Tilt Control: Before Emotions Devour Your Chips

Bad beats, losing streaks, opponent's luck — tilt is the biggest enemy that destroys your poker profits. Learn how to recognize and manage tilt.

What Is Tilt?

Tilt is the state of deviating from optimal play due to emotional disturbance.

5 Signs of Tilt

Tilt Self-Diagnosis

Are you opening with a wider range than usual?Are you emotionally calling your opponent's bets? ('I'll show them')Are you making consecutive aggressive bluffs in large pots?Do you feel the urge to recover your losses quickly?Is your focus declining, causing you to skip hand reading?

Tilt Management Strategies

Immediate Response

Recognize: Acknowledging "I'm on tilt right now" is the first step
Pause: Sit out and observe for 2-3 hands (fold only)
Breathe: Physically release the tension

Session Management

If tilt persists, end the session — this is the most profitable decision
"I need to win back what I lost" is the core symptom of tilt
You can start a fresh session tomorrow

Long-Term Mindset

Understanding Variance

Situation	Normal Range
10 buy-in downswing	Can happen to players of any win rate
20 buy-in downswing	Rare but possible (within thousands of hands)
3-5 consecutive losing sessions	Very common — part of variance

Source: Upswing Poker, Jared Tendler