poker can definitely upset me and affect how i feel but i think i'm pretty good when it comes to keeping it out of my actual play
what might help is the mindset that emotional control is a major part of being a good poker player. you shouldn't think "well, i'm a good player, i just tilt", because tilting is a
major leak in your game. it's not separate from the game. it's as much a part of the game as knowing what
hands to play preflop. if you saw a player who was calling 4xBB preflop raises with 73o, you'd probably think he sucks. but in reality, his leak of frequently calling raises with garbage might not be any worse than your leak of really bad tilting. keeping your emotions out of your play is nearly as important as learning the fundamentals and studying the game
if you take a bad beat or something frustrating happens, slow down and analyze your actions shortly after. ask yourself if you feel like taking an action you wouldn't normally take, be honest with yourself, and then try to combat it. the really bad thing about tilt is that if you take a bad beat in a tournament but are still in, a lot of the players at the table will
expect you to go on tilt. so if you actually do, not only are you deviating from your usual strategy (which is probably more effective or else it wouldn't be your default), but now you become transparent because you're doing exactly what they expect of you
you should realize that by exercising better self control you're actually actively improving your game in one of the most effective ways you can. and for me there's nothing worse than having something to regret after a tournament or session. if you get KK all-in vs AK preflop and lose, there's nothing to regret, you just got fked. you can be pissed or annoyed but you don't have to regret anything. if you tilt your way out, you know you're to blame, and that upsetting feeling can just lead to more tilt. all you can do is try to stop it before it starts, realize it's a requirement if you have aspirations to be a great player, and find some level of satisfaction in knowing that you played as well as you could. taking a break to cool off, if you have the luxury, is often a good idea as well
that said, i still permit you the right to get really pissed off if you lose like 15 coinflips in a row, or K9>AA aipf (jus' happened to me an hour ago
) just keep it out of your play
