You can control your environment to a much greater degree when playing online poker but when you're crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in a live game, sometimes there is no escape from other players who exhibit less-than-ideal behavior or contribute to a distracting environment.

Which of the following are most likely to throw you off of your game and put you on tilt?

1. Bad smells: the player next to you is obviously overdue for a shower and smells like they just finished shoveling out the drains in a hog barn, before smearing themselves with a mixture of pickled garlic and last week's uneaten cheeseburger.

2. The poker room looks like it's on fire because of the dirty veil of cigarette smoke floating near the ceiling. The problem is that you don't smoke and can't concentrate because you can't breathe, knowing that you're going to be dragging this stench home on your clothes.

3. You have a "9-high like a boss" player at the table that keeps tanking excessively and Just. Will. Not. Shut. Up.

4. One or more players are angle-shooting and nothing is being done about it.

5. One or more players are berating newer players aka "tapping the glass," or continually making racist/sexist comments.

You're welcome to share your "worst live poker experiences." Let's hear your "bad beat" live poker stories that had nothing to do with the river card!

I hate someone to do that (Berating newer players, racist/sexist comments)

2 and 5 are close but I went with smoking!

Definitely this "like a boss" player ?!?

I am untiltable

When a guy catches his two outer on me that's enough to make me go postal

Tbh.. nothing tilts me. The fact that poker is for everyone regardless of appearance or behavior makes this game even more interesting and funny for me.

I feel like i am way harder to tilt live than I am online. I don´t know if its the atmosphere or the more casual direct contact to the opponents. Maybe it s because i am more focused in general, play better and therefore get into less situations that potentually would be tilting after all.

This one is an obvious one, but I get STEAMED when people slowroll the winning hand, especially in home games where I know the people quite well. It hasn’t happened too much, but I had the chance once to play at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL where I had pocket 10s and shoved with my short stack before the flop. One of the blinds called me and the runout had a King on it. I flip over my 10s and the villain looked disgusted for about 15 seconds before he flipped over AKo. The whole table snapped at him because it wasn’t the first time he pulled something like that, but it is just the most tilting thing to deal with for me. Luckily I had no more money to put on the table that night, or else my tilt would have gotten the best of me. Hope whoever did that to me had variance kick his ass!

I picked berating newer players, racist/sexist comments. Thankfully I haven't been sat next to someone with bad personal hygiene yet (I'm sure it's just a matter of time), and you cannot smoke at the poker tables in California (at least where I have played), otherwise that might be my choice.

I just feel like there is no excuse for berating players, certainly never an excuse EVER for sexist or racist remarks. But as for tapping the tank - it really irritates me. We are all at the table trying to figure out who is weak, where we can take advantage of play; someone giving table lessons to a newb is just like burning money, in my opinion.

Although on the other hand, those types of players tend to be overly confident in their own abilities, and prove to be pretty easy to read. So a lot of times they end up doing me a favor by opening their mouths.

Results are strongly in favor of option #5 so far and I'm in the same camp. The other stuff can be really annoying but IMO getting into racist/sexist territory or cussing out a newer player because they called with a weaker hand and sucked out should warrant an immediate ejection from the poker room.

I voted for the berating players one; there is simply no need for this.

Not listed in the poll as an option but: the single thing that probably gets me off my game the most is when I make the wrong play. Bad beats is one thing, but losing because I know I messed up is the worst. Things like entering a pot with a hand I know I should have folded pre-flop or putting myself into a tough spot because I didn't raise earlier in the hand and so on. This bothers me because I know it is 100% on me. With bad beats, it happens to everyone: but at least you can be comforted in knowing it was a +EV play long-term - there isn't an excuse for something you can control.

p.s. Not saying I need to play perfectly (we are human and everyone makes mistakes), but playing a way I know I shouldn't have gets me.

Wasn't fun for me to begin with - some of the most miserable and degenerate people you will ever meet populate my local cardroom.

