First Online Poker Tip: Tilt

Hey losers, here’s a tip for you. I’m going to be offering general advice every other day or so on this blog (so be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed or sign up for the newsletter to the right). Sometimes I’ll be talking about general issues, other times I will discuss direct strategy. Today’s topic is playing on tilt, and it’s one of the reasons I beat noobs like you all the time.

Tilt basically refers to the confusion or frustration felt when playing, which causes you to do make stupid decisions. If you’re receiving a bad beat, and let it affect you, you might start playing with more emotion, rather than just doing the right thing with what’s given.

Here are some tilt-causing events to look out for:

• Being bluffed by a small bet (a post oak bluff, which I’ll talk about later)
• Having an opponent catch a miracle card late in the hand
• Folding to a large bet, only to see the opponent turn a crappy hand
• Having what you think is a nearly unbeatable hand, only to be beaten by a better one
• Standing up to an aggressive player who keeps playing every pot, but ends up with a bigger hand
• Going all-in on a great pre-flop hand, and losing
• Jerks like me, beating you constantly and letting you know about it

These are the types of things that can cause you to become frustrated, and not think straight. It is at these crucial moments that you have to stop, gather yourself, and basically ‘start over’ again.

Beat The Tilt

If you are tilted, the first thing you have to do is realize the situation. If you’re getting a bad beat, just realize that it’s not necessarily due to your strategy, but caused by variance which is part of the game. Poker is a long term game, the idea is to win over time. Sometimes you’ll be up, sometimes you’ll be down. Keep that goal in mind at all times.

One great strategy for beginners to avoid tilting is just to lower these variances by playing more passively. Don’t be afraid to fold marginal hands, even if you think it’s a winning hand. A more moderate game means more moderate downs (and ups) but also less chance of throwing you on a tilt.

If you do find yourself flustered at the table (or monitor), try to stop yourself. Go take a breather, grab a snack, go outside for some fresh air. Clear your head. Do not let the tilt break you! Call it a day if you really have to. There are jerks like me everywhere, looking to take tilted players for all they’re worth.