Tilt Night

[kurto]

Geez. After nearly a month of winning pretty much every night, (turned a $250 bankroll into $928 at PS playing .10BB and .25BB NL) I had some painful beats early in the night when I was a little tired and went on tilt. When on tilt, I still played good hands,.. I raised when I should have, I got called by questionable hands who would hit every time (which was irritating me more), but that wasn't the problem... I never wanted to give them credit for having what they had when, deep down, I knew I was beat...and I gave away my money. To top it off, I actually said out loud to myself, "I'm on tilt." And I kept going.

Examples-
This is off the top of my head so I don't recall stack sizes.
(.05/.10 NL)
I raise from EP with QQ to .50. 1 caller from late position.
FLOP J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

I bet $1 Villian calls.
TURN rag 5 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I bet $3. Villain calls.

RIVER Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Now I know he was on a diamond draw. Sure he could have been slowplaying a set, but I think he would have played faster with the flush on the board. I figure I'm most likely beat but I'm too pissed. But I'm going to bet at it in case (1) he poorly played a set (2) has a weak flush and may drop it...

I bet $4. He goes all in (which was about $5 more). And, because I'm tired and playing bad, I call.

He has the 5-7 of diamonds. I couldn't believe he called my raise with 5-7 suited, but that doesn't matter. I knew I was beat (whether it was AK suited or 5-7)

ANOTHER
After 1 limper, I raise to .50 from MP with AK suited. 2 callers (Villain is one of them, with a good stack and I've noted only plays good hands. I've never seen him take down a pot with weak cards (like middle pair, or TP 2 kicker)).

The flop comes A-8-4 rainbow.
I bet $1.25. 1 fold. Villain calls.

TURN- K (A-8-4)
I bet $3. Villain raises $3 more. I call.

RIVER- rag.
I bet $3. Villain raises it $6 more. The only hand he could have that I would play that way would be a set. I know he has a set. SO I CALL!?! He has a set of 8s.

LAST ONE
I limp in with pocket 4s. There's about 4 other limpers in the pot.

FLOP- 5-8-5 (suits unimportant).
check around to villain who pauses... then checks. In my mind, I noted the pause and said, "he's hit something. Be wary."

TURN - 4
a .30 bet in front of me. I raise it to $1. Villain reraises me to $3. Everyone else folds but me who calls. I CALL. I was checkraised by the person who I noted on the flop had something, Bells went off in my head, AND I TUNED THEM OUT.

River- 10 (5-8-5-4)
I bet $1 (why, I couldn't tell you... there's no draw this guy was betting on. Somehow I told myself I was being screwed with and my measly bet would take it. That makes no sense.) He raises me $4. I call. As I'm sure everyone knows (as I did but didn't want to admit it) he had pocket 8s. I even scolded myself because I KNEW on the flop he had hit and I ignored it 20 seconds later.

I lost between $50-$60 last night playing hands like this. I'm not griping. In every case, I had a good hand but knew I was beat. But being tired, I got cranky and stupid but kept playing. The worst is in many cases, I knew exactly what they had, they had the ONLY hands they would play that way, and I would get angry and deny it.

Over the last month, I built up my stack laying down good hands when I knew I was beat. Being tired and on tilt, I gave some of it back. My bad.

I hope I didn't bore anyone. I wanted to post my bad play as a form of self-punishment. And perhaps by writing it, I'll be less inclined to continue playing this way.

[edge]

I was doing the exact same thing a few days ago, but I didn't feel tilty at all. Maybe that's even worse, since I can't recognize that I'm on tilt? Anyway, I had a good session last night, and I felt really good about my play, and now I'm pumped and ready to go again, so maybe that's all it takes to get back on track.

[Biff M.]

You've got some good thinking going there, go with your instincts. Don't start thinking about all the stuff you've read, the hands you've seen; your instincts, that is your knowledge talking to you.

[edpsu92]

Same night as you....same site....same limits...i was on tilt too and that usually does not happen to me. Maybe something was in the air [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] hehehehehe! A tilt session is always rejuvenating for me in that it refocuses me.

[kurto]

"You've got some good thinking going there, go with your instincts. Don't start thinking about all the stuff you've read, the hands you've seen; your instincts, that is your knowledge talking to you."

What's worse then having your instincts being spot on and ignoring them? lol I tell you, it's weird being in tilt. I don't know that I've tilted through most of a session before last night.

Sometimes when you're watching a hand go down that you're not playing in, you can tell what everyone has and what they're betting on. I'm talking to the screen saying, "oh geez, BLANK, what are you calling with top pair for? His bet screams trips." At the end, you're right and you feel vindicated. Well, last night, I was doing that to myself. "Fold, you idiot. Clearly he knows you have an overpair and he's raising you anyways. What are you doing calling with that crap?!?!" or "that guy never pauses on the flop then checks. He's slowplaying. Hmmmm, he's slowplaying a monster, I think I'll bet on my weak pocket underpair?!?"

The good news for me is that at least I recognize it. If I can listen to myself again, I think I'll do alright.

Later.

[amoeba]

I think trying to get to the showdown in all 3 hands are fine but I think betting each and every street in all 3 hands might be a problem. Its a bit too predictable.

[Leo Bello]

Nice you got soem answers going. Recognizing tilt and learning to live with losses to minimize them is key.
Ihave been working on the psychological side of my game for the last two months. Trying to analize some thigns that go trough my mind. It is a good work. I discovered that I play better in the afternoon than later at night, since then I value my nights of sleep.

[kurto]

"I think trying to get to the showdown in all 3 hands are fine but I think betting each and every street in all 3 hands might be a problem. Its a bit too predictable." I agree. Particularly betting on the river when I should know I'm beat. Though I'm curious,... in each case (except maybe the third), A bet on the flop and turn is correct, no? In the first case (villain on flush draw), I think my biggest mistake was not betting enough on the first three rounds?

In the 2nd, when my TPTK turned to 2 pair, I thought a raise was in order. His reraise (being a very good player) should have told me everything I needed to know to get out.

In the third one, I should have checked the whole damn thing since my gut told me he had something great. Though the bet on the turn when I made my fullhouse would have let me know for sure if my instincts were off.

Please let me know which ones you would play differently. I appreciate any advice. (again... I know on the river I blew all of these, but prior to the river, what are your thoughts?)

[amoeba]

In the first hand, I think betting the flop and the turn is fine.

in the second, your TPTK turned in to 2 pair really doesn't help you that much unless if you thought he was on A8, A4, or 84, all of which are fairly unlikely. Why wouldn't he raise you on the flop with these hands? I might have just check called the turn and river. I save some money when I am behind a set and they decide to value bet and I can feign some weakness and look like QQ/JJ and possibly get some value from a villain who will bet that turn with AJ, AQ but probably would not call your turn bet if you had bet out. There aren't any draws you ahve to protect against.

On the third one I would have lost my stack as you really can't tell whether he flopped the set or turned the straight. and most of the time, I just don't let set over set bother me. Its also possible to see people slowplay A5 on that flop. But third one is all about your read so our advice doesn't help that much.