In poker, tilting occurs when you let your emotions take control. You begin making your decisions on impulse rather than based on knowledge and observation. Understanding tilt, which is a critical part of the game, is one of the first things each player should accomplish.
Examine the following signs in your next poker game and determine if you are on tilt.
Attempting to exact revenge on opponents
We have all been in this situation. An opponent to your left begins to limp, make three bets, followed by several ridiculous plays that he appears to make all the time. In this circumstance, you may experience unpleasant emotions such as rage and a desire for vengeance.
When you begin to experience vengeful tilt, demanding a seat or table change is generally the best course of action. Battling an aggressive opponent is worthless unless you can maintain your composure and profit by adjusting accordingly.
If you have a vengeance tilt, consider what triggered it after the session. You may even take notes to ensure you realize the signs early on in the next game.
Dwelling over past mistakes
Spending too much time thinking about past blunders will not help you avoid repeating them in the future and can even have the opposite effect. If you keep blaming yourself for your error, there is a significant likelihood that you will make another mistake.
If you find yourself pondering a mistake that occurred a few hands ago, take a little breather and let yourself digest what transpired away from the table. Overthinking past errors makes one unable to play their A-game.
Raising too aggressively
The classic form of tilt entails a player being overly aggressive in an attempt to reclaim the chips they have lost. A tilted player seeks to win a few easy hands. They don't want to be forced to study their opponents' betting patterns or trends.
It often leads to enormous losses when other players call with better hands, which leaves the player even more tilted and reinforces the vicious cycle.
If you raise most hands aggressively and get involved in almost all the pots, you will find yourself bluffing too much to recover past losses. It is an obvious sign that you are on tilt. Consider taking a breather or leaving the game completely.
Continuing to play losing sessions
Losing is probably the most apparent reason to end a poker session. However, quitting is very hard when you are down and on tilt. The moment you realize you still have the urge to continue playing despite losing a session, it indicates you are on tilt and should end the session immediately.
However, many of your worst poker sessions are likely to occur while you are unaware of how poorly you are playing. Quitting early on to stop the bleeding is the best course of action. Playing long losing sessions when tired or fatigued is a recipe for disaster.
Summary
Playing poker can occasionally put you in a position where you cannot manage your emotions. Knowing your boundaries is crucial since it helps one leave the game when they are overwhelmed.
