The tilt issue - need good advices

[irishken]

I play semi-pro poker, student but live by playing poker and try to save $150k before the army.
I have good discipline while playing and im not a action-junkie.
But if I take couple big beats(not allways bad beats) I get so mad and sick its scary, it seems like I just cant control myself I start playing J2s etc etc. bluffing.

So I need some good advices how to avoid that happening, it just seems I allways forget the long-run when tilting even tho while im in good mood everything is crystal clear and I only think how much im trying make wihtin an year.

Usually I tilt badly something like 1/week and drop 3buyins very quickly, so it comes pretty expensive fast!

Help me please!!

[purnell]

There really isn't any "trick" to avoiding tilt. The simple solution, since you seem to recognize whenyou are on tilt, is to sit out for a few hands and regain control of yourself. It helps to analyze the hands that piss you off as objectively as possible, so you can either reassure yourself that your play was correct, or learn something when you get outplayed.

[Bodhi]

Us youngsters sometimes lack self-discipline and equanimity when faced with some of the crazy beats you get in poker. Maybe you should take up some relaxation techniques before you begin a session. Also, your plan to save 150K before the army sounds very ambitious for a student. If you're playing outside of your br then the beats hurt more than they should.

[wildwood]

I agree with Purnell's post.

The tilting issue is not about someone drawing out on you. It's about how you think about it when it happens. In the Don Juan book series by Carlos Castaneda, Carlos is learning from the last of the Yaqui indians. At one point they argue, and then Carlos says "Don, you're not angry at me, are you?" And Don says "No, you couldn't do anything important enough to make me angry"
That was a real eye opener for me. Wow, we get angry (read tilt) when we choose to assign a great deal of importance to an outcome or event. Otherwise it's like water on a duck's back; it just rolls right off.
I certainly get irritated when my AK get cracked 5 times in a row or I've been losing for 3 hours, but I try to remind myself at that point that I'm getting paid to make good decisions. When the cards just keep running badly, I try to just quit and play another day when my mind is clearer. Hope that helps.

my 2cents

[irishken]

I used to yoga and that really helped with this issue but then I got bored of that lol... maybe I should try it again in near future.
Yeah the 150k sound pretty high.. but dreams are good, and with the winrate I have worked first 5months of this year it should be achievable.
And im not certainly playing out of my bankroll.. maybe even little too low. Tt doesent seem to matter how much I lose tilting happens as much in $10 tourney after when I get knocked out as I lose a $1000 pot.
Weird world....

[RYL]

[ QUOTE ]

...but I try to remind myself at that point that I'm getting paid to make good decisions.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know why, but this statement made me feel happy. I usually tilt when I make bad decisions. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[bkholdem]

Have a friend watch you play. Instruct them to hit you over the back of the head with a heavy object when you take a beat.

[dan123]

The best thing to do is shoot some heroin and then continue playing.

[Bodhi]

Yeah, yoga is allright, but I can't stand most of the fruitcakes who practice it consistently. It becomes a whole identity for them and they won't admit that it's just sophisticated PE.

[BluffTHIS!]

My 2 cents worth:

1st cent: If you are ever going to be successful long term you just have to realize that if you are playing winning poker then in each situation you should try your best (barring bad reads but that can be improved too) to have the odds on your side. When you are in a a situation that has you the 65% favorite and someone draws out, you should not be concerned because losing 35% of the time is the juice to win the other 65% of the time. You just want to be able to play as many of those situations as you can.

2nd cent: If you really feel you need to steam a little, then drop WAY down to like .50/$1 limit or $25 buyin nl tables and lag it up for a while. This is only a stop gap though until you learn to view 'bad beats' in the proper context.