Stay Away from Tilting
In the world of poker, there is a definitive state of mind that all players should avoid at any cost. In fact, cost has a lot to do with the reason it should be avoided. We’re referring to the term “Tilt”. As you’ll find when reading this poker article, learning to stay away from tilting is a key component to any successful poker strategy.
Tilt is defined as a player who has become emotionally unstable. When a player goes on tilt, they do not make the sound mental decisions they would normally make respective of a winning poker strategy. The word tilt is derived from pinball machines. When the machine goes on tilt, players tend to become incredibly frustrated at the inability to control the “flappers”, thus losing the ball.
A player on tilt can become confused and/or frustrated in such a way that they are averting from their optimal poker strategy and playing, essentially, a bad poker game.
Some players have been known to confuse the term “tilt” with another poker term known as “steam”. The end result may be nearly identical, but steam refers to a player who is so frustrated they play angrily. A player on tilt is simply making too many unwarranted moves.
Avoiding Tilt
To stay away from tilting, you need to be both patient and well disciplined. If you don’t have the patience to avoid tilt, you need to avoid playing poker, or learn how to overcome your impatience. A good poker player will never pay to take a bad starting hand to the flop, whereas a tilting poker player becomes so bored of getting bad hands that they decide to play on anyway.
Hitting a bad beat is the fastest way for a player to starting tilting. The player begins to feel cheated, even though cheating had nothing to do with it. We all hit bad beats now and again. You could be dealt pocket Aces, with a third Ace coming on the flop. You feel entirely secure in the strength of your hand, placing optimal bets with full confidence that you’ll win the hand. But if you fail to note the nuts, you may find yourself losing to a Straight, Flush or Full House. Wham-Bam-You’re-On-Tilt-Man!
If you can accept that you’ve been fairly beaten, and that it was a matter of sheer unluckiness, you can avoid being on tilt in such situations. If you become frustrated, however, your tilting emotions will only result in additional chip loss. This is where the discipline comes into play; knowing when to take a deep breath and accept your circumstances for what they are.
If you do find yourself on tilt, it’s time to take a break. Walk away from the table and let yourself calm down. Meditate, have a bite to eat, do whatever it takes to equalize your state of mind before returning to the tables. If you’re in a tournament, choose to sit out a few hands while you calm yourself down. If you’re playing cash games, take as long as you need, even if it’s an entire day, a few days, a week, whatever. Your bankroll will thank you for it!
Tilting Your Opponent
Putting your opponent on tilt is a great way to maximize your own poker strategy. When your opponent is frustrated, they will make bad decisions, put chips into the pot without a worthy hand and move forward even though they have no valid reason to do so. Pay close attention to your opponents, observing any signs of tilt. If you can put an opponent on tilt, you can potentially scopp his entire stack before he calms down.
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