Going on tilt...how can I avoid it?

[Balthine]

Hi,

I have been suffering some horrific bad beats over the last 72 hours, mainly on the $15 6 player tables on Pacific. My last defeat saw me finish 5th and is typical of what is going on.

I'm up against a player who is extremely loose. I call the BB (which is only 20 at this stage) with Ks Jd. Flop comes out 9s Jh 3s. He pushes all in which I am extremely confident is a bluff. Normally I wouldn't call an all in with TPTK, let alone TP 2nd TK but I am very confident he is on a massive tilt having lost a big stack the last hand...so I call. He turns over 8h 7s so basically he either needs a 10 or a runner runner to beat me. The turn is the 3c so no help there and the river?? Yep he catches the Th.

I know this sort of stuff happens in poker all the time but over the last 72 hours it's happened to me a LOT. Almost always on the river and almost always when I have the leading hand going to the river. I have called four bluffs and they've hit the miracle card. I just can't seem to get the breaks.

Playing a game whilst typing this and got another example. I have AKos, and raise 4x BB. One caller. He has A4s and he hit his 4 (only lost my initial bet though).

I can feel myself going on tilt, I can feel myself really wanting to chase hands because everyone who chases against me seems to hit. Any suggestions on how to avoid this??

[kevster]

Welcome to FTR!

I know this sort of stuff happens in poker all the time but over the last 72 hours it's happened to me a LOT. Almost always on the river and almost always when I have the leading hand going to the river. I have called four bluffs and they've hit the miracle card. I just can't seem to get the breaks.

These are beats and it's good that you recognise them as such. If you are confident that they are beats then you should be ok. But if you're playing badly as a result that's another matter.

I can feel myself going on tilt, I can feel myself really wanting to chase hands because everyone who chases against me seems to hit. Any suggestions on how to avoid this??

There's lots of advice on this forum about this. Look through the stickied articles, beginner's area and try searching too. My preference is too stop playing altogether for a least a day. Go and do something else and forget about poker for a bit.

[Balthine]

Thanks for the reply, I think I'll take your advice. Since writing this post things got even worse! lol! My QQ pre-flop raise called by a 55 who hit a set and my AJs beaten by an A6. Ho hum

[Balthine]

Ohh and just lost another Hit two pair on the turn and my huge bet wasn't enough to chase out the gutshot chaser who hit a J (and straight) on river! Ugh, I hate this game sometimes! lol!

[biondino]

Console yourself by thinking of the 75% of the time when you WILL win all these hands. And you will - iot's just sometimes the bad luck clusters.

[Balthine]

This is taking the piss now. Down to three handed (although I am in the money again for a change), get AQ and raise, get re-raised all in by a player I know is loose and bluffs so I call and he has A8. And what happens? He hits his sodding 8!!!

[biondino]

Okay, dude, it happens. We know it happens, and we have a board for this kind of thing. People get arsey when there are loads of bad beat posts out of its forum.

This is an unlucky hand but you've got to bear in mind you will lose with AQ vs A8 one time in every four. It WILL happen. You have to deal with it or you might as well quit. Certainly quit playing for now because you're clearly tilting like mad at the moment.

[taipan168]

It's not always easy to do this, but when I take a bad beat I tell myself to be HAPPY that I put myself in a position to take a bad beat in the first place (ie. I got my chips in with the best hand).

I'm much more annoyed if I play badly and end up losing than if the poker gods just didn't smile on me that hand.

[Balthine]

Okay, dude, it happens. We know it happens, and we have a board for this kind of thing. People get arsey when there are loads of bad beat posts out of its forum.

This is an unlucky hand but you've got to bear in mind you will lose with AQ vs A8 one time in every four. It WILL happen. You have to deal with it or you might as well quit. Certainly quit playing for now because you're clearly tilting like mad at the moment.

Noted! In future I will save the bad beat stories for elsewhere

[Balthine]

It's not always easy to do this, but when I take a bad beat I tell myself to be HAPPY that I put myself in a position to take a bad beat in the first place (ie. I got my chips in with the best hand).

I'm much more annoyed if I play badly and end up losing than if the poker gods just didn't smile on me that hand.

Nice way of thinking about it. Ironically I did go on tilt and sucked out a couple of times myself I just read a couple of hands wrong, thought they were bluffing when they weren't.

Things haven't improved much overall though, but I am confident that the majority of my beats have been down to poor fortune than poor play by me, although I reckon there must be a fair few leaks in my game. I think I've been playing too many marginal hands and taking big risks I didn't need to take (like forcing the short stack all in with AJs, him calling with QJs and hitting a flush....no need for me to push him all in just yet). Maybe it was the tilt but I just got too loose and asked for some of the bad beats.

[taipan168]

If you think you might have some leaks (and who doesn't!) then post some hands and we'll collectively do our best. There's nothing like a second opinion to either make you feel better that you were just unlucky or to point out where you could or should have played differently.