Mental Game
Poker Tilt: Causes & Cures
Tilt kills more bankrolls than bad cards. Learn the 7 types, their triggers, and how to control them before they control you.
Tilt is any deviation from your A-game and A-mindset, however slight or fleeting. When emotions - frustration, anger, fear, overconfidence - cause you to make decisions you wouldn't normally make, you're on tilt.
This guide is based on the work of Jared Tendler (The Mental Game of Poker), Tommy Angelo (Elements of Poker), and Elliot Roe (Poker Mind Coach) - the leading voices in poker psychology.
The Three Dimensions of Tilt
Tommy Angelo describes tilt along three dimensions. Improvement in any one reduces its impact on your results:
Frequency
How often do you deviate from your A-game?
Duration
How long does each deviation last?
Depth
How far below your A-game do you fall?
"Most of Elements of Poker is about how to lop off your C-game and spend more time playing your best. Getting out of your C-game is usually worth much more than fiddling with the margins of your A-game." — Tommy Angelo
The 7 Types of Tilt
Jared Tendler identifies seven distinct types. Understanding which type affects you helps target the root cause:
Running Bad Tilt
Extended periods of bad variance wear down your mental defenses until frustration takes over. The repeated losses make you feel like you can't catch a break.
Injustice Tilt
You believe your luck is worse than mathematically possible. You feel victimized by the poker gods, convinced the universe is against you.
Hate-Losing Tilt
You hate losing more than you enjoy winning. A single loss in an otherwise good session, or one bad session in a winning month, sends you over the edge.
Mistake Tilt
Triggered when you make an error and can't let it go. You obsess over what you should have done, and the frustration compounds hand after hand.
Entitlement Tilt
You believe that because you study, you deserve to win. Losing to players you consider worse is intolerable. Your ego can't accept the outcome.
Revenge Tilt
You target specific opponents because of how they play, talk, or have beaten you. You feel disrespected and want vengeance, causing erratic play.
Desperation Tilt
The most dangerous type. You take extreme measures to win back losses - playing higher stakes, longer sessions, more pots, or even casino games.
Winner's Tilt: The Hidden Danger
Winner's tilt occurs after a prolonged winning streak. You become overconfident, take unnecessary risks, stop questioning your lines, and play recklessly.
Why it happens: Winning triggers dopamine, which doesn't just feel good - it increases motivation, risk tolerance, and the drive to seek more rewards. You feel "invincible."
The consequence: Players often dump everything they won and finish in the red.
The 90-Second Rule
Neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor discovered that when we feel anger or frustration, the actual chemical process in the brain lasts only 90 seconds.
If you can pause and breathe through those 90 seconds after a bad beat, you can interrupt the tilt response before it cascades into poor decisions.
Prevention: Before You Play
Pre-Session Assessment
- • Are you tired? Consider waiting until tomorrow.
- • Are you upset about something? Address it first.
- • Are you in the right headspace for focused decisions?
- • Have you exercised, eaten well, and stayed hydrated today?
Set Limits in Advance
- • Stop-loss: Quit after losing 2-3 buy-ins
- • Time limit: Maximum session length before mandatory break
- • Tilt trigger: If you notice X sign, take a break
Warm-Up Routine
- • Visualization: Picture yourself making good decisions and handling bad beats calmly
- • Technical review: Watch a training video or review a few hands
- • Goal setting: Define 2-3 specific focus areas for the session
In-the-Moment Fixes
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, this pattern activates your parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting the fight-or-flight response.
Trigger Phrases
Use a word like "reset" or "breathe" when you feel frustration rising. This creates a mental anchor to interrupt the tilt response.
Fedor Holz places his fingers on the table edge and takes two deep breaths to refocus.
When to Leave Immediately
- • Racing heartbeat that won't calm
- • Impulsive urge to chase losses
- • Fixating on previous hands instead of the present
- • Making decisions without thinking
- • Feeling the need to "prove something"
If you lose two hands in a row and feel overwhelmed, stop immediately. Playing through emotional turbulence is rarely profitable.
Long-Term Solutions
The Mental Hand History (Jared Tendler)
Tendler's primary tool for fixing tilt at its root - analyzing mental game issues with the same rigor you'd apply to technical mistakes:
- 1. Describe the problem: What happened? What did you feel? What did you do?
- 2. Explain why it makes sense: Why do you think/feel/react this way?
- 3. Identify the flawed logic: What belief is incorrect?
- 4. Create a correction: What's the accurate belief?
- 5. Reinforce: Why is the correction right?
"The emotion is not the problem. The real problems are deeper flaws like an illusion of control, flaws in your view of the learning process, and wishing." — Jared Tendler
Session Journaling
Track: results, mental game score (0-10), emotional triggers, and lessons learned. Review weekly to spot patterns.
Meditation Practice
Regular mindfulness increases self-awareness, strengthens concentration, and reduces anxiety - all directly applicable to poker.
Expert Insights
"Discipline is the most important because it will help you overcome the inevitable bad runs. Focus on the moment rather than letting yourself become preoccupied with the past."
— Daniel Negreanu
"Most players confuse the effects of tilt with tilt itself. Emotions don't appear in a vacuum - they result from reacting to a stimulus."
— Elliot Roe
"The right mindset is key. When I lose, I have my ritual - engage logic and keep playing."
— Fedor Holz
Frequently Asked Questions
›What is tilt in poker?
Tilt is any deviation from your A-game and A-mindset, however slight or fleeting. When frustration, anger, or other emotions cause you to make decisions you wouldn't normally make, you're on tilt. It can range from subtle (-10% decision quality) to extreme (full meltdown).
›What are the main types of tilt?
Jared Tendler identifies 7 types: Running Bad Tilt (extended variance), Injustice Tilt (feeling victimized), Hate-Losing Tilt (can't accept any loss), Mistake Tilt (obsessing over errors), Entitlement Tilt (believing you deserve to win), Revenge Tilt (targeting specific opponents), and Desperation Tilt (chasing losses recklessly).
›How do I stop tilting immediately?
The brain's anger response lasts about 90 seconds. Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique (developed by Dr. Andrew Weil): inhale through nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale through mouth for 8 seconds. If you can pause through those 90 seconds, you can interrupt the tilt cascade. If tilt persists, leave the table immediately.
›What's winner's tilt?
Winner's tilt occurs when a winning streak makes you overconfident. You start taking unnecessary risks, stop questioning your lines, and play recklessly. The dopamine from winning increases your risk tolerance - and you often end up giving back everything you won.
›How do I fix tilt long-term?
Use Jared Tendler's Mental Hand History: 1) Describe the problem in detail, 2) Explain why you react this way, 3) Identify the flawed logic, 4) Create a correction, 5) Explain why the correction is right. The excessive emotion is a symptom of a deeper flaw - like an illusion of control or unrealistic expectations.