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I don't take anything at the poker table personally anymore. My opponents seem more like puzzles to solve than real people. I don't know if de-humanizing people on the other end of the internet connection is a good thing for me as a human being, but it sure is good for me as a poker player.

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Interesting point. I do this myself but never really thought about it before. In tournaments, I sometimes feel "guilty" for being too active and slow down, sometimes even backing off of marginal raise/call situations because i've been very active lately. Backing off in tournaments can be +EV when you need to maintain an optimum bluff/raise frequency, to avoid too much playback at you later on.

In cash games however... you need to stick to your optimal game, which includes pinpointing and exploiting emotionally weak competition.

It is sad to see someone caught up in the desperate fatalism of tilt, but Phil Gordon talks about this a little in his Green Book... if they are really a compulsive gambler and are THEMSELVES responsible for their loss (as opposed to only you being responsible through your fine play), then it doesn't matter who takes their money, you or the next guy... they're going to give it away today. Take what you can.

Phil says that after the game he will from time to time try to see if someone needs help, but he certainly waits until he is off the felt..

Mike Caro also talks about this somewhat, but my memory is a bit hazy on his exact reasoning for why you must be a ruthless cut-throat.

But suffice it to say you must be a ruthless cut-throat. Remind yourself of this when you feel your resolve faltering for sympathetic purposes.. KEEP ATTACKING.

I make sure I raise whenever I feel that slight pang of sympathy that says 'EASE OFF with this KQ and let the poor people see a flop'

Whenever that little man goes off in my head, I raise a little more for good measure.