Curing Tilt

Take a break!- It happens to all of us. Slowly but surely, poker is a game that can break the mightiest soul into a blubbering, scathing idiot. When we tilt, we lose the ability to play our A game, and begin making costly mistakes. Instead of talking about what tilt is and how to recognize it, though, we're going to look at ways to cure it or prevent it before it ever happens. The easiest way to stop tilt at the source is to step away from the table as quickly as possible. If at a cash game, stand up, get a box for your chips, tell your buddies you're going out for a bit, whatever, just find a way to leave the table as quickly as possible and take a full breather. If it takes just a trip to and from the bathroom, or a full meal and a pace around the casino, do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to cool yourself off and regain your A game. This may mean a few minutes, but realize that it may also mean calling it an early night, if it's a cash game. If it's a tournament, hold off as long as you can allow yourself to miss without threatening your chip position.

Regaining focus- There are a variety of methods you can use to grind your focus back to levels before you tilted. Do things that you're familiar with that sedate you; if you have an ipod, bust out a good, soothing mix, or pop a movie/video on for a moment. If you're playing with friends, it may be worth a quick jaunt over to them for a chat. Sometimes, the best way to regain your clarity on the task at hand is to have someone you know look you in the eyes and say, "Hey, you got this, just get back there and chill." You may even want to just stay at the table and do nothing but study the table, readjust your feel for the players at your table, and just remind yourself that this is just a bump in the road. Taking the time to table analyze can actually end up helping you find the mistake you made, or notice a tendency you missed in the player that beat you in the previous hand, thus giving you both a boost of confidence and information useful in playing a more sound game against him in the future.

When all else fails…- Sometimes the cure for tilt isn't a simple fix; you may have taken in months of bad beats and sick coolers, and something in your head just finally gives way, and you lose it. If you ever get to that point of no return, life tilt, it may be time to step away from the tables for more than a few rounds or a night. Playing less than your A game is a quick method to deplete your bankroll in no time flat. If you need to, plan a week or more off from the game entirely. Use it to evaluate flaws in your game, take some training sessions, or completely detach yourself from the game; whatever you think is best for you psychologically. A break in which you lose nothing is much better than continuing on and being crushed in return.

James is a solid player on Full Tilt poker, but not without full tilt rakeback or the help of free cardrunners to back his game up.

Article Source: Curing Tilt