Any tips for not tilting / keeping strong mental?

[Kaymore]

New member so I figured I'd start with a little background. So I'm a decent player... I have a full time job at a casino dealing blackjack and unfortunately the casino doesn't let me play poker there because I'm an employee... Even though poker is completely separate from table games dealers... Even the tips for table games and tips from poker aren't related (Poker dealers keep all personal tips, while table games dealers pool tips and poker doesn't get a cut). Because I can't play live here, I am forced to play online (ACR), a good local PLO game full of whales every Thursday, and I occasionally drive 3 hours 1 way to Cincinnati and play at the JACK Casino.

I'm a pretty good NLH and PLO player. I'm profitable and use it as a side job. I was wondering if anyone had any tips to avoid tilting, or mainly how to "mentally reset." I have a problem that if I start the game losing, I end up having the mindset that I'm going to continue losing. For example, I play at a 2/5 PLO home game every Thursday. If I take a bad beat, or even just lose the hand and end up losing $50-$100+, I get in this stupid negative mindset and feel like I'm going to lose the rest of the night. It's such a stupid problem to have. I know I'm a better player than 95% of the table (just honest... not bragging), and I'm constantly profiting at this game and online. However, this mind set is such a negative feeling, and I know it's irrational but it affects my game. I'm not playing with money I can't afford to lose. I could lose multiple buy-ins and it wouldn't affect my life at all other than just feeling bad about it. But I really need to find a way to either stop getting into that negative mind-set, or snap out of it and get back to playing my normal game. It's so dumb and irrational... and will happen if I'm down sometimes as little as $20. It only happens if I'm down maybe $50+ from my initial $500 buy-in. I can be up several hundred dollars and lose a $100 or so dollar hand and it doesn't happen... Only when I start the game losing. I've tried taking a 20 minute or so break... but it's kind of bad manners IMO if you just joined a game and after just a few hands you take a break that long. I need to somehow just forget about the loss and ignore the fact that I'm down from my initial buy-in, and know that I'm a better player than this and keep my original mind set that keeps me profitable. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks guys and hello to all of you!

 

[UncleConRon]

My opinion

Poker is a game of probability. Sitting out or slow playing really don't help you. Nor does playing cards that have religious value. These things work in the short run but it will eventually catch up to you. You have to ne patient and sit until cards are do for a win. You bet good hole cards a third of the time and pairs a third of the time. A third of time you hit trips with pair in hole. (5 chances in 13 pips) The problem hits when people play pay to see. However, see sitting out isnt going to help that.

 

[mitroff]

I practice methidation, I think to start practicing yoga next month. There were similar problems plus alcohol during the game.

 

[sparky112]

poker

try a lot of patience in tourneys, play behind the blind unless you have a top pocket pair 10's or better under that be slow to bet smaller pairs until you get third for 3 SOME LOL

 

[muse713]

New member so I figured I'd start with a little background. So I'm a decent player... I have a full time job at a casino dealing blackjack and unfortunately the casino doesn't let me play poker there because I'm an employee... Even though poker is completely separate from table games dealers... Even the tips for table games and tips from poker aren't related (Poker dealers keep all personal tips, while table games dealers pool tips and poker doesn't get a cut). Because I can't play live here, I am forced to play online (ACR), a good local PLO game full of whales every Thursday, and I occasionally drive 3 hours 1 way to Cincinnati and play at the JACK Casino.

I'm a pretty good NLH and PLO player. I'm profitable and use it as a side job. I was wondering if anyone had any tips to avoid tilting, or mainly how to "mentally reset." I have a problem that if I start the game losing, I end up having the mindset that I'm going to continue losing. For example, I play at a 2/5 PLO home game every Thursday. If I take a bad beat, or even just lose the hand and end up losing $50-$100+, I get in this stupid negative mindset and feel like I'm going to lose the rest of the night. It's such a stupid problem to have. I know I'm a better player than 95% of the table (just honest... not bragging), and I'm constantly profiting at this game and online. However, this mind set is such a negative feeling, and I know it's irrational but it affects my game. I'm not playing with money I can't afford to lose. I could lose multiple buy-ins and it wouldn't affect my life at all other than just feeling bad about it. But I really need to find a way to either stop getting into that negative mind-set, or snap out of it and get back to playing my normal game. It's so dumb and irrational... and will happen if I'm down sometimes as little as $20. It only happens if I'm down maybe $50+ from my initial $500 buy-in. I can be up several hundred dollars and lose a $100 or so dollar hand and it doesn't happen... Only when I start the game losing. I've tried taking a 20 minute or so break... but it's kind of bad manners IMO if you just joined a game and after just a few hands you take a break that long. I need to somehow just forget about the loss and ignore the fact that I'm down from my initial buy-in, and know that I'm a better player than this and keep my original mind set that keeps me profitable. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks guys and hello to all of you!

Read -The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler

 

[terryk]

Smoke a joint,throw back a couple shots,listen to your fav song and you should be good to go,,,,:burnout:

 

[TravelerLloyd]

Kaymore, when you figure it out let me know. All I do is fuigure I can't play and I understand that no matter what, this game is gambling. You may control how many times in the long run you win, but at the end of the day, if a donk calls you on the turn or preflop and make the hand or follow you betting and raising and calling to the end and make the hand that beats you and you were raising them throughout and they were calling your raises throughout, we are in it for the thrill of the hunt and not for you to tell usto get fold, we dont care ab out no EV, we didnt have pot odds in mind and we just want to beat you, thats the gambling part.

