What Does Going on Tilt Mean?

Published on March 25th, 2004, 7:54 pm EST

These tips are not rocket science, but if you utilize them, it should help to keep you from going on tilt.

First off, what does "going on tilt" mean? Let's say you are playing a good game, and you are dealt two aces. The flop comes A / Q / 7, and you are feeling pretty good about your hand so you bet out. The turn is a 4, and the river is a 5. You still feel good about your cards, and have aggressively bet. When your opponent flips his cards over, you see that he has a 2 and a 3, and hit his straight on the turn and the river. That's a bad beat, and that can cause you to go on tilt. Going on tilt means, you start aggressively betting any hand, just because you are so frustrated with a bad beat. Let's say you were playing tight the whole game, had a bad beat, and all of a sudden started raising with 2/7 offsuit because you were so pissed off. That means you are on tilt, and will probably be out of the game in a few hands.

Identifying people who are on tilt can be a great moneymaker. Odds are they have a weak hand, and are just betting anything because they are so frustrated. If someone is on tilt and is betting wildly, odds are that they will lose if you take them to a showdown with a decent pair of hole cards. This can be a great way to build up your stack. You might catch an unlucky break sometimes, but the odds are in your favor.

Avoiding tilt. If you suffer a bad beat, fold your next bunch of hands unless it is absolutely a premium hand. If you are playing at home, go to the fridge and get a drink. Just do anything to calm yourself down. If you are at a land-based casino, get yourself a drink from the waitress and focus on the activity inside the casino; this will calm you down and allow you to keep more of your stack. The worst thing you can do, which is what a lot of people do, is start betting wildly; good players will see you on are tilt, and take your stack in no time.