Poker News

John Carlisle

Dear Poker Counselor,

I lost my entire bankroll while playing angry and tilting. I’ve seen all the of books saying to never play too long, never play with personal problems to sort out, etc. I always figured I’d never let that stuff get to me. Well, I was wrong. I guessfailure is the best way to learn, but how can I make sure this doesn’t happen to me again?

-Colin in Boston

Dear Colin,

You’ve read those long lists of do’s and don’ts when it comes to preventing tilt. They probably told you not to play when you’re feeling tired, hungry, depressed, sick, lonely, stressed, sad, mad, bored … and the list goes on and on.

Put simply, these lists are WRONG. The authors of these lists are well-intentioned (as they are encouraging their readers to play while they are at their peak levels intellectually and emotionally), but they are not being realistic. Good players find a way to stay focused on the table despite tough life circumstances, pressing work issues, and overall stress. Avoiding play due to outside circumstances is avoiding the challenge. You must forget about those generic laundry lists that tell you ways to prevent or avoid tilt. Instead, you must figure out how to play through the internal and external conditions that bring about that tilt.

You write that you get angry and tilting. Most players usually assume that tilting is the outcome of outwardly directed anger. For instance, we blame our tilt on an “idiot” across the table that risked 3/4 of his stack on a 2 outer and caught it. I’ve even seen a guy place blame on the cards themselves, crinkling one up in his hand while slamming it onto the felt. This outward anger is believed to cause the player to play erratically on the next few hands and “steam”. While this thinking is partially true, it is an overly simplistic evaluation on tilting and emotions at the poker table.

Our first mistake is labeling anger as an emotion. Anger is a secondary emotion, meaning it is actually an outcome of several other primary emotions combined together. We usually can attribute anger to emotions like frustration, embarrassment, disbelief, betrayal, or perhaps feelings of inferiority & being overwhelmed. With that, battling tilt means overcoming all of those underlying feelings and emotions that make up the anger and tilt. We don’t get tilt because the guy caught an improbable 2 outer, we tilt because of the frustration and disbelief that grows, unchecked, beneath that anger. When your mind races with thoughts like, “That is so unfair. Why me? I didn’t deserve that,” the tension builds and all emotions boil to the surface. The previously mentioned issues like hunger, fatigue, and depression only add to the mix until you find yourself off of your game and leaving withyour bankroll lost.

The key is to think through your tilt, as emotions can be held in check by appropriate thinking. Replace “Why me?” with “I made a good play and got beat by a bad call.” Remind yourself that you are a good, proven player. Believe in yourself and your ability and you will play a smarter, more steady game. When you learn to control your thoughts, you’ll be able to control your primary emotions at the table. When you can control your emotions, you will play at your optimal level. When you play at your optimal level, you will be a consistent winner.

Now, go make it happen.

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