7 Solutions To Beat Tilt!

As a professional poker player you would think tilt would affect me less. It does now to agree because I have got a lot better at controlling it. However, everyone is affected by tilt. If you say you don’t, you’re just flat out lying! Even Ivey tilts! So here our a 7 solutions! Apply them to your game and you will make more money!

1 - Play fewer tables

Often when I start playing a session, I usually start with less tables then I am capable of playing. I do this so that I can focus on just playing good, if I start losing ill usually focus on my play and just continue playing the tables I’m currently playing. If I however start winning, I will add more tables if I feel like I am “in the zone” taking this practice has helped me keeping my losing sessions small and my winning session huge. It really works.

2 - Play longer sessions when you’re winning and shorter sessions when you’re losing

I am a huge winner at small stakes no limit cash games. However, I probably have fewer winning sessions then I have losing sessions. The key here is my winning sessions are massive sessions and my losing sessions are usually only a few hundred hands. It’s a fact that people play better when they are winning compared to losing. They are much less prone to tilt. Just think about it for a minute, if you are up 5 buyins and lose one buyin to a cooler you might not care too much. However, if you are down 2 buyins for the session and lose a buyin to a sick cooler. This could be what puts you over the edge and makes you tilt away multiple buyins. A good way to stop this happening is to implement a stoploss of 2 buyins. If you still want to play after you have lost these 2 buyins, then a mandatory 1 hour break should be taken.

3 - Turn off your chat box

I can’t tell you how many times I have got into an argument with a fish, or berated a fish when they suck out on me. What purpose does this serve apart from soothing your ego! The following are the consequences of your actions: 1) You “tap the glass” and scare the fish away. 2) You tilt yourself and get mad. 3) The fish starts playing better poker. Just don’t do it, be smart!

4 - Don’t play when your bored or tied

Boredom is one of the worst enemies a poker player can have. Once you get to certain ability, most players can profit whilst playing on “autopilot”. However, your winrate will be greatly increased by concentrating hard and not making silly mistakes. I suggest you drink some coffee or Redbull if you have troubles in this department. If you feel tired, you should generally not play.

5 - Don’t play when you have emotional problems

Emotions have no place in poker. Just logic and decision making skills. If you are in any kind of emotional state whatsoever you will not make clear and concise decisions, your brain will be clouded! If you have had a fight with your girlfriend, your family or are just generally being an emo bitch. Don’t play poker!

6 - Take a break after a cooler

Some players boast that they can take coolers without flinching. This is a very hard act to master and takes a long time to do it. For most of us, the best thing to do is take a break. I like to go to the gym, go for a run or do some pushups. Any form of physical exercise will clear your head and prevent your from tilting away money.

7 - Realizing when tilt is creeping in

This is the most important factor; I’m not sure why I listed it last. Anyways, Tilt usually builds up. Normally it is not one monster hand. Usually there’s a big hand that sends you over the edge, but there is a ton of hands (usually small hands) that you loose in quick succession to make you feel like crap. Sometimes you will feel like you can’t win a pot, no matter how hard you try. Just realise when tilt is creeping in. Either control it, or stop! Don’t let the tilt win!