Most poker players are aware of the concept of tilt. But few realize how much of an effect it actually has on their bottom line. Tilt is when you lose your composure at the poker table generally due to a bad beat or two. It can also occur when another player is getting under your skin. When you’re on tilt you make plays that you wouldn’t normally make. These plays cost money. They often cost a lot of money. If you’re playing live in a casino or card room you thankfully only lose control of one table at a time and may be able to calm down and regain your composure after only a few hands. But what if you’re playing online and you have six to 8 tables open at once?
Playing online affords many advantages like faster dealing and multi-tabling. This allows you to play ten or even twenty times the amount of hands as live play. This is a great way to make extra money when you’re playing your best poker, but when you’re on tilt it can cost you a small fortune. If it takes you ten minutes to calm down, you will generally tilt for three or four hands in a live game. If you’re playing online, you may well see sixty or more hands in a ten minute span. If you are tilting for sixty hands, chances are that you will make more mistakes and lose more money. When this happens, instead of gradually calming down, poker players tend to become more agitated, and lose more money. Losing more money will cause you to stay on tilt or become even worse and the cycle is hard to stop once it starts. So how do we identify such situations?
Generally if you’re playing fast and loose when you’re normally a tight solid player, you’re probably experiencing some degree of tilt. Another thing to look for is if you’ve recently lost several hands in a row. You may not realize that you’re on tilt, but if you’re hemorrhaging chips you better do something to calm down and stop the bleeding.
Taking a walk, as easy as it sounds, or taking a ten minute break, can help you regain your composure. The problem is, if you stand up every time you lose a big hand you’ll spend more time walking than playing poker. Tightening up and paying close attention to your game is a more realistic solution. Talking to yourself, as crazy as it may sound, may help plays make more sense after losing a big pot. If you ask yourself, “Does it make sense to raise with Ace Four Suited under the gun?”, and your answer is no, then you should probably fold. You can also fold a few borderline plays that you may otherwise take a chance with. You may be surprised at how many mistakes you can save yourself from just by talking to yourself.
The answer to tilt is different for everyone. The common solution is that you need to do whatever works to calm you down and get back on your A game. If you’re multi-tabling, you need to do it quick or your bankroll will take a serious hit.
The author of this article began playing poker seriously in 2000 and has played full time since early 2005. He currently makes the majority of his income from online poker and Players Only Rakeback.