I was chatting with another player about his “particularly bad run” over the last two days. I suggested that he take a break and do something else and he answered that he “plays through” his bad runs and that it “doesn’t affect his play.” I’ve heard the same thing for two decades of playing poker and it’s as much bullshit today as it was in 2000. Do I fall into the same trap as him? Absolutely. But as my career
Stress or Tilt? We like to use the terms interchangeably. Recently I read The Mental Game of Poker, and he coined the word Accumulated Tilt, when referring to a streak of tilt that builds up in a player and affects his decisions. Recently, for me, I’ve decided to never use the word tilt when referring to ongoing emotional or mental problems. Tilt is what happens immediately after a loss or some other negative poker instance. Stress is what happens as
Accumulated Tilt! That’s exactly what I’m feeling. Of course, it’s just another term for stress, which I was already very aware of, but it was comforting to read that definition when I sat down with The Mental Game of Poker. My technical game in poker is strong. It’s been strong for a long time. There really aren’t any concepts in No-limit Holdem that I’m lagging far behind other players, even the best players. Sometimes though, I just can’t get out
