Tilt in Poker - 10 Tips to Avoid Going Broke

PokerVIP Coaching• 16,757 Views • on 12/8/16

The more hands of poker that you play, the more beats you will experience and these lows, as well as the highs of being a winning player, all cause emotional changes that need managing.

This article is your ultimate guide to controlling tilt in poker, giving you ten tips which if followed correctly will transform your ability to identify and control signs of tilt. We control tilt by understanding what it is and adapting ourselves and our environment to equip us perfectly for when the inevitable emotional swings that you will experience as a poker player show up.

The more hands of poker that you play, the more beats you will experience and these lows, as well as the highs of being a winning player, all cause emotional changes that need managing.

Whilst in this article we are more interested in how to manage negative emotions when we are playing poker, your ability to control your emotions will only help your overall game.

What is ‘tilt’?

Another article on PokerVIP describes tilt as “a fluctuation of emotions [rather] than pure anger.” This is certainly true but I would add another description which I think further qualifies what we are interested in today. Tilt is:

A change in your emotional state that negatively impacts on the quality of your poker decision making.”

Unfortunately whilst it would be helpful if we could robotically switch off all our emotions and play the same way no matter what events had gone before, we cannot.

Let’s get right into the ten tips, the first few tips are before we even sit down at the poker table.

1. Diet and Nutrition

When we feel hungry our survival instincts kick in and we begin to focus on finding food and therefore our focus on other activities drops. We can also get very angry if our blood sugar is low, making it harder to control our emotions.

As we are aiming for optimal emotional control we should ensure that we have eaten before beginning to play a session or by preparing a healthy meal to eat whilst we play. Any unwanted tilt because we feel hungry or thirsty must be avoided.

A word on nutrition. Eating cumbersome carbs, as nice as that is, makes us feel weighed down and lethargic. This can lead to lazy play and the inevitable frustrations this will bring about when we get the results our laziness deserves. Prepare healthy, light meals when playing to make you feel alert and fresh.

In terms of what you drink during play, try and drink water more often, reducing your alcohol consumption. We all know the outcomes of playing when we are drunk or under the influence of drink, with tilt and impaired decision making certainly high on the list.

Drinking water also prevents us from becoming dehydrated, which causes a drop in our cognitive performance if left unattended.

2. Fitness

Poker is a test of our physical as well as mental fitness. When we are tired we are more irritable and easily tilted. That 55 - 45 race will see us finish on the losing side 4 to 5 times out of 10, but when we are tired we can lose the perspective of the odds and we can get angry, harming our sessions results, even ruining the session completely in some cases.

In order to get tired less quickly, you need to be fit. Go for a walk or a run before you play a session. This will release endorphins such as Serotonin, the hormone of happiness. Exercise improves your mood and will improve your resilience to bad beats or distractions. Doing exercise outdoors will also expose you to sunlight and this further helps you. You will feel more alert if you are fresher and fitter as a result of improved nutrition too. This will improve your confidence at the tables and maintain your belief in your edge.

When you encounter a moment where tilt could appear, you are more likely to be able to brush it aside and carry on.

3. Stress and Distractions

How often have you shouted about something in life but the true reason for your frustration is something else entirely? If your partner and you are fighting or you have financial worries, reasons such as these and many others can distract you from playing your best game. Clearly there are many more reasons than simply your poker game why you should address sources of stress, but address them you should. Face up to them and eliminate them from your life, this may take time but start the process now. Your poker game will thank you for it and you will feel better when you play.

Before starting a session consider potential distractions. Getting a phone call at an unwanted moment or during a losing session could be the straw that breaks the camel's back and cause you to become angry and distracted. Consider switching off your mobile phone and don’t check your emails. I’ve checked my email before between hands and become angry and distracted after reading a message. It would have been far better to have checked it at all.

Focusing entirely on poker is the best way to play your best game. Deal with potential distractions and stresses before they become a problem. It’s not always possible, but do what you can.

4. Recognizing types of tilt

There is three types of tilt to be aware of.

Angry Tilt - If you cannot emotionally intervene, anger can take hold and you will feel like you are “steaming”. Either take a break and regroup or count to ten and try to respond positively. It may take some time but having the conscious objective of letting it go gives you a good chance of being able to sort yourself out.

Frustration or Chasing Revenge - It’s not quite anger, but frustration is a form of tilt. You may be succeeding in avoiding anger, but not quite avoiding negative emotion altogether. You can take a break, think about something else, have some water, just do anything that removes you from thinking about the source of frustration.

