Roy Rounder: How To Avoid Going On Tilt

ROY ROUNDER: HOW TO AVOID GOING ON TILT!

This column is provided courtesy of Coach Rounder. "Roy Rounder" is the pen name of a successful professional poker player and author.

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 continueplaying.

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.

Your Friend,
Roy Rounder