How long can we tilt for?

Jesse · #1 03-31-2005, 09:57 AM

Hi all, first time poster here.

Last week, after consistant wins in my tournament, my confidence was shattered when I lost my trip jacks to a higher kicker. I was thinking about it over and over for days, and played in the same tournament last night.

But I noticed I was playing much diffrently, and that I was being more aggressive, playing hands I had no buisness of being in and so on.

I've been on tilt before, but never for so long. My confidence isn't there, I forgot all I've learned and most important, I'm not thinking while I'm playing.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any advice at all? What kind of things do you do when you're tilting "long-term", say, over a week?

ShortBus · #2 03-31-2005, 10:08 AM

You're treating tilting like you can't help it. It's a mental thing. You're going to have to get on with it. It's one hand. You lost. MOVE ON. You'll win the next one.

You can't win every hand you play. Sometimes, weaker hands will win. You have to learn to control yourself or you'll never make it. Poker is about control. Your emotions, your actions, your mind, your body. You need to control all of that.

The best of players go on tilt time from time. Those who know how to control it, stay on top of the game. Those who don't... continue to lose.

B1GF1SHY · #3 03-31-2005, 11:32 AM

After consistant wins in your tournaments you go on tilt after you're beat by a better hand? Somethings wrong here. How can you confidence be shattered by one hand? You go on tilt as long as you want to. Take a break if you need to, breaks always help.

Belok · #4 03-31-2005, 11:46 AM

This will probably sound mean, its not meant to be, its just meant to help you keep your feet on the ground.

If a beat like JJJKx vs JJJAx is enough to even make you blink twice, you really must be new to the game. Alot of new players might have some skill and hit a string of great cards and think they're prodigies. You dont seem to be at that extreme, but you have to be able to accept that you arent as good as you might think you are.

Get in more hands. Tens of thousands of them. Read books. Get pokertracker. Over time you'll develop your own personal style. Beats wont phase you nearly as much and you'll be able to stick to your game fairly easily.

There really isnt a set amount of time for how long it takes to be tilt-proof, but the more you play the less you tilt.