Chasing revenge can be a problem when you are “tilted” towards one player you think is playing poorly or got lucky against you. It is possible for tilt to be localized to one player. Remove yourself either physically or mentally from that emotion and move on. Confidence in yourself and your game will help you get there. It’s winning overall that matters rather than exacting revenge on a foe.

Feeling Depressed - You have successfully avoided anger and frustration but in the emotional vacuum you can be left feeling depressed. This can be the hardest to spot and it can be as subtle as folding “to avoid a beat” or not having the belief in yourself anymore. 90% belief is not optimal and telling yourself that you will win next time often only lasts until the next pot you lose. We all have really tough sessions and it’s only natural for this to be a struggle. If you feel like this you should consider the next tip as a solution.

5. Walking Away

Sometimes the beats just keep coming, you find emotional control very difficult despite knowing what you should be doing and today, for reasons you can either pin down or not, poker seems like a chore rather than a joy. Nobody rejoices in losing as that would be very odd, so in the correct circumstances it is right to leave the game either for a short period of time or for the rest of the day.

Walking away should not be used as an excuse to take a break every time a hand goes against you, understanding the realities of poker and accepting beats is an essential part of your poker psychology. But just as important is knowing when to stop before it causes a big dent in your bankroll. Remember that playing well 80% of the time and having a tilt-laden 20% would not see you reach your potential as a poker player.

Hopefully things go well so you don’t need to walk away very often, but when it is right to do so, do it. Resolve to come back fighting next time fresh, focused and ready to go.

6. Plan Your Schedule

Tiredness is a direct route to tilt, so plan your schedule carefully. Are you the type of person who can sit down and play a 12 hour session and maintain your focus throughout? Or can you only play for 4 hours before your attention begins to wander? Know thyself and plan your schedule by being very honest with yourself.

If you play for too long you will begin to feel uncomfortable and prone to bad reactions to tough beats and external factors. You can work on improving your ability to play long sessions but this is entirely separate to the reality of what you can and cannot do at present.

Constantly review and optimize your schedule based on how you feel that day and your progress in general. Having emotional range is not a bad thing but failing to adapt your plans based upon your awareness of it is a mistake.

7. Set Realistic Goals

You must set realistic goals in the short, medium and long-term in order for your poker play to have meaning and purpose. When you suffer a bad run of cards and if you have no goals you can find yourself thinking “why am I doing this?” and if you cannot answer this question you can become depressed and disillusioned (one of the three types of tilt).

Goals give you certainty and purpose which will increase your self-esteem and give you confidence to carry on. With poker being a zero sum game where someone wins and someone loses you must have a healthy and specific reason why you are playing other than just “wanting to make money”, which is a decent but not substantive goal.

Your goals form the bedrock of your confidence and resilience as a poker player.

8. Work on your game and tolerate variance

Emotional control is only one area of poker. You must work on the technical aspects of poker by reviewing your hand histories, plugging any leaks and constantly seeking to stay ahead of the competition. There is no finer way to find tilt and frustration than being a fish at the tables.

I’ve found that winning is a great way to avoid tilt and whilst this may sound glib, most of our frustration and potential tilt moments come from losing.

We must all learn to tolerate variance as this is a reality of poker, but losing due to bad play is a whole other matter, which only poker skill, experience and dedication can cure.

9. Celebrate your success

Tilt switches our focus towards the negative aspects of our psyche so we must make a concerted effort to be positive, celebrating our success when we achieve it. If you only ever “notice” failure you can fall into the emotional trap of seeing success as a relief for avoiding failure whilst losses remain devastating. In this instance you can only ever emotionally break even by winning.

Celebrate your success if you get it. After all, you deserve it. Happiness is tilt’s kryptonite! If this sounds weird remember it is absolutely true. Make sure to reward yourself when you achieve a goal or have a big win, even if you are recovering from losses.

It’s always a good thing to win and never be ashamed of being pleased about it.

10. Maintaining overarching perspective

Maintaining a perspective on poker will help you manage tilt. As we have discussed eating well, setting goals and preparing well will give you the best chance of success and success will keep tilt from your door. Even when it appears, you react quickly and do not let it damage your bankroll and results.

I hope these concepts help you to think about tilt in a new way to help you both proactively and reactively control your emotions.

In very general terms if you control your environment, work to find balance and you maintain your perspective during play, you will be able to manage your emotions. I (calmly) wish you well.