Tilt

Dear poker players,

Periodically, I

go on tilt because of frustration. When I

do not receive a playable hand after an hour of play,

I become frustrated and go on tilt. This defect is costing me

about 2000.00/yr playing little stud. Any help will be appreciated.


Larry"Sitting Bull"Duplessis

Go to a Psycologist and demand that he tell you why you need instant gratification.


Go to a Psycologist and tell him if he doesn't tell you why you are self-destructing, you'll kill yourself.


Quit and take your frustrations out on a video game.


Sit there and figure out what motivates the loser sitting next to you to keep coming back.


Write down you actual thoughts while on tilt.


- Louie

Keep track of the time on your watch. When it's been an hour w/o a hand, get up and walk around. Keep extending the time in small increments until you can go eight hours with no hand and no tilt. I've been playing for years, and I still start to feel frustrated after four or so hours. I get up and get a sandwich or a coke.

It's probably a good time to leave the game if you havn't had a playable hand in so long.

Your table image is probably shattered..

Hey I have gone 37 hands w/o seeing 4th st. I've gone 80 seeing it twice only because I had low bring-in. Patience is the most important in my opinion. I may be wrong but it seems like when I do finally catch a hand in stud I may often catch 2-3 in close order. All of the sudden I'm up 1/2 rack or more.

Dear Player,

My mind is too clogged up for me to do any rational thinking while I'm on "tilt". Thanks for the I/P.


Sitting Bull

Thanks,Mack

I've been taking more frequent breaks recently. This action helps me to unclog my mind. However,I do not have any appetite

while I'm frustrated.


I appreciate your I/P


Sitting Bull

Dear Player,

I agree with you 100% about my image being shattered. However, I do not have the discipline to leave after playing for only one hour.

Thans for your I/P.


Sitting Bull

Dear Larry,

Patience is a virtue in playing poker. I agree with you 100%

It does seem as if the win's come in close succession.


Thanks for your I/P


Sitting Bull

You also could try to find more hands you can play. For example a totally live two flush when you can just limp and the game is pretty passive. A dead medium pair when no one has a higher card showing. A low, live three straight. Staying when a high card raises if you have a live smaller buried pair. In 1-3 or even 1-5 games, I find you can play these hands and even raise the bring-in at times and about break even over time as long as you are disciplined about either betting out or folding on 4th street (depending on what you and others catch) In addition to keeping you more interested in the game and less prone to tilt, doing this also promotes a table image that is looser than you really play and helps get you more action when you do get that pair of aces

or are rolled up.

aaaaadear Player,

I would be lowering my standard hand requirements for playing.

This action would be weakening my discipline.

I would be trying to push inferior hands.

Thanks for the I/P.


Sitting Bull

I hear you -- but what I'm saying is that your tilt may be partly a reaction to playing very disciplined hour after hour. The best players seem to me (from watching, listening and reading them) to value creativity. Of course you have to have discipline and patience, but you also have to keep your mind stimulated by looking for openings to add value through creative, aggressive play. This level of awareness is more difficult than playing strict requirements, but that's it's value, it will keep your head in the game. As for pushing these types of hands -- don't. For example, when you can limp with a 7-9-10 where there's only one higher card than the 10 in and all your 8's are live, be ready to fold unless you hit your 8 or pair your door card. But if the texture of the game and your position are conducive, you can add several hands an hour to your "play" list, break even on those additional hands and gain expectation on your better hands as it becomes harder for opponents to know what you're playing. I find this works well for me in low stud games, where a lot of people are staying with any old rags.

We all have different aproches. The ones the tight player is looking for are the loose ones, that will try to raise u out of the pot when they are week, or call with inferior odds etc, because you are the one holding the strong hand. Now what happenes if u suddenly work with less? suddenly some of the wild players moves will affect u, and u will fold. well what im getting at is that if u have decided for one aproach to the game, then thats it. for u, to start with a hand with lower standard is about the same, as starting to play a completely other game. It will disturbe ure reading of opponents, it will clogg ure idea of what u think others think of u(very confusing) and u will be less experienced at how to actually deal with situations. So when u Tilt. ask urself if u are interrested in playing this "other" game, if so, then go a head. u will be a newbie, or wait, and play ure game, the one that u are good at.

gl

Point taken. But longer term, you want to choose a style that's going to have high profit and enjoyment potential. The latter is especially important for most of us who play for low stakes, basically as a hobby. I believe varying play, reading players, reading game situations and generally taking an aggressive approach is clearly the way to go. Virtually every top player plays this way. This does not mean chasing re-raises when you're weak -- it means being ready to raise and fold if you're raised back at times. But it also means re-raising the re-raiser when he misreads and you're strong. Of course, all stud players must be prepared to watch TV, sip coffee or whatever for hours at a time when we are getting rags. But I know for myself, that when I am unable to play aggresively in a game when I do get a playable situation, it's not the cards. Invariably, the oppostion is too strong for me and I need to move to a "better" table.

Poker is no doubt a game of skill, patience, calculation, and fate. However, one of the single greatest factors that determine your success at the poker table have nothing to do with what is named in the above list. Attitude will determine more of what you win or lose at the table than all of the above factors combined. You must have the proper disposition for the game. Be tight but aggressive and play only quality starting cards. It sounds like a cliche but it it true that your attitude and mannerism at the table can not be seperated from your general disposition in life. If you lack patience or have tendecies toward anger poker is not the game for you. It is unlikely that you can be the type of person that goes on "tilt" in life and elliviate these tendencies while sitting at the poker table. Review and look at your general tendencies in life, ask youself some tough questions, and decide to what extent and level that you want to change. It sounds like you are aware of your major flaw which is a great first step. Best of luck in your pursuits in Life and at the Poker table.

Jason, I hear what you're saying. Attitude at the table does count. But I'm not so sure about the correlation with away from the table life. Just as in sports someone like Barry Bonds can be a great player on the field and perhaps not such a great guy off it, in poker there are many, many stories about great players who were/are totally out of control in their personal lives and other gambling pursuits. Just being a rock and waiting for quality cards is not all it takes to be a strong player. Patience and understanding of hand values is a basic skill without which no can be a strong player. But really excellent players take that base and vary it all the time for all kinds of reasons -- the other players, their position, the other hands, their table image, etc. I still maintain that playing creatively will help avoid tilt. There is no one more predictable than an angry player who is paying attention only to his own hand. How often have you seen such a person go to the river with kings and curse the fates when he is beaten by a good player who read his hand and stayed with two low pair or a draw that got there? How often does this type of player get no action when they bet 3rd street with a high card vs. the person who will sometimes play a live 2-flush with a high card for the bring-in? Once players see you do this, they will call

you all night. That's the time to tighten up. Then once they

get that idea, it's time for a bluff. To me, that's poker as it

is meant to be played. Yes, playing this way will increase your variance but in the long term I think you'll be a bigger winner and a happier player.

MR B great post on the subject of tilt, and I am posible overdramatisizing the coorelation between poker and life with regard to the subject of tilt. However, I feel that there is a strong correlation, and a large percentage of the time that correlation holds true. I could not agree with your post enough. Yes, you want to vary your starting hands, and punish those that are on tilt. I will often get a "feel" for what the player on tilt has and show down some hands that I would never show down in other situations. You certainly want to isolate yourself with the player on tilt, and take full advantage of the situation. You will see some swings in your variance by playing in this manner as you have stated in your post. However, the worst thing that can happen to you at the table is when people are able to quickly put you on a hand. Then your bets and raises dont get any action, and your winning cards are simply that winning cards and not money makers. Keep them guessing, and keep winning.