Tilt – The Enemy Of The Profitable Online Poker Player

Looks At 3 Types Of Tilt And The Devastating Effect This Can Have On Your Poker Bankroll.

Everybody knows about the angry form of Tilt – when a bad beat or cold-deck makes a player so mad that he goes on to blow his entire bankroll. However this is only one form of Tilt. Being aware of this phenomenon and having a plan of action in place for when it occurs may save your cash.

Here are the 3 most common forms of Poker Tilt.

1 – Anger – Serious rage!

2 – Revenge – Wanting to ‘teach a fish a lesson’

3 – Despondency – The ‘Whatever I do I am going to lose’ feeling.

While the angry form of tilt gets all the attention, this is actually the easiest to spot and thus control. As a profitable poker player you need to accept that reversals and suck-outs are a normal part of the game and inevitable over time. If you do find yourself getting mad then the important factor is to step away immediately. It is the first few minutes of angry tilt which are the most dangerous – step outside for a few minutes, put things into perspective a little and then return to the tables fresh, your bankroll will still be in tact!

Revenge tilt is more subtle, this is often directed at individual players and can lead to you playing a hand less than optimally to try and ‘get even’ with someone who insulted you or got lucky against you previously. A common example is to call with a wide range of hands when a certain opponent is in the pot – trying to flop lucky enough to break them. The fact of the matter is that playing weak hands out of position will not only lose you money over time – it may also convince you to continue with a hand you were behind with from the start. Poker is a game of cold, calculated decisions – make sure that each decision you take is for the right reason.

Finally the despondent form of tilt – you get aces cracked a couple of times and feel that it does not matter how you play, you are bound to lose anyway. This form of Tilt is also dangerous, possibly even becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy. What tends to happen is the despondent player becomes passive – failing to push edges, price out draws or bet for value. This in turn negatively affects profits, leading to a downward spiral of negative thinking.

Tilt is dangerous and only a very small proportion of players are immune to its effects. Being aware of the different forms of tilt, and being disciplined enough to act appropriately when they occur, is a key element in profitable Texas Holdem play.

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