Poker is a game where you anticipate a person’s hands and make moves or make other people make calls which would be suitable for you. A lot rides on how well you convince others what hands you hold and how well you can read what they have. Amateurs versus pros are really just a game against skill against raw potential. So unless the amateur was born listening to poker skills in his mother’s womb, it would be difficult for him/her to defeat a skilled pro who is in top form. One of the reasons his form may be good, even if you do not realize it, is the way he handles his tilts.
Tilts are the emotional and physical barriers a player faces at one time or the other at the poker table. They are avoidable but cannot be easily avoided, if you catch the drift. The barriers prevent a poker player from concentrating on the game. For example, it is human nature to feel depressed after losing a lot of money at various tables. The sense of dejection may blind you to a perfectly good hand you hold and instead may make you go all in when it was not required.
Identify and accept your tilt
It is said that when you realize you have made a mistake that needs to be corrected, you are half-way across correcting the mistake already. The biggest sin a poker player may commit is to not heed to his own logical and obvious physical and emotional signals and ride on emotional outbursts and mood swings. To put it another way, when a poker player realizes he/she is on the tilt, an achievement is already made because not many players realize when they really are on a tilt. Recognizing you are a tilt and accepting it will only make you choose the best way to deal with it.
Common reasons of tilt are long winning or losing streaks, skilled players as your opponents whom you are just not able to best, over-confidence with a number of good wins, timidity because you are a newbie and never call or raise as much as you should, playing under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other chemical substances, lack of appropriate sleep or nourishment and stubbornness that the longer you stay at a table, the better are your chances to recoup lost monies or get a deeper share of the pot.
As a player, identify what kind of tilt you are on because you may a have different remedy for each of them.
Getting back in the game
Now that you know you are on a tilt and you need to get off it, you may wonder what the best ways to do so are. Well, some of them have been listed here for you benefit. The list comprises of the common solutions and is in no manner an exhaustive list.
- Take a break and walk around. It clears your mind and helps you re-focus on the game when you are back.
- Switch tables if you think it may help you.
- Indulge in something romantic or pleasant like spending some quality time with your partner or getting a massage done.
- Use calming techniques such as those followed in Zen. Identify if what is running in your mind is an emotional, mental or subconscious reaction. For example, if you are still able to observe and tuck away your opponents’ moves and tells, you are mentally stable. But if you think that it is not fair he has such a good hand while you had one just before the river, that is a negative subconscious thought that you should get rid of.
- If you have a momentary outburst due to your tilt, it may be a good opportunity for you because other players may realize you are weak and become over-confident. So get out of your frustration or depressed zone and instead work your mind, analyse your opponents move post your tilt revelation.
- If you have made mistakes, talk about it and while you are doing so, you may realize on your own if a different move could have been made. So you learn from your mistakes while you relieve some of your anxiety or stress.
Knowing when to stop
Identifying a tilt and working on it is at times a herculean task. It takes a really strong mind and a capable body to be able to get off a tilt. Pros can do it much easier than an amateur. The more emotional a person is, the harder it is to get off poker tilts. So if you have managed to learn this skill, congratulations! You are on your way to become an exceptional poker player. But for those who have attempted getting off tilts and are just not able to do so, remember, calling it a day and walking away from the table is also a way of getting off the tilt. Of course, this results in the end of your participation in the game. But it also prevents you from incurring a loss or losing too heavily.
Not being able to end a game when you must just makes you poorer and even lose face in front of your opponents. Instead, go home and think about the poker moves that you think you may have done incorrectly and improve your game. Steel yourself and get as much as practice as you can in more and more games till you learn how to master yourself and stay away from tilts.