A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

If you take a number of really bad beats in a session, but you got your money in with the best hand, does it effect your play? How do you deal with it? What are some techniques you use to get yourself centered again, or does it not effect you?

I'm really curious because since I've been re-building my roll, playing at low limits you can take some amazing bad beats. I've taken a number near unbelievable ones over the last couple of days so I'm searching for some new ideas about how to deal with this. I mean in about 25k hands I think I've tilted away at least 7-8 buy-ins by making stupid plays because I wasn't in the 'right' frame of mind. I think that's a bit absurd personally. If I take one or two in a session I'm usually ok. I can handle it, but when it goes over that I know I start tilting.

I know this topic is covered from time to time, but it's always good to re-visit.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

When I'm in the frame of mind where I feel like nothing's going right, that's my tilt. I don't play more or less hands, but I tend to play them just slightly differently (I pay less attention to the possible holdings of the opponent) - that gets expensive real quick.

The best thing I can do is quit then go for a walk or sit down at a FPS and blow away some enemies to blow off steam.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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If you take a number of really bad beats in a session, but you got your money in with the best hand, does it effect your play?

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Yes. I get really aggro, then I get it all on with a flopped flush but lose to a boat.

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How do you deal with it?

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I take a nap, shower, wait till the next day.

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What are some techniques you use to get yourself centered again, or does it not effect you?

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See above.

Ultimately though, I usually end up tilting anyway and blowing money.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

i have a heavy bag. it helps a lot. this sounds stupid, but it really works. just imagine the bag is the villain. it has probably saved me thousands and it costed like 185...

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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i have a heavy bag. it helps a lot. this sounds stupid, but it really works. just imagine the bag is the villain. it has probably saved me thousands and it costed like 185...

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NH

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

if I absolutely must play poker when I'm tilting I buyin with a 30xBB stack. I built up one of my first BRs doing an Ed Miller short-stack type system and I go robot when I have 30-40xBB in front of me just out of habit. In fact, in wake of my last major downswing, I've been buying in short a lot and its been great.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I posted a problem in the psych forum regarding tilt and the psychological impact of losing has on your playing. Whenever I'm down, I feel the need to redeem my losses, and win back my money. It's hard to stop when I'm down.

My play is somewhat affected as well, whether I like to admit it or not. Despite making the 'right calls and the right plays', sometimes it just doesn't work out. When I was in a slump a little while back, I grinded my way through it, and once I started winning again, my confidence and wins started up again. You definitely play better when you are running good.

Some things I do is just try and take a break. Sometimes, the cards just aren't hitting. It's important not to let yourself get out of control. Tilt kills bankrolls. Slumps come and go, and soon enough, you'll be running well again.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

Somedays if I get sucked out on... I say "Whatever" and it doesn't bother me... though honestly, I caught that aggressive angry feeling subtley boiling one day anyways and realized I started to raise and reraise a lot more pots.

Today I went on some fantastic tilt after a guy who frankly sucks beat me with a runner runner flush for a big pot. Honestly... I think it improved my understanding of poker but it cost me a few buyins. lol

All I can do is calm the [censored] down and try not to feel that life is so "unfair".... because it isn't. It's damn fair. And I never feel it was unfair when I suck out on the opponent.

So for me, *that* is the major change

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I have a somewhat different form of tilt from what xorbie describes. I get all weak-loose, or something like that. I stop betting/raising aggressively because I've taken my bad beats doing that, but at the same time I'm eager to call big all-in bets because I want to get my money back fast. Makes no sense, but there you have it. This obviously costs lots of money very quickly.

I can usually fix this by dropping down in limits and playing shorthanded, with the rule that I raise pre-flop with almost any 2 and then am not allowed to call on the flop, and only rarely on turn or river. This also tends to cost money (though not as much as you might think) but forcing myself to play poker postflop with a maniac image against weak opponents beats the tilt right out of me.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

what really bugs me is when they hit a very well hidden draw and I pay it off for a lot.

then I feel part of it is my fault.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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what really bugs me is when they hit a very well hidden draw and I pay it off for a lot.

then I feel part of it is my fault.

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Yeah, that I don't mind so much. Those are tough. I'm talking about raising 10x BB pre-flop with KK and having a donk call OOP with 97o, catch a 9 on the flop, you put him all in on the turn and he hits a 9 on the river kind of stuff. When people make really donk moves and take your whole stack a few times in a night, I just don't seem to take it as well as I think I should.

I'm trying to get to a place that I can work through those kind of beats. Perhaps I'm asking too much of myself, but I'd like to think it's possible to let it roll off my back. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I don't feel bad about those.

