Have you ever had a feeling that everything goes wrong, worse players just keep beating you and you are losing tons of chips, even if you play well? Does it make you a bit angry or frustrated? That feeling is called Tilt in poker and it happens for everyone. The difference between a pro and a random player is that pro's tilt doesn't last for long and they know how to handle it (ofc, Phil Hellmuth is an exception). I gathered here some hints to avoid tilting.
But first, why are we tilting? There could be plenty of reasons. One of the most common type of tilt starts when someone takes the pot, even if he was a big underdog. Maybe you had 80 % against him, but he managed to flop a hand that beats you. Or river is the one card that makes you lose the pot. Sometimes you are just tired and bored and you start to hit the pot button all the time, losing a big pile of chips. Tilting makes you play a lot worse than you would play otherwise. It is because strong emotions usually take a place in your working memory, which processes everything you do. When you have these strong emotions, you are not making good decisions as you don't use your whole knowledge of poke. In fact, you might even be in a gamble mode due to your tilt and you know that you shouldn't play that way. You just don't care.
Good ways to avoid tilt:
1. Good session preparations
One should always be ready to play poker. You have to take up a determinated state of mind to play your best poker. You are not going to play just for fun (it's a part of game, though), but you are there to make profit. If you are a random player who plays only for enjoy, you won't last for long. When you start your session it's also important that you are calm enough. As stated, strong emotions cause you play your B-Game or worse, so it's not a good idea. One shouldn't play poker when he is tired either, coz then you are not using your whole capacity.
2. Set your goals
One should always set up goals for their game. Both short- and long-term goals help you to play more solid and to play according to your plans. It makes you more motivated for playing and then you are less likelier to go on tilt.
3. Know WHY you tilted
It happens for everyone, but next time when you have a feeling that you are going to tilt, take a piece of paper and mark it up. Then stop playing for now. After that you should think of why you tilted. Was it a donk who just hit their 1-outer, or did you do something wrong? Anyway, if you know why you tilted, you are probably able to avoid the same spot next time. Understanding and processing own faults helps you to become a player who can control their tilt
There's plenty of more to come but that will be a task that I'll perform later. With these small guidelines you can already get started.
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