[Kyriefurro]

Last month I went through the worst downswing I've ever heard of (from a known winning player, that is). I had just moved up to NL200 and hit a bad run of cards...and then tilted. I dropped 13 buy-ins before I admitted I needed to move down. I dropped another 8 buy-ins at NL100 and then had to move down again. I dropped another 5 buy-ins at NL50 before I turned my game around.

I did all the usual things one does in a downswing. I tightened up a bit. I reviewed my hands. I posted a lot. None of it was helping.

The worst thing was, in the mornings while I was reviewing my hands the correct play seemed completely obvious, but when the hands played out I kept making the same mistakes. It seemed like I had forgotten how to play.

What helped me was a change in the way I was reviewing hands. I realized that I was on a long extended tilt and I needed to change it. So when I reviewed the hands, I didn't just focus on what I did, but also tried to remember what I was thinking and feeling as the hand played out. I learned a few things about how my emotions affect my play.

When I'm on tilt I....

...tend to think the fish are taking shots at me (and sometimes they really are)

...tend to believe my chances of making my hand are "good enough" to justify a call when really they aren't

...I bluff (including C/B's) less and call more often

...I raise with 3rd or 4th best hands, even after my oppenent has "told" me he has the nut

...I make blocking bets - and then call when they raise

These are just a few things that I learned about myself. They may or may not apply to you.

One other important thing I learned about myself is that I have a "pre-tilt" stage that I go through when I'm running bad. I'm still "in control" but I become impatient and start trying to force thing...my aggression increases and I start mis-reading the board which leads to even more losses and then shortly full blown off-the-deep-end tilt. This emotional stage is very subtle, and most of the time I don't even realize that it's happening.

You might not do any of these things when you're tilting, but it's a pretty safe bet that your emotions are contributing to your downswing. So do everything that everyone else has suggested, but also take an honest look at your emotions and thoughts and how they're affecting your play. You might be surprised at what you find...and your game will certainly improve.