Everybody tilts in poker! It’s a fact that you must accept. If someone says that he never tilts, he is definitely lying. No matter how hard we try to detach emotions from our game, we still somehow get attached to it.
For example, you have more than 70% equity on the turn with a top pair top kicker. You make a pot size bet to extract value from a fish. The fish calls as usual. You think that you have the best hand on the river and go all-in. The fish calls and shows two pairs, which he connected on the river! Why wouldn’t you tilt here? You made the best play, but a stupid player called with a bottom pair with incorrect pot odds and got lucky on the river.
You have every right to get angry!
However, deciding the next course of action is crucial to your game. What will you do?
- Will you get all frustrated and play irrationally?
- Will you combat your tilt and start winning again?
When you ask yourself these questions, you realize that there are only two consequences of tilting. You will start to take measures so that you combat poker tilts and start playing with optimal strategies.
What Triggers Your Poker Tilt?
The first step to combat poker tilts is to understand what triggers them. Self-awareness will help you to identify your trigger point so that you are well-prepared before the storm hits the port. Let’s look at the common trigger points:
Pre-Game Tilt
In this form of poker tilt, you tend to tilt even before the game starts. This form of tilt is not triggered due to the action at the tables. It takes place due to external factors that affect your state of mind before taking a seat. Some of the common factors affecting your game are as follows:
- Bad day at work
- Fatigue or low energy before playing
- Dislike for particular players
- Bad mood before the game
You need to be in the right state of mind before playing poker. Check your physical or emotional state before taking a seat, and always be present at the moment.
Losing Big Pots
Losing a big pot, be it a bad play or bad beats, is the primary reason for most of the players to tilt in poker. It is quite natural to tilt after you lose a big pot. Identify this trigger point and take the right measures when you lose a big pot. Remember that poker is a long-term game where losing big pots is insignificant compared to what you want to achieve at the end of the session.
Against Aggressive Players
Sometimes aggressive players get on your nerves when they keep raising your bet or make big bets on your checks. Playing especially against LAGs who make bets or raises all the time can be really frustrating. Table selection is very important while playing against aggressive players. Take a seat to the left of an aggressive player so that you have an immediate position on them. You will be able to make informed decisions based on your opponent’s moves.
Fearful Tilt
Most of the players tend to become passive after winning a few big pots. If you change your playing style after winning big pots, you can be exploited by experienced players. Opponents might read this change and show aggression against your checks or bets. After a certain number of hands, you tend to get frustrated and make bad plays that will result in poker tilts. Win or lose, you should be conscious of your playing style and make optimal plays to become unexploitable at the tables.
Invincible Tilt
This is just the opposite of fearful tilt, where you feel invincible after big winning sessions. You feel that lady luck is with you, and no one can beat you. This leads to bad plays, and you end up chasing draws with incorrect pot odds. Once you lose more than half of your profit, you become frustrated and play aggressively, which results in losing more money. Stick to your usual playing style and make optimal plays to avoid such poker tilts.
How to Combat Poker Tilts?
The first step to combatting poker tilts is to become aware that you are tilting. Don’t ignore the common physical sensations like your heart beating faster, head raging, or even feel that your blood is boiling. Accept the fact that you are tilting and take accurate measures to combat the poker tilts.
Use this Trick to Calm Yourself
The instant remedy to combatting tilts is to calm yourself. That’s it! Most professional poker players like Daniel Negreanu advise beginners to take three deep breaths to calm themselves while tilting in poker. This helps to calm your nerves and get back to the game feeling more relaxed and focused.
Another physiological hack is to blow on your thumb with your mouth closed for 30 seconds. This helps the vagus verve on your thumb to make your heart rate slower and helps you think straight. Watch the video to know how to blow on your thumb correctly to calm yourself instantly.
Mock the Bad Beats
The primary reason for tilting in most cases is bad beats. Unless you have the nuts, your victory is never guaranteed in poker. Pocket aces may have over 81% equity over pocket deuces on the preflop, but it still doesn’t guarantee victory. Your opponent might hit a set post-flop and win the pot. Call it the beauty or the curse of the game – this is the reality of poker! So, just mock the bad beats or simply laugh it off. You got unlucky, and you mocked your luck. When you are unfazed about your bad luck, nothing can bother you anymore. Your opponents will never be able to exploit you if you don’t tilt on bad beats.
Take a Small Break
If you still start to tilt, the best way to combat tilting is to not give any more money to your opponent. Your opponent can use HUD software to check your tiltmeter to know if you are tilting. Just leave the table and calm your mind. Stop being emotional and start being analytical. Go through your HUD or the online poker site’s Game Replayer to see where you went wrong. Make proper assessments of your plays and note down what lead to the big losses. Once you find the reasons for your loss, recalibrate your strategies and preferably choose a different table with new opponents and start afresh.
Set a Limit to Your Loss
There could be chances that you may not be aware that you are tilting. After you lose a substantial amount, you start to chase losses and enter big pots, which you could have avoided. When you start to chase losses, you are no longer playing a game of skill. So, it is very important to set a limit to your loss. Set a stop-loss limit like 3 full buy-ins or 5 full-buy-ins. Make a commitment to yourself that you will stop playing after you cross the limit. Quit for the day and start afresh tomorrow. Most poker sites have responsible gaming policies where you can limit your loss. Set a limit and stop the slow bleeding of chips due to such implicit poker tilts.
Train Your Mind and Body
Professional poker players live a balanced, disciplined life where they meditate daily, exercise regularly and play poker with utmost self-awareness. Identify the imbalances in your life, which could be drinking too much alcohol, not exercising, not getting enough sleep, not balancing work and play, etc. Each of us has certain imbalances, which could accumulate over time and result in extreme frustration while losing at poker. Find a proper balance in your life and fix any imbalances that could be subconsciously leading to tilts.
Bottom Line
Poker has become a very competitive game where you are up against players who know how to control their tilts. If you are the only player at the table with this major leak, you will end up losing all of your money to your opponents. Your opponents won’t defeat you; you will end up defeating yourself!
As humans, we are naturally inclined to tilt in different situations. However, what makes a winner from a loser is the ability to identify the tilts and recognize their consequences. Once you become conscious of your tilts, you will take adequate measures to combat your poker tilts. When you start to control your emotions and make your decisions based on logic, you will see a drastic change in your game!
Control Your Tilt to Become the Best Version of Yourself!