I feel bad about the improbable gutshots that I pay off.

the bad beats don't worry me too much anymore.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

curiously, I made some really bad calls today so I feel like crap.

trying to get back in the rythm of playing tight by playing some Omaha8.

I wish you guys got the game going earlier cuz I wouldn't have lost nearly as much had I left to go play that

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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I don't feel bad about those.

I feel bad about the improbable gutshots that I pay off.

the bad beats don't worry me too much anymore.

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What's the difference in your mind between a 97o hand and 'paying off' a gutshot?

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

All good and interesting feedback. Incidently the first rotation I played today (earlier today) I took a real BAD beat, lost my stack and decided to stop playing until perhaps tomorrow. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

because the majority of money went in when I was behind in my situation, I feel worse.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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because the majority of money went in when I was behind in my situation, I feel worse.

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Gotcha. Thought you meant the money went in and someone caught a gut shot. Funny, because I don't feel bad about those. Perhaps we can swap some mental juices and balance each other out??

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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All good and interesting feedback. Incidently the first rotation I played today (earlier today) I took a real BAD beat, lost my stack and decided to stop playing until perhaps tomorrow. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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Best choice. I don't tilt from bad beats. My tilt comes when I play 5 hours of breakeven/losing poker even though I'm playing mostly correctly. Just missing draws, missing big cards, stuff like that. I usually take a day off after a session like that. If I'm running bad when I come back I'll take 2 or 3 days off.

I can handle suckouts. When I'm bleeding money away slowly for 6 hours or 2 days of full sessions I start to doubt myself and change my game for the worse (way less aggression, not trusting my reads). Even though I know I'm a winning player I have trouble not doing it. When I walk away and come back a few days later I can put the bad session out of my head and go back to playing my normal game.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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because the majority of money went in when I was behind in my situation, I feel worse.

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Gotcha. Thought you meant the money went in and someone caught a gut shot. Funny, because I don't feel bad about those. Perhaps we can swap some mental juices and balance each other out??

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"May God give me the power to control the things I can and accept the things I can't." - Proverb

I am with amoeba. Me making a bad play makes me much more upset than getting sucked out on. Why would I get upset abotu something I can't control? I guess this is my attitude towards everything in life (so much that people comment on it) so I guess it just carries over into my poker game.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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because the majority of money went in when I was behind in my situation, I feel worse.

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Gotcha. Thought you meant the money went in and someone caught a gut shot. Funny, because I don't feel bad about those. Perhaps we can swap some mental juices and balance each other out??

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"May God give me the power to control the things I can and accept the things I can't." - Proverb

I am with amoeba. Me making a bad play makes me much more upset than getting sucked out on. Why would I get upset abotu something I can't control? I guess this is my attitude towards everything in life (so much that people comment on it) so I guess it just carries over into my poker game.

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I guess that's what makes us all unique psychologically. I don't get upset at myself if I make a bad play. I just learn from it. I get upset when people make obnoxious donk plays and hit one or two outers when all the money is in. You have to eventually accept all events that occur in your life, but I don't think that means you can't get mad about donks who call pre-flop rasies of 10+BB OOP with 97o against your big pocket pair and hit running 9's. I of course always get over it, but I'd be lying if I said wasn't grinding my teeth perplexed at what they thought they were doing. When my stack gets wiped out on plays like that it gets me steaming.

P.S. Control is an illusion.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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I don't think that means you can't get mad about donks who call pre-flop rasies of 10+BB OOP with 97o against your big pocket pair and hit running 9's.

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How can a winning player possibly say this?

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I get angry if I judge a player incorrectly. For example, I correctly judge my opponent to have QQ with ace and king on board and the pot was 200$ on the river and we both had 200$ behind. I pushed all in and he made a miraculous call. This hand set me on tilt more than any bad beat ever could have.

I am playing on like 8 or 9 buy ins right now and losing 1 or 2 to a bad beat doesn't phase me.

I tilt when I recognize my own play is getting bad. Then I play worse and worse and worse. A stop loss seems like it would do the trick for me but I can't often adhere to it because the games are sometimes just too good to shy from - that is, I still think I have a very high expectation when I'm playing suboptimally.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

Tilt sucks, I did tilt away a couple of buyins today when I got sucked out on by 23s twice today both all in preflop aginst AA and AK, but things got better after I took a break and made a couple grand [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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I don't think that means you can't get mad about donks who call pre-flop rasies of 10+BB OOP with 97o against your big pocket pair and hit running 9's.

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How can a winning player possibly say this?

