know...just enough so you can blame your losses on bad luck rather than poor decisions. TPTK is never good. You pay off every set with your overpair. Or so your tell yourself. I don't have the emotional maturity to grind through this type of tilt. I've experienced it 3 times. Each time, I've tried to grind through it, and each time I've failed. The only way I've been able to deal with it is to take a long break from poker, and I don't set a date on when I'll return. I don't cash out, I don't study or review, I don't swear off poker...I just don't play. I will only return to the game when I have positive emotions surrounding the game. Sometimes its take 3 days, once it took almost a month.

I haven't read all posts, but speaking for me personally, I tend to laugh out loud after a bad beat (or more generally, bad play that gets rewarded). I obviously don't do it on purpose, but I think it has a positive impact on my game.

Also, I don't think I'm an extravagantly emotional person and all in all tilt has never been a big issue for me. On a few occasions, I did have the impression that I was playing under my usual level and I just called it quits. This needn't be a consequence of being sucked out on or anything related; a lack of concentration qualifies too.

But maybe my übertilt is lurking around the corner

While counterintuitive, I'll second this. I was leaking like mad playing 23/17 in all kinds of terrible spots playing three tables. Eight has me as 15/11 and playing A-B-C tag poker. While not tricky in the least bit and exploitable by better players, it's sure more profitable at the dime and builds the foundation and experience for more sophisticated play. And absolutely helps control tilt.

+1. Playing 2-4 tables does improve your hand-reading ability, but I think that adding 3-6 more has actually improved my tilt control. Playing more tables, you don't get as bored waiting around for hands, and are able to play tighter, solid poker. Also, whenever you get a bad beat, you don't linger on it as much as when you were playing fewer tables, because you focus more on the other hands you're playing.

However, I still think it's important to maintain a balance. Playing too many tables can have you playing tighter than optimal, and missing some +EV spots and reads. Playing too few tables.. can improve your patience and improve your reads, but can cost you money if you can't wait it out and get overeager to play your hands. Every once in awhile, I make sure I go back to playing half as many tables to fine tune my hand-reading and patience.

Anyways.. that's what has helped me manage my tilt for the most part. Also, taking a break or two between your session, and doing something else completely, like exercising or playing another game helps refresh your mind. Oh, and also, what someone else previously mentioned.. don't analyze your sessions immediately after you're done playing. Take a break, come back when your head is clear, and THEN analyze them.

Your post is right on target and, for me, much needed today. Had a losing morning at the tables where I found myself making one bad decision that tilted me and so I made more bad decisions. Pulled myself away from PS for awhile and re-read Digger's Pooh-Bah Redux post and I think I'm starting to relax a bit. I'll be prepared when I log back into PS thanks to you and Digger.

Hmmmm, thought I had my tilt issues under control but appearantly I still suck hehe. Session last night I blew 2 stacks away attempting to bluff of villain (one in a 3way 3bet pot where I had absolutely nothing and villain flopped a set which didn't help) and the other where villain flopped trips which of course I chose to rep...

In the end I ran good so made up for the losses but I got really pissed at myself. I started the session thinking 'ok, no fancy plays... straightforward' only to blow one stack bluffing in the most idiotic place possible. That tilted me and I thought 'crap, this was the last time!' only to do it again not too much later.

Tilt really costs me. Luckily I don't get tilted from suckouts but mainly by bad play of myself (which leads to more bad play, more tilt, etc). Ah well, it's an on-going lesson I guess. I have to see it as learning-money and indeed, accept the fact that I'll never play without making mistakes... limiting them is the key.

Cheers for putting everything black on white again.

Ok, what's the difference between being a donk and being on tilt?

Is a donk someone who's always tilting?

tilt is when you deviate from your normal play and make Worse decisions. So a Donk can get tilt by going from awful play to omfg I think he is just randomly pressing button plays.

Two things that have helped me with not tilting.

The first is natural disposition. I don't get angry easily, barring the occasional cheating video game.

One time I had someone knock on my door at 6am looking for Steve or Julie. Julie being the runaway fiance of the knocker and Steve being her brother/boyfriend/whatever. After 5-10 minutes of "Where's Julie?" "I don't know any Julie." "I know she's here, where is she?" etc etc I asked what address she wanted, NOT MINE. She apologized and I never saw her again. I could have yelled before that part or called her a moron after, but it's not me. So it's no surprise that I don't get angry when playing cards.

The second thing I learned from these two stories.

The second story I was listening to at an Angels-White Sox game. The Sox catcher was up to bat, and since it's in LA and he's hated there since 2005, the fans gave it to him. Behind me this transpires:

Kid:Why are they booing?
Grandpa:Well 4 years ago....(Tells about the play in the playoffs that caused all this)
Kid:That was 5 years ago! They should get over it!

Stop playing hands you had, and play the ones you have.

Id like to add something that helped me alot!

Use a pokertracker software...it lets you tracke your progress and shows that you ARE a winning player (if you are) and helps you resist the urge to have to "get a bad beat back"

Ever since ive used pokertracker, which has a 60 day freetrial) i have yet to play out of my level.

Have interests outside of poker.

Perspective is important.

Bumpage of this thread - great read. I enjoyed seeing the different perspectives on Tilt and how people control it.

I personally was dealing with insane monkey tilt when I would get a bad beat by a donk or an insane river suck out on a hand the other player shouldn't have been in to start. My way of dealing at the time was to lash out and berate them in chat. Obviously this is counter productive since we want the donktards to make those plays. What me learn to control tilt was having my chat banned for a week. Over the course of the week I had no way to lash out at the donks. What I started doing was predicting the bad beat or suck out to come. That way when it hits I simply laugh and tpye something to the effect of "lol Fn stars (or FT)" and move on. I also got a nerf gun and shoot up crap around myroom when I take a beat.

The week off of chat seriously helped me get control over the tilt - try it

when i go tilt i spend all my small bankroll in tourneys at one night

I will reload now and start all over again, will take a few days, hate running bad

Thanks for the advice. I really need to take this to heart. And when tilt gets to ingrained in your thoughts even when you're away from the table, I think sometimes a longer week+ break may be due for many of us.

I was really getting into the swing of things a few weeks ago, picking up some multi-tabling skills, beating 2nl for an awesome winrate, built my BR from 9$ to 32$ in about a week, and I felt like I was on the verge of breaking through into being a consistently winning player, next thing I know Im playing over my BR, playing to many tables, playing long tilted sessions, and generally hating poker, and Im back down to like 8$. Im a foolish tilt monkey.

very good post. +1.

broken headphones...tilting tilts me...