The BIG Tilt

Hyzepher

The BIG Tilt

For many people, in the know, being on tilt is simply playing hands with emotion rather than logic or skill. For example, you may have had your AA drawn out at the river by a newbie who thought 37o was a decent hand. Immediately you start playing hands you normally wouldn't or making wild bets or bluffs. By the way identifying that you are on tilt is a skill often forgotten and one useful to acquire.

This post is about something different - I call it the BIG Tilt and it has to do with Hand History. Some players will say that every hand is different and the outcome of a previous hand should have no bearing on the next. Well to some extent this is true but don't forget we are talking about hunam beings playing cards. The deck may forget but people don't.

My theory behind the Big Tilt has more to do with the memory of your opposition than it has to do with your own emotional play. Picture this - you sit down at a loose-ish type game where you feel that your skills should reep rewards. You are dealt a number of strong hands over a short space of time but are beaten out in each case. Now the likely hood of this continuing is, all things aside, short. However, the perception of your opponents towards you has changed - you are now a loser. And more importantly they are winners. This changes things alot.

Now they are less likely to believe your bluff, more likely to see the river, and less likely to be intimidated by any aggressive play by you. You are now on the BIG Tilt.

The answer - leave! This may seem harsh as for most people they believe that in the long run they can beat the table. But unfortunately time is against you - you haven't the time to turn the tables on them. First impressions last and it will be hard to dominate the table after falling behind.

Conversly a player on a 'roll' can maintain dominance over the opposition for an extended period of time and win hands purely on the perception that you are a winner. Most people understand this concept.

A great player understands the concept of the BIG Tilt!

HyZepher

DeVore

Very interesting... Last night was a weird variant on that. Small stakes (20 in and 20 for 3 rebuys) and fairly friendly.

For some unknown reason I couldnt BUY a damned break. I played well, shirked the 2,7o hands and dodged and weaved some of the fairly powerful players at the table. But I couldnt buy a break. I had 2 pair beaten by a house. 2 pair and an ace beaten by flush and then AA beaten by KKK. Even the guys at the table commented on my bad luck... though they knew I was fairly new in town (first game of Hold Em in the Fitzwilliam).

So I thought "**** it, they are viewing me as either unlucky or a noob.... wtf am I going to do about this"... I know only to well that at each table theres a mark and I couldnt spot him which is always bad news
(Actually there was a guy two to my right who didnt know what a blind was and until he got ousted noone spoke which was like a weird "respect for the dead" )

So the guys start chatting and I'm deploring my poor luck. I moan a bit and then jokingly say "right I'm not betting unless I get AA"!
I toss my cards for a few hands (not hard since all I got all night seemed to be 27,94,j2 etc) then I cautiously enter one hand for 50e and when the flop comes down an unimpressive pile of crud I bet big with 8,5o. Queue everyone getting out of noobs way with his monster and I pick up the pot. But here's the interesting thing.... the guy accross from me is about 50 and a nice aul codger who I've been joking with... gives me a little friendly advice and says "you know if you have a big hand you might want to draw people in".... I turned over the 8,5 and said "you know when I have a big hand, I'll give it some thought".

Well the mood changed again, suddenly I commanded a little more respect, not a whole lot but enough to get me out of the "sucker" catgeory... this noob has thorns

Unfortunately the aforementioned AA v KKK happened about 10 hands later and I bought the farm... but the point is that you can use *any* presumtion on your opponents part against him. If he thinks you are strong, bully him. If he thinks you are weak... let him walk into a trap. But what Hyzepher says is right, you have to know what your opponents think of you.


DeV.

cormie

Hyz, you seem to know your books. Just curious, how were you knocked out of the poker.ie tournament? Dev, don't worry about thinking your a noob. A guy I sometimes play with won a tournament in the Merrion, he won about €1,000 and his friend was at the final table too. The last time I played with them was when I won a tournament I was playing with them. I don't consider them to be great players at all. Don't give up hope. I've just got to wait till I turn 21.

DeVore

Give up hope? are you kidding? lol

I've been playing cards since I can remember and have won a good bit of cash playing both Poker and believe it or not Bridge.
Mostly its mates games I play in but the arrival of these casinos is something of interest. Its definitely showing me another level of play and I'll be back to play the next low stakes game in the Fitz (its not the money I play for, i actually dont like playing for big stakes, I'm just so goddamn competitive that I'd play for buttons and still get a buzz out of it! )

DeV.

Hyzepher

Originally posted by cormie
Hyz, you seem to know your books. Just curious, how were you knocked out of the poker.ie tournament? Dev, don't worry about thinking your a noob. A guy I sometimes play with won a tournament in the Merrion, he won about €1,000 and his friend was at the final table too. The last time I played with them was when I won a tournament I was playing with them. I don't consider them to be great players at all. Don't give up hope. I've just got to wait till I turn 21.

Haven't played in any.

Hyzepher

DeVore

Oh yeah, I meant to say... I wasnt worried about thinking I was a n00b, I'm reasonably aware of my abilities and/or lack thereof.... what I was worried about was *them* thinking I was a n00b and that brings us back to Hyzephers original post, if they think you are a weak or a n00b then they will bully you and wont be scared of your bluffs, you need to either change their opinion fast, use it against them or get the hell out of that game hahahah...

DeV.

cormie

Oh, I'm confusing you with somebody else at boards.ie who played in our tournament. I'm going to give them tournies a shot when I reach the age. In the mean time, still plenty of room for improvement.