Tilt

This article aims to make players aware of what exactly tilt is, and how you can avoid it, and notice it in your opponents and use it to your advantage. At the end of this strategy article, you should be better prepared to handle your emotions when the time warrants it. Tilt is an inevitable part of the human emotion when playing poker. You may not even realise that you are on tilt, you can be simply trying to avoid your emotions, but still be on tilt.

Tilt is a very common poker term and it usually refers to when a player suffers a bad beat and then plays badly afterwards. An example of a bad beat is if you get all in pre-flop with AA vs AK and your opponent rivers a straight. After seeing a bad beat like this, players will often go on tilt.

Tilt symptoms include:

• Playing in too many hands
• Betting larger than normal amounts
• Calling too many bets and chasing too many draws.

It is how you handle being on tilt that will inevitably lead to your success or failure as a poker player. Everyone that plays will receive their fair share of bad beats. You can either be the player that loses all their money from being on tilt, or take all of someone’s money when they are on tilt. Ultimately it’s up to you to determine which path you will go down.

When you Are on tilt, some of the things that you should do to avoid it are:

• Take a break from poker until you don’t feel angry, upset or any ill feelings about the bad beat any more. Go for a run, get out of the house, do anything to take your mind off it. You might have to take an extended break if you are especially upset.
• Play some of your favourite music – This can be a big mood changer. If you put on some music that lightens up your mood a bit, takes you to a happy place, you will be amazed at how quickly you can overcome being on tilt.
• Reason in your head – Although you might not be able to do this all the time, in some cases you can. Think to yourself about what the player was trying to do, how you played the hand better than him, and eventually you will and he won’t.
• Play a different form of poker – I like to play Omaha when I’m on tilt because it has a bit more action. Make sure you go down limits because you can win/lose a lot of money quickly. I find it soothing to be able to get a lot of quality hands in a short amount of time, without forcing the issue and playing badly.

These are just some of the tips that I use to keep me on the top of my game. You can however make a lot of money from other people that are on tilt. This is where paying attention to what is happening on your table comes into play. If you see a player suffer a bad beat and then rebuy, then target him. When you have a strong hand, bet more than normal, raise him, make him go all in because he is a lot more likely to get his money in when he is on tilt. Even if you make him fold, it will only add to his frustration and he will tilt further. Learn the patterns of you opponents, and when you see them play badly, make sure you expose their weaknesses and extract all their cash. I realise that it may be a lot harder to pick up on behaviour on the internet, but it is still easy to see when someone is on tilt if you are paying attention.

Before you begin to play poker again, make sure you know how you react to a bad beat. Write down a list of what you do and the signs you show when you go on tilt. When you begin to see these signs, leave the table until you are playing at your best again. Tilt really does play a large role in poker. If you aren’t managing your emotions, they are managing you!