On tilt - due to winning?

[donkeyradish]

We've all gone on tilt after a 'bad beat' at some time or other, but

Anyone else found that after scooping a large pot you get an adrenalin rush and can't concentrate properly immediately afterwards?

And end up leaking back big chunks of your hard-earned winnings with some thoughtless plays?

Maybe taking a short break is a good idea? I notice a lot on-line that some big-pot-scoopers will sit out the next few hands or even leave the table immediately.

On the other hand I think why leave a table if you have an edge, you mightn't have it at the next table.

[Al Schoonmaker]

Your reaction is not at all unusual. Let me quote from my "Playing the rush, Part I: Offense." It's available at cardplayer.com.

"Common Reactions

A rush is so rare and pleasant that some people go on 'a variation of tilt.' That term was used on TwoPlusTwo.com’s Poker Psychology Forum to describe a man’s reaction to getting ahead. 'The feeling of ‘overconfidence’ (after winning) takes over and affects my sound play … soon I squander the winnings.' Another poster agreed: 'When I’m running good, I go on positive tilt. I try to run over the table with marginal hands instead of the solid ones that got me there. In addition, I slip into fancy-play syndrome. Then, before I know it, my stack has dwindled.'

"Someone else called this reaction 'momentum psychology.'He said, 'once you’ve won a few pots and are ahead, you tend to feel like you’re on a roll and have winning momentum. I am guilty of doing this, too. I tend to get a little overconfident and start playing too many hands. I rely on implied odds and my winning table image too much.'

'In other words, when they feel they’re on a rush, some people become too confident, loose, and aggressive. In fact, that’s what most people regard as 'playing the rush.'It’s fun, and it can build a stack quickly, but the downswings can be brutal."

End of quoted material.

To avoid this trap you must constantly monitor yourself. Ask yourself, "WHY am I taking this action?" If you can't answer, or if the answer is that your emotions have taken over, STOP.

You can probably find that entire thread in the archives. I think it was called "A variation of tilt."

Regards,

Al

[Dov]

I don't remember where I read this, but it was in a book. It advised that a technique to curb this type of tilt is to ask yourself if you would play this same hand if you were stuck in the game. If the answer is no, then toss it into the muck, take a break, and assess your ability to continue playing.

In my own case, I don't even wait for the blind to get back to me. If I sense a weakness in myself, I am off the table on break for the very next hand. Even if I am the button...

[BusterStacks]

Lol, I love "winning tilt". In fact it's my favorite kind of tilt. I tend to have the opposite reaction though, I tighten up because I want to hold on to this huge chunk I just took. It's probably still bad for my game, but better than loosening up.