Tilt.. Need help...

[VoxGibson]

I need some advice here...
recently playing online poker i had suffered 3 horrible beats... costing me about %10 of my bankroll in a matter of hours... trip aces losing to a gutshot on the river.... two pair AK losing to another gut shot on the river... and pocket aces losing to pocket fours... none of these were played too slow (NL GAME) so there legit bad beats....

However the problem lies here... since then i haven't been able to play my A game... been gambling a little more with cards i shouldn't be playing, seeing runner runner outs as possibilities, imagining the implied odds are better than they really are...folding winners like a kicked puppy... and watching my bankroll dwindle away a little at a time...

However i love to play poker, and its about all I do for entertainment, everytime i try to take a break i walk away from my computer, but about 15 minutes later i have a crazy urge to play some more... but as soon as i log on i start playing a mediocre game again....

i've been staying in really low stakes for me (usually i am doing 100 to 500nl) lately i've been playing 25nl to try to still have fun playing poker and minimize my losses....

My question is, is this sort of long term moderate/non-angry subplay tilt common....

and how does one go about correcting it...
and what are some other suggestions to occupy my time while im dying to play some more poker....

I know poker profit is a long term thing, thats why i don't get angry at bad beats... but knowing poker profit is long term makes me angry about my sudden lack of discipline. So concentrating on long term isn't helping me currently....

Any comments or advice would be so helpfull at this point..

VoxGibson
*never thought i'd post a help me im on tilt message* [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[danzasmack]

the response to this is the same as to every other one of these posts - take a break. poker can't be all you do for fun. take a break for like 2 or 3 days at least.

[setzf]

I know what you mean about wanting to play poker all the time. just remember that you can take breaks from playing poker without taking a break from poker. you can read 2+2 books, browse these forums, or other things that will satisfy your poker urges while letting you cool down and improve your game at the same time.

[garion888]

I think it just comes down to doing whatever you have to do to not play for awhile. Turn off the computer, turn on the TV. When I get in mediocre play mode I just stay away until I'm really emotionally neutral again.

Use your disposable income from poker to buy something completely non-poker related. I recently got a PSP with some winnings and it has really helped me have something else to do when i'm tilting. Eventually when I'm done tilting I realize the enjoyment i've had on the PSP was due to good poker play. It's a kind of backhanded positive reinforcement.

/rant
-J

[beedubblyer]

Gotta get away from the online rooms. Cash out your accounts if need be... then cash back in a week or two later with a reload bonus!

Similar thing happened to me, and I just couldn't play through it. The tilt was actually started by a bad beat in a live cash game, and I played way too much online after that.

The thing that got me BACK ON TRACK was doubling my money in a tougher live cash game... [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Vasquez]

I would recommend taking a break too. It helps alot. Watch tv play, video games( i bought myself some), or something else you like other than poker. You'll find that when you come back youll be playing better than if you would of not taken a break.

good luck [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Tuben]

I litle story about my tilt [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I was a big winner at 0,25/0.50 and lost almost all the winnings at bad play and bad beats, So i was totaly burnd out. But i dint want to stop playing poker so i tok a break for some days and started to play freerolls only to get my basic game bak not to win and a bought 2 books and read them then a had fixed a nice basic solid game at freerolls and yhen i started to play agin and know i am a winner agin
and has bean in month but i was totaly burnd out i thought i cant win a am to bad and so an all the bad things you shouldnt think.

It took me 1 month to come back i know it sounds bad it is only 0,25/0,50 but i dont have more money so i cant play higher but i am working on it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

One ather thing try to change site?
It has helped me at bad streaks.

[wildwood]

Find an outlet for your emotional need for action outside of the game of poker. Take up skydiving or skiing or something. Realize that poker for profit is all about patience and playing good hands. All the best.

[SNOWBALL138]

Here's what will probably happen:

You will tilt so bad that you will chase losses by jumping stakes, and go totally flat broke.

You will quit poker for a few months.


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[/ QUOTE ] However i love to play poker, and its about all I do for entertainment, everytime i try to take a break i walk away from my computer, but about 15 minutes later i have a crazy urge to play some more... but as soon as i log on i start playing a mediocre game again....

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When you play again in the future your walks will be longer than 15 minutes.

Almost everyone steams. Some people deal with it by playing well in spite of their emotions. Others learn that when tired or angry, it is a bad idea to play. Obviously, if you are a winning player, the former approach is best, but if you rely on the latter approach, thats good too.

As a sidenote, NL hold em cash games are a tilters worst nightmare. You might want to try playing tournaments or limit cash games.

[VoxGibson]

Taking into concideration everyones advice.... I decided on a combination of a few things...
First I read my collection of notes updating bits and pieces of them and read my sklansky books again.... When i came across the Advanced Tourny book I remembered how much i used to love to play tourneys... *in fact it was my love of tourneys that got me to purchase that particular two plus two book... and from then on became a huge sklansky fan*
Had some time to kill so i decided to Pick up the PSP which is a miracle device i must say... now i tend to play poker just to take a break from playing it...

But I decided to play some small buy in tourneys as they'd probably be minimal loss for me....
and out of three placed 16th,27th, and 3rd.... all three in the money... got my bankroll back to par.... each tourney having at least 400 people

and my A game is back....

Thank you all
VoxGibson [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]