Poker Strategy Avoiding The Tilt

In poker terms, the word “tilt” means to become frustrated, and abandon your own style of play. In doing so, many players play too aggressively or make loose calls because they have lost their ability to control their own emotions. It is like a temper tantrum, in a way. I see it a lot, because I play quite a few casino cash games, and most of the time, these players empty their wallet in an effort to “catch up”. Tilting also happens in online poker, some players will just go all-in next hand after losing a big pot, and they will do it again and again. They have given up hope, and have lost the ability to care what happens to the rest of their chip stack. If you play poker for very long, it will probably happen to you, sooner or later. Maybe not as flamboyantly as on ESPN or WPT, but chances are you have let your emotions change how you play the rest of your chip stack. I know I have, and have lived to regret it. So, how can we avoid the dreaded tilt? Read on, and let’s find out.

Poker is a game of luck, implied odds, and above all discipline. You must have the discipline it takes to play tight all night long, folding hand after hand. When it seems like you cannot take down one pot, even with great starting cards, guess what? It is probably time to cash out. It is very difficult to try to keep you cool and play the next hand, when your aces get cracked over and over, or someone hits their one outer on the river. All of this and more, have happened to me, more times than I can count. It seems like it’s the same guy all night long, playing substandard cards and winning against you. Someone told me once when I felt frustrated with my poker strategy, “Don’t let it be about your ego.” I thought about this for a minute, I certainly didn’t think I was the best player at the table, in fact, I just worked harder than everyone else. But he was right, it stung my pride when I lost a monster pot, and I was letting it affect the way I played the rest of the night. I realized that I couldn’t continue to play a game that I loved, if I could not avoid the tilt. It was just too expensive.