Here we are going to talk about the bane of poker players worldwide, Tilt.

What is Tilt?

If you've ever played a classic arcade pinball machine, you know that if you get frustrated and shake the table, and big red "TILT" light appears, and the game is over. It's exactly the same concept when it comes to playing poker.

When a poker player is on the losing end of a big hand or is the victim of a bad beat, they can lose their cool, get frustrated and angry, and start making bad decisions which cost them money. When this happens, we say that player has "gone on tilt." Tilt happens to everyone, some more than others, and it's vitally important to recognize when you go on tilt, and minimize the negative impact of it until you cool off and can play correctly again.

There are ways to also recognize if one of your opponents is on tilt and even methods which may cause players with short fuses to blow up and tilt. If you can see that one of your opponents is on tilt, you can use that to exploit their rash decision making.

When a player goes on tilt that does not necessarily mean they are simply going to go all in with anything or try outrageous bluffs as a way of venting their frustration. Tilt does not make a good, experienced player suddenly throw their chips away just because they are angry. However, every single player tilts from time to time, some in more subtle ways, and if you can read this, you can make a lot of money off of them in this time.

Signs a Player is on Tilt

One common sign of a player on tilt is constantly playing hands against a certain opponent as a way to try and get revenge on that player for a previous bad beat. Otherwise, that player would not play as many hands against the same opponent over and over again. Poker is not a game about personal grudges or revenge, and playing lots of hands, especially hands you would not normally play, against someone just as a way to punish them is a stupid idea, and will result in losses that will just make you feel worse, not vindicated.

Another one of the common signals of tilt is that a player will start playing more hands in general, and is more likely to chase draws. In most circumstances, a decent player with a low straight draw will fold to a pot-sized bet with a pair on the board. But when on tilt, that player is more likely to try to make back the money they lost earlier and would probably call that bet instead. When a player is on tilt, the main thing they are trying to do is catch a big win to make back what they've already lost.

Don't Do Something You Wouldn't Normally Do

The most important thing you can do when on tilt is actually do nothing. Bad and undisciplined players who are on tilt will sometimes make the incredibly bad decision to actually move up stakes, in the hope of countering their losses quicker. While it is of course possible to turn around a nice profit at higher stakes, it rarely happens to a weak player on tilt. As we mentioned earlier in the Bankroll Management article, unless you have the proper bankroll for higher stakes, moving up in stakes is generally a bad idea. Combine that with the poor decision making of a player or tilt, and moving up to higher stakes is a sure-fire way to quickly go broke.

Ways to Reduce the Effects of Tilt

Tilt is one of the main ways in which an otherwise good and solid player can lose money. Software developers have recognized this and designed great programs such as Tilt Breaker which can help you reduce losses from tilt. This program can set a stop-loss amount and lock you out of your poker client once you lose a certain amount in order to prevent you from quickly trying to win that money back. It will also prevent you from playing at higher stakes, or rebuying into a table after a big loss. Another advantage of this software is that it can help with distractions by blocking all other programs which are not related to poker from operating while you are playing. For those of you who are serious about making money with online poker, Tilt Breaker is highly recommended.

 

Being a great poker player involved many more qualities than just poker skill. Great poker players are also able to keep their emotions under control and recognize tilt. In poker, the one and only goal is to win, and avoiding unnecessary losses can be the same as winning.

Always remember, no one is forcing you to sit at your computer and play poker. If you feel yourself going on tilt and you don't trust yourself to do the right thing, you can simply stop playing for a while. Take a walk, yell at the couch, punch a pillow, do whatever it is that you do to get the anger out and forget about the bad beat that set you off. When you finally feel calm, relaxed, and ready to play disciplined poker, then you can sit back down and start winning