Constant complaining, berating, and grumpiness... regs openly collude against you and dealers and staff do nothing as they wouldn't have a game without those players.

Headphones and stacking their chips make me happy, but it is not worth the effort.

Good times.

I went with #3, but #1 will get me to move tables in a hurry.

For #6. the drunk player who spills his drink, doesn't stop talking, smells like vomit and forgets he is in a hand. But, his 7 4 off-suit hits after the dealer reminds him to bet/fold after the flop, turn and river.

All of the above

2 and 5 and neck and neck for me but I picked smoking. Never smoked and the smell drives me nuts.

I tend to get boredom tilt if I've been card dead for awhile.
I also tilt when people make horrendous calls that cost us both equity (Ie calling too wide on final table or bubble)
I also tilt a bit if I've made a significant mistake.
I also tilt when I've been battling with a good player and I feel like they've been abusing me which might lead to a dubious bluff.

Originally Posted by Tammy

I picked berating newer players, racist/sexist comments. Thankfully I haven't been sat next to someone with bad personal hygiene yet (I'm sure it's just a matter of time), and you cannot smoke at the poker tables in California (at least where I have played), otherwise that might be my choice.

I just feel like there is no excuse for berating players, certainly never an excuse EVER for sexist or racist remarks. But as for tapping the tank - it really irritates me. We are all at the table trying to figure out who is weak, where we can take advantage of play; someone giving table lessons to a newb is just like burning money, in my opinion.

Although on the other hand, those types of players tend to be overly confident in their own abilities, and prove to be pretty easy to read. So a lot of times they end up doing me a favor by opening their mouths.

Absolutely agree with you Tammy. There is no need for behaviour like that. I am not afraid to voice my opinion to players who make sexist or racist remarks. I don't recall racist remarks at any poker table, but I have witnessed an MCP berate women. Smoking would be a huge issue for me, but I have never played in a poker room where smoking is allowed...not in Canada, Niagara Falls NY or any room I've been to in Las Vegas. It is tough enough walking through the smoke filled casino to get to the poker room.

Oops didn't see the poll,

Which of the following "knocks you off your game" the most in a live poker setting?
Body odor, foul smells

Cigarette smoke

"9-high like a boss"

Angle-shooting

Berating newer players, racist/sexist comments

I'll go with Racist/sexist and berating new players; then body odor; then angle-shooting; then cigarette smoke. Although I wouldn't play at a casino that allowed smoking - I have played in bar poker games where some folks smoked.

I would say all of the above but that's not an option so I say sexism.

I voted against smoking. Because it affects your health and will negatively affect the game. I think I can ignore everything else and focus on the game.

Berating other players or using sexist/racist comments, there is no need to say anything distasteful to anyone, if you cannot say something positive about someone, keep your mouth shut.

When the fun Stops, STOP!

I don't really tilt, but there is no excuse for berating other players. Years ago after I had won the hand in a cash stud game, after playing him like a virtuoso, a young man criticized me saying that I should not have played it the way that I did. I was a much different person twenty five years ago so I looked at him and said, "I guess that I didn't read the right book." LOL!! Childish? Of course.

I guess if somebody says look under the table. I may tilt then. (LOL)

if you don't have something constructive and pleasant to say, it's better to be silent ..... even the crazy ones thought they were wise if they keep silent

Getting coolered lol. When I play live I expect to win every pot which isn't gonna happen. I get tilted when I lose a big pot because the stakes are so high.

Thanks for your replies everyone, I'm enjoying reading all of the comments.

One thing that would put me on tilt (and I didn't include it in the poll) especially now is someone who is obviously sick and keeps coughing all over the table without even attempting to cover their mouth, and doing things like handling the cards and chips with snot all over their fingers. If somebody was doing this I would most likely try to get the pit boss to kick them out.

Some people have zero consciousness of spreading infection, I remember traveling abroad once and riding a public bus with someone in the back who was very sick with something and kept spitting and blowing his nose on the floor.