See the one thing these pro's have to know is some of us fish, don't know what EV is, some of us could care less about pot odds, we just go with the hope that the next card that turns over will make our hand that beats the pros. Moreover, the poker game lets us know it is possible.

New member so I figured I'd start with a little background. So I'm a decent player... I have a full time job at a casino dealing blackjack and unfortunately the casino doesn't let me play poker there because I'm an employee... Even though poker is completely separate from table games dealers... Even the tips for table games and tips from poker aren't related (Poker dealers keep all personal tips, while table games dealers pool tips and poker doesn't get a cut). Because I can't play live here, I am forced to play online (ACR), a good local PLO game full of whales every Thursday, and I occasionally drive 3 hours 1 way to Cincinnati and play at the JACK Casino.

I'm a pretty good NLH and PLO player. I'm profitable and use it as a side job. I was wondering if anyone had any tips to avoid tilting, or mainly how to "mentally reset." I have a problem that if I start the game losing, I end up having the mindset that I'm going to continue losing. For example, I play at a 2/5 PLO home game every Thursday. If I take a bad beat, or even just lose the hand and end up losing $50-$100+, I get in this stupid negative mindset and feel like I'm going to lose the rest of the night. It's such a stupid problem to have. I know I'm a better player than 95% of the table (just honest... not bragging), and I'm constantly profiting at this game and online. However, this mind set is such a negative feeling, and I know it's irrational but it affects my game. I'm not playing with money I can't afford to lose. I could lose multiple buy-ins and it wouldn't affect my life at all other than just feeling bad about it. But I really need to find a way to either stop getting into that negative mind-set, or snap out of it and get back to playing my normal game. It's so dumb and irrational... and will happen if I'm down sometimes as little as $20. It only happens if I'm down maybe $50+ from my initial $500 buy-in. I can be up several hundred dollars and lose a $100 or so dollar hand and it doesn't happen... Only when I start the game losing. I've tried taking a 20 minute or so break... but it's kind of bad manners IMO if you just joined a game and after just a few hands you take a break that long. I need to somehow just forget about the loss and ignore the fact that I'm down from my initial buy-in, and know that I'm a better player than this and keep my original mind set that keeps me profitable. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks guys and hello to all of you!

 

[Millie232]

I'd try meditating - it certainly helped me and many others. To me, avoiding tilt is about recognising "tilting" events, capturing them, dealing with the emotions, and analysing them later to see if there was anything I could do. Meditating helps with performing what you describe as a "reset" - you are telling your brain that what happened is natural, you should be feeling this way, but that you need to hold this for later (and eventually, get rid of it completely) so that you can make the right decisions.

There's a great, albeit old, book called Zen and the Art of Poker that I'd recommend anybody picks up - it's all about becoming comfortable with the swings of poker and understand that what makes a good poker player is the person who can handle the variance - your skill in playing is completely secondary if, as soon as something goes wrong, your lizard brain takes over and insists on getting its way.

 

[MrPokerVerse]

It went better for me once you can see the positive in losing a hand. Most of the profit you will make will be from players making bad calls. Sometimes those calls will yield favorable results. You need to realize you made the right call but had the wrong results, then move on. Getting upset, saying something to the player will not change anything. You will also at times benefit from coming behind to win a hand.

Acknowledging the victory is making the correct call, regardless of the outcome. Staying focus and level headed is second nature when you're emotional neutral. Provide time away from the game for learning, don't be result oriented where winning and losing is everything. For me it is more important that the right call was made.

 

[0546474]

You have heard the proverb - in a healthy body a healthy mind !!! go in for sports, it will help you to stay focused for a long time and will also strengthen your nervous system !!!

 

[canabero]

since 3 years i never tilt. the trick is just try to not to do it if you fail try next time, over and over and finally you will control your mind. practice, that is necessary in any activity you need to improve.

 

[dcproster]

I read a book "Mind Games", but it didnt help me. You can watch some videos in youtube from Daniel Negreanu or other pro poker players. I cant stop tilting and I think you cant escape of this.

 

[HobokenNJ]

Read -The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler

I second this recommendation.

I also like to fire up Equilab and check to see if I got the money in with odds in my favor. If I'm doing that, it's easier to dissipate the negative feelings. E.g., today I lost to 55s after putting my AAs all in. With a third player on the table (I don't recall the exact hand), I'm estimating 70% chance of winning. The lose hurt because I was out versus tripling my stack and likely making it to final table. BUT knowing if this happened 100 times, I'd win 70 times makes me feel much better. Losing to terrible calls used to phase me, but doesn't so much anymore.

If I realize I made a dumb play, I like to analyze what I think went wrong. Did I ignore a flush or straight potential? Did I size a bluff too small to realize the fold equity? Did I try to bluff a calling station? Realizing these moments can result in improvement is usually helpful. These are a little harder to get over. This weekend I was on the bubble and had two pairs, and totally ignored the straight draw forming right in front of me. Ugh... harder to get over that loss.

 

[Luvart]

Proper bankroll management comes first.

After that I would say never play when you are not in good emotional condition or you are tired, because this will affect your mood massively. And, just, take a break if you see things don't go your way sometimes.

 

[lucas24]

After losing twice my bank for tilt, I realized that the factor by which frustrated me was not just the fact you got bad beats, the central theme of frustration was anxiety quickly build a bankroll to gain levels as as soon as possible. My recommendations is that besides how essential proper bankroll management, the most important thing is to be patient and take the road with calm.
Greetings.