Tilt Factor
poker online players often talk about going on “tilt” and how it renders them unfit to play the game. What is tilt? The expression comes from pinball machines. If a poker player starts abusing and manhandling the machine, it goes on tilt and can’t be played. The same applies to poker online players. Tilt is a state where a poker player’s physical, mental or psychological condition impairs their ability to make good decisions. Since the key to playing winning poker is to minimize your mistakes, going on tilt will wreck your game. A player, who becomes frustrated and just pushes in their chips when obviously already beat, is on tilt. A player can be affected many ways by tilt. It can be insidious and sneak up on you as fatigue. If you have been playing for hours without a break, adequate nutrition and hydration, you become susceptible to tilt. When a player has taken a couple of bad beats or just experienced a bad run of cards, tilt can take over and make a player feel angry and frustrated, thus impairing rational judgment. Sometimes tilt is a psychological state in which a player feels like a defeated loser who can never win. This type of thinking will become self-fulfilling with the player making one bad mistake after another. It is essential to recognize the signs of tilt, and leave the table. Either call it quits for the day or take a break to refresh your body and mind before you rejoin the table.
