how to avoid getting on TILT
Another tid-bit I got in my e-mail, figured I would share this as well..
How To Avoid Going On TILT
When a poker player goes on "tilt", it means that
he is playing in a way that is DIFFERENT than
normal... in a way that is based on EMOTION and
the events of the game.
For example... if you got pocket Aces and lost a
big hand to someone with pocket 2's, you might go
on TILT because of that bad beat...
Or let's say you had a pair and your opponent went
all-in... and once you folded, your opponent
showed you that he was BLUFFING with a nine-high.
You might go on TILT after that... because you
were TRICKED and you blew the chance at doubling
your chips.
The point is, TILT is an EMOTIONAL state. And the
most important thing you should know about tilt is
this:
Tilt is DANGEROUS.
It's dangerous because it will cause you to lose
money... LOTS OF MONEY.
Why?
Well, put simply, tilt makes you do things that
you wouldn't "normally" do.
It makes you place over-aggressive bets... it
makes you stay in pots longer than you should...
and it ZAPS your self-control and discipline.
The good news is, I can show you how to "avoid"
tilt. But first, let's look at EXACTLY how tilt
occurs when you play...
The PRIMARY REASON that tilt occurs is because of
a MAJOR LOSS. There are other causes, but this is
the main one, so we'll focus on it here.
By "major loss" I mean a BIG POT that you COULD
have won... or even perhaps SHOULD have won... but
DIDN'T.
For some reason, poker players can always remember
the BAD BEATS and BIG LOSSES they've suffered, but
never remember the big victories.
Tilt works the same way.
You can be winning hand after hand after hand all
day... but then suddenly go on TILT following one
lost pot.
When tilt occurs, it first impacts your EMOTIONAL
mind... because like I said, tilt is just an
emotional condition.
Then it will impact your LOGICAL mind.
As much as we'd like to believe we can SEPARATE
our emotions from our thinking, we just can't. The
truth is, emotions are FAR MORE POWERFUL than
logic or reasoning...
So when tilt occurs, you'll start playing in a way
that JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
You'll try to bluff more, you'll raise more, and
you'll be more aggressive.
Why does tilt work THIS way?
Why does it make you play more AGGRESSIVELY,
rather than TIGHTEN UP?
The answer lies in what our brains are trying to
"accomplish" with tilt.
You see, in poker... and in all of gambling... the
rule is this:
GAINS COME SLOWLY. LOSSES COME QUICKLY.
It can take three hours to win a hundred dollars
but only THREE SECONDS to lose it all... and more.
Now I'm NOT talking about something like winning
the lottery here.
I'm talking about being able to CONSISTENTLY win
money by playing SMART and KEEPING THE ODDS IN
YOUR FAVOR...
That's what Texas Holdem strategy is all about:
Keeping the odds in your favor.
Because the more you play with the odds in your
FAVOR, the more money you win.
Well, when a major LOSS occurs, you lose all that
time you spent building up your GAINS... so your
brain goes on TILT.
And what your brain is TRYING TO DO is to win back
all that money you lost... fast.
In fact, your brain trying to win the money back
as QUICKLY AS YOU LOST IT.
Make sense?
It's kind of like the stock market...
When a stock goes from $100 per share to $50 per
share, it's a decrease of 50%.
But for the stock to get BACK to $100 per share,
it has to INCREASE BY 200%.
That's a big difference. And if you know ANYTHING
about the market, you know that 200% increases are
hard to come by...
The reality is it will probably take YEARS for the
stock to gradually climb back to $100 per share.
But the investor doesn't want to think about it
that way. The investor wants his money back RIGHT
NOW...
And therefore the investor will go on TILT and
make poor buying decisions with his money...
hoping to find that "miracle" stock.
Poker is the same way. Except instead of hoping
for a miracle STOCK, a player on tilt is hoping
for a miracle MONSTER HAND like trip aces or a
royal flush.
The problem is... the ODDS don't work like that.
You can't SUDDENLY win a ton of money... just
because you lost it in the previous hand.
That money is no longer yours...
In addition, a major lost pot SKEWS YOUR ENTIRE
PERCEPTION:
A pre-flop raise of 1,000 chips no longer looks
"big" after you've just lost 10,000. So you decide
to call the raise with your K-4 offsuit... because
TILT has got you by the balls.
The point is this:
You must AVOID TILT. Period.
But how?
A lot of pros will tell you that the way to avoid
tilt is to, "Think logically, take a deep breath,
and remember that it's all part of the game."
Phooey.
You and I both know that that stuff doesn't work.
Because like we said before, TILT IS EMOTIONAL.
And that means it CANNOT be solved with LOGIC.
The key to avoiding tilt is to CATCH IT right
before it happens...
So the VERY MOMENT you lose a big hand... or take
a bad beat... THAT IS WHEN YOU MUST "INTERVENE"
with your mind.
THAT is when you must take control.
And you can't just tell yourself, "Hey, this is
just a part of the game..."
No.
You must SEPARATE YOURSELF from the game... for
however long it takes to "regroup".
For instance... if I lose a big hand at a casino
I'll usually have my chips covered up and I'll
go grab a quick bite to eat. I'll get some fresh
air... call my girlfriend... go back to my hotel
room... whatever.
THEN I will come back to the table and continue
playing.
When I'm not in a casino and don't have the luxury
of being able to take a break from the game, I'll
simply "sit out" for the next few pots and pay my
blinds.
I'll fold my hands and just watch... I'll breathe
deeply and focus on MY GAME. Period.
This "separation" is the secret to avoiding tilt.
Because first of all, it keeps your emotional
brain from consuming your LOGICAL brain. Don't ask
me why... I'm not a scientist. I just know that it
WORKS.
And secondly, separation allows you to KEEP THINGS
IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE.
You'll be in control. You'll know that a pre-flop
raise of 1,000 chips IS A LOT... and you'll fold
your measly K-4 because you're thinking CLEARLY.
You'll go back to YOUR GAME. You'll remember your
strategies and techniques... and you'll gradually
start winning with the ODDS BACK IN YOUR FAVOR.
Honestly... of all the tricks, techniques, and
Texas Holdem secrets I teach, avoiding tilt can
quite possibly have the BIGGEST effect on your
bankroll...
Because whether you spend ten hours or ten
THOUSAND hours "grinding it out" at the poker
tables, your money will VANISH if you go on tilt.
Which brings me to ANOTHER interesting secret I've
discovered...
The EXPERIENCE OF TILT is actually just an EXTREME
form of experience that happens ALL THE TIME when
you play poker.
What I mean is EVERY TIME YOU LOSE A HAND you're
going on tilt. Except, this tilt would be a small
version of "the real thing."
Stick with me here...
If TILT is just an EMOTION, then you're ACTUALLY
going on tilt all the time... except it's only
noticeable during the really big pots.
The truth is you're going on "Tiny Tilts" all
game... every game... that are swaying you back
and forth and back and forth from the REAL
STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS YOU SHOULD BE TAKING.
That's why the PROS are able to avoid tilt so
effectively...
Because they've played SO MUCH POKER that they
know the RIGHT play to make... in virtually every
situation. Emotion just doesn't factor in.
And ultimately, that's the BEST way to avoid
tilt...
...is to adopt a complete SYSTEM of playing
STRATEGIES and techniques that YOU STICK TO
throughout the game.
Take emotion out of it. Just play the proven,
step-by-step methods that will help you
CONSISTENTLY win the most money at the table.
And the way you do that is by either playing for
years and years and years... and "figuring it out"
on your own...
OR...
By using the system of WINNING strategies and
methods created by someone else.
