I
am not a world class poker player. I probably won't ever
be. Part of that is because I, like most people (if not
everyone), go 'on tilt'.
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What
is Tilting?
For those of you new to the game, Tilting is the term
used when one has taken a bad beat or two and starts chucking
his or her chips about like they got the nuts. The hardest
thing in poker, I'm sure some at least will agree, is
to recognize when YOU are on tilt. Of course, it's
nearly as important to recognize when another player
is tilting, but we'll go into that later.
How
do you recognize it?
See
now that's the tough part. You don't 'know' until afterwards,
when you analyze what happened in those last few hands
and realize that actually it was you who played
it badly, making rash calls and silly raises. If, after
all, you could lay down an AK when you've hit your king
for a $1000 raise, why could you not lay it for $100 or
even a $50 raise?
What
I'm attempting (badly!) to communicate to Mr. and Mrs. J
Doe out there is that if you've made a bad read or just
been plain stupid; take a step back and try and figure
out why. If you've made that mistake after a couple of
nasty hits, then its odds on it's because you are on tilt.
How
can you turn it to your advantage?
Firstly,
learn to spot others on tilt. It's especially obvious
with a tight player who suddenly starts playing a bit
loose (after a bad beat of course…). If you do spot
someone on tilt, let them throw their money at you. They
will start to play A10 as if it were AK and start to think
33, or 77 is a premium hand. As I say, learn to spot who's
playing badly and ask yourself why.
Secondly,
and by far the most important passage in this rhetoric;
If you recognize you are on tilt, STAND UP. Take
a while to calm yourself down, think and move on, otherwise
you will pay. Play some music, I find classical or opera
is the best 'head' music. Have a coffee. Take a break.
Remember, there is always tomorrow.
In
The Art of Tilting - Part 2, we will discuss how to
use your own tilt to win.
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