Multi Table Tilt - How Much Is It Costing You

By Author: Tom Kearns
Total Articles: 10
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Most poker players are aware of the concept of tilt. But few realize how much of an effect it actually has on their bottom line. Tilt is when you lose your composure at the poker table generally due to a bad beat or two. It can also occur when another player is getting under your skin. When you're on tilt you make plays that you wouldn't normally make. These plays cost money. They often cost a lot of money. If you're playing live in a casino or card room you thankfully only lose control of one table at a time and may be able to calm down and regain your composure after only a few hands. But what if you're playing online and you have six to 8 tables open at once?

Playing online affords many advantages like faster dealing and multitabling. This allows you to play ten or even twenty times the amount of hands as live play. This is a great way to make extra money when you're playing your best poker, but when you're on tilt it can cost you a small fortune. If it takes you ten minutes to calm down, you will generally tilt for three or four hands in a live game. If you're playing online, you may well see sixty ...
... or more hands in a ten minute span. If you are tilting for sixty hands, chances are that you will make more mistakes and lose more money. When this happens, instead of gradually calming down, poker players tend to become more aggitated, and lose more money. Losing more money will cause you to stay on tilt or become even worse and the cycle is hard to stop once it starts. So how do we identify such situations?

Generally if you're playing fast an loose when you're normally a tight solid player, you're probably experiencing some degree of tilt. Another thing to look for is if you've recently lost several hands in a row. You may not realize that you're on tilt, but if you're hemmoraging chips you better do something to calm down and stop the bleeding.

The easy answer is to just take a walk. Get up and take a 10 minute break and regain your focus. The problem is that if you're playing 8 tables, and you stand up every time you lose a big hand, you'll spend more time walking around than playing poker. Another, more realistic, answer would be to tighten up your game and pay extra attention to every play you make. I like to talk to myself to make sure that all of my plays make sense for a few minutes after losing a really nice pot. "Does it make sense to raise with Ace Four Suited under the gun?". If the answer to my question is no than I fold the hand. I also try to fold a few borderline hands that I may otherwise take a chance with. It sounds crazy talking to yourself, but if you try it you may be surprised at how many mistakes you save yourself from making.

The answer to tilt is different for everyone. The common solution is that you need to do whatever works to calm you down and get back on your A game. If you're multitabling, you need to do it quick or your bankroll will take a serious hit.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online, competes in the monthly Races and Rolls Freerolls and gets Rakeback at Absolute Poker.