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Tilt and reading The Mental Game of Poker

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 of the way of myself. After I take a few bad beats, I tend to play with much lower performance. Too often I sink into desperation tilt or even demolition tilt and wipe away weeks of earns made through solid poker play.

I’ve always used various tactics to combat it, such as quitting early, but after several weeks of battling with myself, I decided to give this book a try.

The good about The Mental Game of Poker:

It’s like having a conversation with someone. We all know that talking things out can be all it takes to feel better when we are down about something. The book already knows what I feel as a poker player. It serves a purpose of relating and letting me know I’m not alone.

After reading just a few chapters, I could feel the stress (or Accumulated Tilt) easing up a little. In fact, I’d say this is a book to buy and save until your next session of tilt.

However:

It’s certainly not a “read this and cure all your problems” book, even though in some places it reads like it claims to be. Many of the concepts in the book are common sense which we all know from other life experiences.

Worth the $10?  Absolutely.

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