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Obviously I know that in the long run, that's how I win. It just burns at the time. I smack my monitor, kick my pregnant cat, and get over it. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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kick my pregnant cat

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Awesome. That's the only thing cats are good for. I have my cat's bed next to my computer so I can kick him when things aren't going well.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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I start to doubt myself and change my game for the worse (way less aggression, not trusting my reads). Even though I know I'm a winning player I have trouble not doing it.

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I get that feeling a lot and it is one I don't like. Not being able to trust yourself at a poker table is about the worst thing, IMO, easy way to hit a tilt button

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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kick my pregnant cat

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Awesome. That's the only thing cats are good for. I have my cat's bed next to my computer so I can kick him when things aren't going well.

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[img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Joking of course, I don't own a cat.

P.S. Don't abuse your pussy.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I dont tilt from being beat. This happens. Ive lost to quads 5 times in 5 days and I wasnt tilting. What does piss me off is when I fold a winner. Dumping pocket 3's because nobody is in the pot and the board is AJ3. Lost opportunities bug me. When I do get tilty, I play a 2 dollar MTT or something. Keep me busy for a few hours and the worst I lose is two more dollars.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I should mention that another good stress relief is to [censored] around with X dollars and expect to lose it, of course depending on what you're comfortable with X being.

Buy into a 5$ SNG and push every hand.

Play some small stakes limit and cap every street.

have a blast

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

When you feel you are not making the right decisions - stand up and don't play for a couple of hours.

It's hard, I know, but it's the only way.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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I'm talking about raising 10x BB pre-flop with KK and having a donk call OOP with 97o, catch a 9 on the flop, you put him all in on the turn and he hits a 9 on the river kind of stuff. When people make really donk moves and take your whole stack a few times in a night, I just don't seem to take it as well as I think I should.

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Those don't bother me as much; they played badly but just got lucky. There is nothing that you can do about that.

What pisses me off is when I lose a hand because of a clear and stupid mistake (usually semi-bluffing into an obvious calling station) that wasn't obvious during the hand, but should have been.

I start doubting my reads and plays and generally revert back into a weak-tight shell.

The solution is to leave the table (or even the game for that day) and do something mindless for a while. Biking and shoot'em-up games are high on that list. Working out (or any physical effort, really) is probably the best. Its hard not to be calm and confident when you're walking out of the gym all pumped up.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I try to forgive and forget. If I have just lost 3 buyins I recognize what went wrong, then I take a look at my bankroll and try to accept this as my new starting point that I will be _making_ money from, not recovering. If this doesn't work I'll stop playing for the day.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

I found another way to tilt: when one particular player just has your number. When one guy keeps smashing my head in, I get pissed off. Now granted tonight this happened when we were playing heads up, and this guy went from 100$ - 600$ because of me, but still. I was definitely steaming and this sometimes happens if one particular guy just keeps killing me in 6-max.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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Buy into a $5 SNG...

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I go with this one, hands down. It's a great tilt cure.

A couple of cheap SNGs let you keep playing
It's tons of fun
Losing is much cheaper than getting stacked at a cash game
Costs so little that you can just join another one right away

And best of all...
With a little luck you get to bust a few people out, which when you're tilty is EXTREMELY satisfying. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

its very satisfying to bust people even when i'm not tilting

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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Buy into a $5 SNG...

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I go with this one, hands down. It's a great tilt cure.

A couple of cheap SNGs let you keep playing
It's tons of fun
Losing is much cheaper than getting stacked at a cash game
Costs so little that you can just join another one right away

And best of all...
With a little luck you get to bust a few people out, which when you're tilty is EXTREMELY satisfying. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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Hell if you do the mini steps one, just gotta get to 5th and U get another tilt cure for FREE

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

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I found another way to tilt: when one particular player just has your number. When one guy keeps smashing my head in, I get pissed off. Now granted tonight this happened when we were playing heads up, and this guy went from 100$ - 600$ because of me, but still. I was definitely steaming and this sometimes happens if one particular guy just keeps killing me in 6-max.

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I have found that this is my usual tilt problem. One donk in particular at my table will suck out on me and after that I'll focus on him. I'll loosen up and just waste more money trying to recover my lost stack from JUST him, which will naturally worsen my play and tick me off even more.

Usually I find that if I simply pack up my measly stack of chips and buy into another table, the absence of the donk I was mad at completely revamps and improves my play.

Re: A subject covered extensively - Tilting
 

Always remind yourself that why your there. Without terrble play there would be no long term winners. Alro revisit these bad beat hands and see if you did anything wrong. Many times you'll see that you may have played a part....