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Tilt is a something that affects every poker player at some time; no one is immune to it. However, some players are more prone to going on tilt than others, and its these players that must take certain precautions, or they are likely to be long-term losing players despite their skill level.
How much, or in some cases how little, it takes to put a player on tilt is known as a steam point. When a player starts steaming they start playing poorly; poor play typically leads to poor results; poor results tend to cause players to steam even more; steaming more will lead to poorer play and poorer results… Get the picture? Once you go on tilt you have entered a vicious cycle where you start playing worse and worse.
This is where knowing your steam point comes in handy. If you happen to have little emotional control; and start tilting after a single beat you need to realize that this would be a good time for you to take a walk to bathroom; sit out a few orbits; or maybe go grab something to eat. If you don’t catch tilt right when it starts you can no longer control it: Tilt will then control you!
Even the most composed and mentally tough poker players will have bouts of tilt from time to time. It’s the frequency and length of these bouts that often separate the winners from the losers. A winning player is able to walk away from the table, and realize they are tilting: Remember, in poker there is always tomorrow; the game isn’t going anywhere! A less experienced player will try to fight through it, and start steaming even more.
In order to control your steam point, you have to be cognizant of what sends you on tilt. The second thing you need to be capable of doing is admitting to yourself you are on tilt. Finally you have to learn how to regain control of your emotions once you’ve reached your steam point –if it’s possible.
The cause of tilt varies from person to person. Some people will be on tilt after a single loss –in fact some people don’t even need to suffer a bad beat, just the fact that they lost a hand can send them on tilt! And on the other hand, you have people who can endure multiple horrendous bad-beats, right in a row, before they start steaming. You will even encounter players who start steaming for some reason completely unrelated to poker, or the game at all!
The first step in dealing with tilt is admitting you have a problem: It’s sort of like a drug or alcohol addiction in that respect. Before you play make a point to remind yourself that everyone tilts. And in the words of Mike Caro: “Among equally skilled players it will be the player who tilts the least who wins the money.” There should be no embarrassment when you go on tilt; but you should be embarrassed if you blow through two or three buy-ins because you are too proud to admit you’re on tilt!
Once you realize what sends you on tilt, and are willing to admit that you are in fact tilting, you need to develop a strategy for dealing with tilt when it arrives. Anything from a short 5-minute break or walk, to stopping for a couple hours to watch Caddyshack or some other comedy flick: Just like the cause of tilt, every person will be different in how they cope with it.
How you handle tilt will often be the difference in whether you are a winning poker player or a losing one.
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