Tilt - Lack of Confidence - Bad Cards - and their connection

[john kane]

I read recently someone saying when he was on tilt he was tight-passive.

Today i had a bad session, dropped just over 3 buy ins in 2 hours 3 tabling SH. I felt i played pretty well. Made a few folds i shouldnt of done, but without knowing the opponents cards i thought it was the correct decision.

And part of me realised i wasnt making not as near as many frequent raises preflop, making a lot more folds on the turn in hands than usual. I put it down to the bad cards. But when i read someone on tilt goes tight-passive, it made me think had my confidence simply gone and i had changed my betting style.

But then i thought maybe it is simply becuase any half-decent hands im getting are simply walking into slightly better half decent hands e.g. 3 see the flop, your 2nd to act and you've flopped mid pair good kicker and bet 2/3 of the pot and guy last to act calls and he always seems to of hit top pair etc.

So my conclusion is that the cards i was being dealt simply meant that i had to play tight-passive, as i was being dealt very poor preflop hands, and the times i saw the flop rather than betting out with the best hand and winning, instead i'd either fold or bet out with which ended out being the 2nd best hand (although mostly i cannot know as i folded before showdown).

In Ciaffone and Reuben (spelling..) NL and PL they say you should never sit down at the table with a particular strategy, be it tight or loose, as you dont know who your opponents will be or what cards you will be dealt.

So maybe i was still playing well, it just sometimes you cannot play aggressive as the cards and players dont warrant so, and sometimes you cant play loose, as again the cards and playes dont warrant so, and so they only way to play is tight passive. Passive in the sense that it would be wrong to play aggressively to try to take down pots which your opponents will be calling with a better hand anyway, and so having lead out on the flop it is better just to check-fold the turn.

Just a final thought about the two types of tilt i would consider 1) is when you cards have been 2 outered a couple of times in big pots and you still are being dealt good cards which you overplay and refuse to lose the hand having been dealt AQs. 2) when you have had a couple of hours of constantly losing cards, you chips are going down and your now down a decent amount and you start to win it back by making moves you shouldnt and making calls you shouldnt to try to hit those 7 outers when the odds dont suffice just becuase you think 'my luck must change, i must hit some good cards soon'.

One might think i was on tilt 2) today, but at the same time i wouldnt say i was making any bad calls (okay, i made one) just that if your opponents will call with a better hand, then there is no point in trying to be aggressive, some days its just not your poker day.

Just some thoughts. Id be surprised if there were any replies but if you do have any thoughts about this id be interested. cheers for reading.