Thursday, 10 January 2008

Tilt Factor

Tilt has been my downfall. Times that by 16 tables and it’s a mighty big downfall. Today’s session has not gone well.

I opened up my usual 16 tables on pokerstars $10NL full ring and would be greeted with the donkeys and, what seems to be my growing ever larger, share of horrible luck. I had KK busted 3 times all by A-rag, every straight or flush I hit ended in villain hitting a better straight or flush and more likely a Full House.

The horrible cards brought on tilt and I started to play badly getting my money in when I knew I had been counterfeited when the board paired giving villain a better two pair. So using my genius poker skill and my $50 smaller $350 Bankroll I decided to hit the 6max Pot-Limit Omaha eight-or-better tables netting me another $55 loss which $25 of which can be attributed to bad luck but the rest was bad play.

The day was not without good news though, I got an email from my satellite internet provider informing me that I had used 80% of my 5gig internet usage up and it won’t be reset until the 20th of this month. The reason this is good news is it will give me an opportunity to get away from poker and the emotional rollercoaster it has started to become.

I have also received some other good news as I may soon be able to install a new video card and get another monitor which I will dutiful upload to this blog for my wonderful readers to awe at.

Whilst away from poker I intend to be reading the book giving to me for Christmas entitled “Pelé, The Autobiography”. Once reading that I will re-read and study Harrington on Holdem again and probably go back to my formerly beloved $5 18 man Sit n go’s.

To CardsChat I am sorry but I won’t be posting for the next 10 days, although my posts seem to have started declining in poker strategy. This may be one of my problems but im not entirely sure.

In the meantime I will blog via Word and if I get the chance upload from an internet café.

Good Luck to you all,
Munchrs.


2 comments:

Zach said...

Ouch, sounds like you had a rough day. Controlling your emotions is a major part of poker, as is bankroll management. I know it's hard, but if you feel yourself tilting try to just quit immediately. It's hard, but as you play more and more (especially if you 16-table) you'll see your share of bad beats and times you suck out. You'll learn that it's a part of poker and that as long as you play well, opponents won't always suck out.

I know, easy for me to say, and I have struggled with this as well, but to be good and move up to higher limits, keeping emotions in check and handling bad beats becomes very important. I think you're right in that the internet being disabled is probably a somewhat good thing. I'd take some time off from poker, maybe read a poker book, but just stay away from playing in the next week and a half. Make sure you remember the goal, you started off on a hot streak, and to expect that kind of run all the time is just silly.

Put it in perspective though. I only 9-table, but I expect long-term to be at least making $5/hour. I'd like to think I can make more, as I used to make just under $6 while 4-tabling. But until I prove to myself that I can consistently win I'm putting my win rate at $5 internally. I then set my goal, $500 in my case. I then see how many hours I'm going to have to play and try to do it that way.

The point of this is to make it so you're never in a rush to win quickly. If your goal is 30 hours away, that's easier to visualize than "crap, I need to win another $150, that's never going to come". Look long-term and you'll find your game improves. Good luck, hope you can work through the tough times and come out ahead. Enjoy the time off and then be ready to come back and grind it out.

Anonymous said...

Luckily, I never go on tilt. But, god, I HATE it when other people go on tilt! They play a hand stupid then draw out on me. I've got to play every hand against them to get even, right? I bet real HEAVY, yeah, that's what I do...