The Art of Playing Tilt Free Poker
Going on tilt can be a disaster for any poker player. Some of the once best players in the world are now broke due to tilting their money away at the tables. No matter how good a player you may be, going on tilt and continuing to play is a sure fire way of decimating your poker bankroll.
Understanding Tilt
Understanding exactly what tilting is, is the first step to stopping it. Going on tilt is when you are so mad and upset about losing certain a hand or a long stretch of losing. You almost go into a coma and don't realize what you're doing until it's over. Decision making becomes irrational and money goes flying away. Some players may feel the world is out to get them and they have the worse luck in the world. Along with losing your poker money, you could go further and break things. It's not uncommon for tilting players to break their mouse, keyboard and even punch their monitor costing even more money.
Players with a propensity to tilting on the tables are usually those who don't understand statistical variance, think of each session as a battle, winning over the long term is what's going to win you the war. Tilt. poor game selection and bankroll mismanagement are all your enemies and unless you stayt focused, they will triumph over you.
The key is to reach an understanding of math in poker and the long term nature of the game, once you can do this, you will learn to shrug off the most brutal bad beats, while maintaining a zen like state of mind which ultimately keeps your thought process intact. Lamenting over bad luck will only serve to amplify negative thoughts. Negative notions can cloud a clear thought process, it can even trigger a host of further negative reactions, leaving you highly tilt prone. Tilt triggers are almost always associated with negative thoughts. Learn to recognise and harness these triggers.
Play Shorter Sessions
Another great way to avoid tilt is by playing short sessions. These short sessions will allow your mind to be at its peak the whole time. After a short time, you either get bored or start surfing the net or watching TV. This will cause you to make poor decisions and possibly lose a hand setting the wheels of tilt in motion. Take breaks every hour or so and refresh your brain.
Diet and Exercise Considerations
Eating right is another important factor in avoiding tilt. Certain foods can make you feel lethargic and in turn will lead to bad decision making. Other foods like Tuna, fruit and pastas are very healthy for you and some are considered brain food. In conjunction with eating well you should be exercising. Even if it's just going for a walk, do something to get your blood flowing. Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel good. If you feel good, you will be less prone to tilt. Not only will your bankroll thank you, but your body will too.
Setting limits is also important if you are more prone to going on tilt. Some people will chase their losses and keep losing more and more not realizing they are tilting off their chips. Find your threshold of money you can lose and set the limit there. Stop playing and don't play until you feel absolutely good about yourself.
Different people will have unique needs and thresholds when it comes to what they can and can't handle. Something that works for one person may not work for you. Find your boiling points and set your limits. Find what works best for you, make a plan and stick with it. If you still find yourself going on tilt often you can purchase products like Tilt Breaker to help you along the way. The most important thing with tilt is to recognise the triggers and deal with them accordingly, if you find tilt sneaks into your game (which it will every now and again), my best advice is to stop playing immediately, go listen to some music, find cute animal or kitten videos on youtube, excercise is also a great way of reducing.
You won't be tilting after watching a video like this!
