Avoiding Tilt While Playing Online Poker

As many experts have said, poker is a game that must be viewed as one continuous session that lasts a lifetime. If one can keep this simple statement in mind, it can make the short-term variances, or luck, less painful when the underdog wins. Recently this point was driven home to me not once but twice in the same night.

I often play in a local weekly No Limit Texas Hold'Em tournament and the following two hands came up involving my wife and me. Just before I left, she decided to play in her first poker tournament and went with me. She was very nervous and I told her to play like she had learned and not like Gus Hansen. As it turned out, she lasted longer than I did and just missed the money. She played tight and aggressive and got all in with the odds in her favor when it mattered.

The first hand I want to discuss is the one that knocked me out of the tournament. I was under the gun and had about 900 chips left (average was 1500). When I looked down and saw pocket aces, I decided to move all in, as I had built a rather loose image and felt one of the large stacks would try to keep me honest. Well, I got my wish. A very solid player in middle position raised all in for about 500 more to isolate me and had no other takers. When he turned over AK off suit I was elated as I was over a 92% favorite to double up. Of course if my aces had held up you wouldn't be reading about it here. After all of the burns and turns the board read Q, T, 6, T, J giving him a straight and me a seat on the sidelines.

The next hand I want to discuss is the one that knocked my wife out of the tournament. It was down to four players and she and the other middle-sized stack both got all in before the flop. She had AK off suit against his A8 suited, which made her a 69% favorite. After the flop came K, T, 9 rainbow she was a 91% favorite. The turn was a 6 and the river was a 7, giving him a straight and her a place beside me. She would have been the chip leader and in the money if she would have won that hand.

Some people would whine about both of these as being bad beats and act like the cards owed them something. The way I choose to look at these situations is a little different and helps keep me focused and off tilt. If I'm a 95% favorite and the 5% wins, then I feel that the next time I'll be a 96% favorite because I know that I'll win 95 out of 100 times and I've already used up one of the losses. I also know that if I continue to strive to put myself in these situations, I will be successful.

Of course this is not the only method one can use to avoid tilt. Here are some suggestions and methods that work for some players. The most important thing is to have a plan in place ahead of time. So find something that works for you and your game and stick with it.

1. Understand that you will receive bad beats as a poker player. As a matter of fact you will receive more bad beats, as you become a better player. This is because you will be less likely to get your money in the pot as an underdog than your opponents who don't play as well as you. Therefore you will have fewer chances to give bad beats than receive them. The simple process of consciously recognizing that you will receive bad beats is the first step in handling them well.

2. Often a bad beat or two in a short time is a good excuse to take a break. Remember that poker is a lifelong game and there will be another hand dealt when you get back. Missing a few hands or even a few hours can be beneficial. Often a breath of fresh air and a short walk will do wonders for your frame of mind.

3. Make a conscious decision to tighten up your starting hand requirements for a few rounds. If playing Hold'em, play only AA, KK, QQ, and AK. This will guarantee that you will not be playing many hands for a few rounds and will only let you enter the pot with a strong hand. What will happen most times is you will play no hands except your big blind and this will give you time to start thinking correctly again.

4. Short bouts of tilt are least harmful in limit poker. If playing pot-limit or no-limit, even a short stint of tilt can put a large dent in your bankroll or eliminate you from a tournament. For this reason, when playing pot-limit or no-limit I strongly suggest a short break, or even switching to a limit game for a while if you are able.

5. Some players start drinking when they receive a bad beat. Do not let this be you. No matter how bad the beat was, drinking will in no way help you make the correct decisions to turn your session around.

As many before me have written, get your money in with the best of it and over the long run you will be not only a winning player, but a profitable one too.

Wesley R Young is the author of a weekly syndicated online poker column at http://www.thepokercolumn.com and you can find more poker strategy and reviews by him at http://www.pokermonger.com

---

Casino Business Opportunity

There are really two main options to owning a casino... Read More

Depositing Funds to Your Online Casino & Poker Room Account - The Best Options

Ways To DepositWhen I first wanted to start playing in... Read More

Asian Gambling Basics

Gambling became popular in China in the last phase of... Read More

Online Poker Gambling Sees Tremendous Growth

Online poker gambling at casinos and poker rooms is one... Read More

Halftime Wagering Part 2

Examples of pre-game research are to see how the teams... Read More

The Other World Series: The 2005 World Series Of Poker

Growing up, the American dream for many boys was playing... Read More

The History of Poker Chips

Gaming chips have been made from a wide range of... Read More

Wisconsin Casinos, The Top Three

I have been gambling in Wisconsin since I was 16... Read More

A Teenagers Vegas Vacation

This, a true story about a Vegas vacation involving casino... Read More

Roulette System: Power of FAST Roulette System

This article is about how you can evaluate the power... Read More

Win Every Single Time You Play Poker, Chips Or No Poker Chips, Guaranteed

Having played many, many poker games in my time and... Read More

Why All the Excitement Over Poker?

Poker's new upsurge in popularity in is due to televised... Read More

Gambling Myths: What You Absolutely Need to Know

Gambling is considered a game of luck and chance. As... Read More

Addictions To Gambling on The Rise!

Over the past five years addictions to gambling have grown... Read More

Shorthanded Poker, an Untapped Gold Mine

Feuled by seemingly nonstop television coverage and internet access in... Read More

Online Gaming In Your Face?

Whether it is on the street or online, one cannot... Read More

The Secrets of the Outside Numbers

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secrets of the... Read More

Amazing Lottery Secrets - Just the Facts!

When it comes to Lottery Secrets, we've discovered amazing and... Read More

TOP 10 Biggest Betting-Gambling Mistakes

Our aim here is to highlight these common areas of... Read More

My Teenager Has A Gambling Addiction

Over the past few months Stop Gambling Sites have received... Read More

Limit Texas Holdem Poker

Limit Texas Holdem Poker is the most popular type of... Read More

Why You Should Never Buy an Online Slot Machine System!

Playing online slot machines has become increasingly popular, as online... Read More

American Gambling Basics

Casinos have always been a destination for the wealthy and... Read More

Do You Know the Best and Worst Roulette Bets?

Do You Know the Best and Worst Roulette Bets?The outcome... Read More

Asian Handicaps Explained

The most common way to bet on football in the... Read More

The Secrets of the Field

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of the... Read More

Multi-Player Slots - Why They Look Set for Huge Growth!

Slots are exciting and fun, but are a solitary playing... Read More

What is the True Winning Percentage of a Professional Soccer-punter?

Many people believe professional-level sports bettors win at least 60%... Read More

All About Video Poker

Video poker is a casino game that has much in... Read More

Lucky Texas Holdem Tips

Texas holdem poker is one of the few online casino... Read More

Your Lottery Odds and The Fastest, No Cost Way To Radically Improve Them

If I had a lottery ticket for every time I've... Read More

How to Beat Roulette with A Simple 3 Point System

Many players try to beat roulette by buying a "sure... Read More

Types of Online Roulette

Roulette ? American and EuropeanAs many casino-savvy players already know,... Read More