Tilt: The Dual Edged Sword

[Fonzi]

Everyone that has played even a few hands at the tables knows that evil little devil that rears his head when you?re not at an even emotional keel: tilt. He talks you into playing hands that you know you shouldn?t play, making calls you know to be wrong, and continuing to bet when you know you are just giving money away. Tilt is a little demon that causes the majority of bad plays from players of all levels. The biggest difference in the pros over the amateurs is how they notice and manage tilt.

First, what is tilt? Tilt is the term used to describe the emotional mind state in which you allow your feelings toward a player or situation override your reason, often forcing bad plays. It is most often caused by two VERY different things: a bad beat or a huge win.

A bad beat is the most common stimulus of tilt. There are few better feelings than getting all of your money in with the best hand, especially when you are a huge favorite to win. However, there are very few worse feelings than seeing your opponent hit a miracle long-shot to take the pot away from you. For example, saw a hand just the other day. A-3 in the pocket to an A-A-3 flop. Get all of the money in the pot, and my opponent turns over A-K. At this point, I am thrilled. However, the 3 on the turn had me grumbling, taking half of the pot away from me. Then, the river brought a K, and I was down right angry. In the hour or so that followed, I lost another 5 times what I lost in that hand. Thanks again, tilt.

It is easy to understand how the previous example could cause someone to go on tilt and lose a large sum of money. But a huge win? How could someone go on a tear and lose after that? Well, a quick gain of a large sum of money can alter your perception of the value of a dollar. You only understand that you won big, and the thought of carrying that winning streak is easy to hold on to. Again, another example. A guy I know, a small stakes player, $2/4 mostly, won a $200 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed tournament for approximately $65 grand. Over the next couple days, this player would play stakes no lower than $10/20, and tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $200-$600. When he would lose, he always made the simple remark, ?That doesn?t hurt the $65k too much.? Before the month was out, he was down to $40,000. Yes, that is still a very respectable number, but he lost $25 thousand dollars in a month. Why? Simple. He won big, and went on tilt.

Going on tilt is easier than not doing so. Now that you are able to recognize the two primary causes of the evil demon of tilt, you stand a better chance of avoiding it. Remember, the pros biggest advantage over amateurs is that they are able to shake off the bad beats and big wins and always, always think with a clear head.

By Borgouise