How Do You Prevent Yourself Tilting?

I have a big problem with tilting.
I am a profitable player and my ROI is 20% this year but if I could play level headed all the time it would probably have been up at 30% if not 40%.
One or two bad beats is frequently enough to make me lose it. I get really angry, see red and start playing nearly every hand, then feel really bad about myself afterwards.
I wish I could stop doing this but it just happens so fast.

If you find yourself tilting during a game, whether it be a tournament or ring. Take a little break. Just sit out for a few minutes. You can afford to lose a blind or two rather than tilt off your entire stack. Go get a drink, go outside and get some fresh air. Just step away from the computer for a few minutes.

If you are playing cash games, then you need to just quit! Shut down your computer and go outside and take a breather. From the sounds of it, you should probably take the rest of the day off from poker. Staying in the game is just going to lose you more and more money, it seems like you already see this happening.

If you are in a tournament, well, you can't just quit, otherwise you will definitely be out. You need to just breathe and maybe tighten up a little bit. If you are tilting as bad as you make it sound, others are going to pick up on that and exploit you like crazy, because they know how vulnerable you are right now. Take a break and run your head under some water or something to calm you down, then go back, play ABC poker and take that mofo down.

Slow down, play just premium hands until you've come back to your senses, then kick some azz!

When I know I'm 'on tilt' from anger, tiredness or just plain being too cocky, I always try to first recognize that I'm 'on tilt', then take some long deep breaths, sit out a hand or two, walk around 4 some fresh air & remind myself that poker is ONLY a game & that I love playing it! Bad beats happen to all of us at one time or another. And we must never forget that it's not personal (well perhaps sometimes it is ) and go on from there! Don't ever let your anger at someone else get to you...it can be YOUR downfall!

Remember that whoever donked out on you is probably in debt, while you're up. In the long run, good players fair better.

Step away from the computer and count to ten cool down like this guy.

I think you should go to the full tilt poker gift store and order one of those stress balls that is what they were made for to tilt all your anger into those balls.

Have a game plan and stick to it. The moment you realize you are going to attempt to or are actually playing bad hands you definitely should step away from the computer, or at least close down the poker software. Either way, eventually you'll realize that tilting just makes things worse after a couple downhill slides of ye 'ol bankroll, and learn to control yourself and play in a more manageable way.

Also, you need to try to forget about how much you may have lost that day. Don't try to get back up to even or set a certain goal that you want to get to before you quit...when you are playing bad, you are not going to get to that level, so once you start feeling like you're tired or bored or on tilt, throw those goals out the window for the next session. A lot of people feel like they need to play until they get back up to even or until they win 2 buyins or whatever, but that just drags out the sessions when you aren't playing your best.

you can punch a pillow, slam on your desk, squeeze a stressball, or you can just play another hand.

The first step is to be self aware enough to realize when you start tilting. Then you can formulate a plan for YOU that works. I usually just sit out after a bad beat and walk outside for a few minutes. This gives me time to replay the hand and determine if I played it correctly.

Trust me on this one though, the more you play, the less it bothers you to lose to 3 outers on the river when you played the hand well.

Punching bag, visualize your worst enemy on it

i agree with cheif and couple others just take a break or only play the worth while hands dnt start playing like a moron just because you lost a couple of hands

Yep, just take a little break and do something non poker related. It will help clear your head and you'll be ready to go again.

For me a quick sit out and take a break to gather your game plan and wits.

Discipline and confidence will limit the need to lose it.

We all do it at times. The better players will know the signs and make the correction.

I always tell myself that it's just poker and that nothing is personal so don't take it that way. I try to convince myself and it mostly works but to tilt is human. I also look at my little post it with the word Ptience on it and concentrate on that!

Prevent tilt? Exersise pre-game this helps for me. Although I don't always do it but when I do It helps tons. You may try to plan ahead of how you will deal with bad beats ahead of time. Sort of resign yourself to the fact they will come. And just try not to be emtionally involved in the cards. Bad beats will happen and happen more often to better players. IMO you must have a positive way of dealing with them if you are to beat this game.

I'll put this as bluntly as I can. STAND UP!!!!!!! lol

No seriously,
You have two options. Thats it.

option 1: Step away from computer and save money
option 2: Stay at computer and throw money away

END OF STORY

They way i stop my self is by hitting my desk taking a big breath, tell my self o well that's poker and then get on with the tournament. If your really struggling after that tournament just go watch tv for 10 mins chill out call the girl whatever u do

i know it won't be easy and you've already heard the best advice - get up, quit, take a break, etc.
sooner or later your tilting will settle down the more you play.
you'll realise it's all in the game and there's nothing you can do about it. just remeber the times it was the other way around when you won with the lesser hand. haha we've all done it - for pot odds or maybe the halibat, lol.
i know i don't take the game as serious as i use to because of that reason and saved my moniter in the process. hahaha
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good luck and peace..........................

sometimes you have to take a week or more off...

Or else you wont play like you normally wouldnt and will just kill your stack..

But I know this is much easier said than done.. I have been a victim of tilt especially online on numerous occassions...

Find a home game and crush it rather than playing online all the time.

I usually try and line up something so when im feeling like tilting i have something i can transition right into. Ill tell my roommate that well watch a movie as soon as im done and when i feel the tilting come on i hit him up and get involved in watching a full movie. Keeps me from turning right around and donking off all of my chips to a worse player than me!

Until you get this under control it will control you! Take a break, and then remind yourself of re-set boundaries that will guide your game! Good luck!

I lift and spin the table so by the time everyone has gathered up their chips and the cards and figured out who had what, I feel much better.

if im playin in a tourny i like to play in a ring game to,,it helps u from gettin bored an playin cra startin hands,works for me,,,as for tiltin ,,its summat u gotta learn to teach yeslf dicapline wen u get a bad beat or 2,,,put game on pause an have a drink or a ciggy for 5 mins

Only yourself can help!!!!!!!!!

2 words, Goose Farhh-bah...

But seriously, the best way is if your winning, and start to lose.....Just Leave

Breath in throught your nose and out through the mouth

If it's a cash game, leave the table for a few minutes.

If in a tourney, go outside and have a smoke/chew/bowl/beer.

Realize bad beats or plays are going to happen.

For me, this is the primary reason I can't go fulltime with poker. I guess it would be more of a combination of boredom (for not being able to play higher limits b/c of my bankroll size) and tilting. For example, just 2 days ago I made a small deposit on UB just to check the site out - $12 - I built it up to over $40 in about 24 hours of play - on an average of 3 - 1/2 cent no limit tables at a time. Then I got what seemed to be about 12 - 15 really bad beats within a 6 hour period (sets cracked 4 times, AA cracked 4 out of 5 times I had them, flopping the nut straight then getting sucked out on, etc.) SO I started "tilting" a little bit and started to play 5/10 cent tables a completely different style, very loosed and very aggressive, but very stupid as well, ended up dwindling my bankroll down to about $10 in less than 3 hours ( on that site) - lol.

Many people have asked that question in the past and the only way to stop it is to jump up a cliff. lol
you cannot get away from tilt, nobody can!
adsthepro

Honestly i just try and calm myself, if I have to I just take a break for an hour or so and collect myself and accept the bad beat... had two bad ones today, two outer on the river for a set and someone got a better two pair than me on the turn when I was all in on the flop... you just have to find a way to deal with it.

yeh,i think the best option is quit for a day or even 2,3 hours..just don't keep playing coz you are losing