Emotion, Aggression, and Tilting
January 30, 2008
We have been discussing these subjects lately and I would like to offer the following comments..
First, emotions and poker are like oil and water, they don’t mix.
I have been thinking about this for a couple of reasons. Number one, I ran into an emotional issue while playing the other day and I was called on it and number 2, I am trying to improve my game so some introspect is always required.
The emotional aspect of the game.
When I am discussing emotions, I am talking about the “bad” emotions not the good emotions. Becoming angry at another player or feeling pity for another player are emotions that can cost you chips and possibly a tournament. Emotions should have no place at a poker table (negative emotions, that is). They tend to tell you to do things that you know you shouldn’t do but, you do them anyway.
Calling a big bet from someone when you’re “pissed off” when you don’t have a hand is a good example of this. You called just because your emotions told you to. Your poker playing brain was shoved way in the back of your head by Mr. I’m Pissed Off, who took control of your actions.
Now, I do play live regularly (usually once per week against anywhere from 50 -100 players) which makes a difference versus on-line play.
When playing live, in some instances, I think it is a lot easier to become more emotionally invested in the game than it is on-line. The obvious fact is that you are physically present with other players at the table. So, comments made at the table are heard, body language is noticed, and other actions can be made that effect you emotionally at the table. Some players will actually use this to get an advantage over you at the table. Once they “figure you out” they can push your buttons to try to make you do something you shouldn’t.
Here is another thing you need to watch out for. When playing live you have to be very careful of preconceived biases towards other players. We all have our biases towards different peoples and cultures so you need to realize what those are and not let it affect your game.
I was talking to a female player the other day. One of her ways of gaining an advantage at a live table is to dress in something low cut so she shows cleavage.
This does and will affect some male players even if they don’t realize it. The other thing is women tend to get less respect at a table than they should (sometimes its justified but not anymore than the males).
I think men tend to look at women at a poker table with a starting level of low respect until proven otherwise which can be too late in some cases, especially when it costs them all their chips. I try to purposely not have preconceived notions about women at the table. I will watch the play very carefully and make my judgment from there.
On-line play has its own way of screwing with your brain. As I mentioned above, pre-conceived notions need to be watched out for. I actually think, sub consciously; some people are affected by players names on the table. If you think about it, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you see a name like Newbie, donk, chaser, grandma, or Monkey? Be careful that these types of names do not alter your play. The avatar could do this too. The pretty girl pic, the pics with kitties, puppy’s, etc. all could have a small effect on you especially if you aren’t watching for it.
Here is what happened to me which has its own interesting aspect. I was playing in a tourney and the guy to my right kept raising my blinds. I had watched him show down a few hands previously so I knew he wasn’t a very good player but he was getting lucky. Mr. I’m Pissed Off decided that he had had enough and it was time for him to jump up and try to take control of my play.
Luckily, the Skype Crew was watching me play and noticed that I was starting to react emotionally and reeled me in back to reality. I calmed down, waited and eventually took him out. The interesting part of this is if this had been a live tourney, I may have gotten a better “read” from this player when he was raising my blinds . A tell or two could have helped me decide on what to do with the hand which would have reduced the effect on me because of my limited exposure to the player in question. On-line, all I saw was raise, raise, raise.
Oh oh, this is getting tooooooo long…..
To conclude, watch your emotions, look at yourself and try to realize what “sets you off”. If you find yourself too emotionally involved, sit out for a few hands. Walk away from the computer and relax. Take the time to remove emotions from your play and you will be more successful.
Thoughts, comments, etc. are all welcome.
Good luck on the felt…..
Comments
2 Responses to “Emotion, Aggression, and Tilting”
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Firstly the point about the woman showing her cleavage is made startlingly clear by your inclusion of a picture of some woman’s cleavage.
As I read down past the picture and further into your post I couldn’t help myself but, I kept glancing back up at the picture, this is a flat 2D picture, if they were real and jiggling at me across the table in 3D.. I wonder if I would make the first set of blinds.
I have to leave the house shortly but I’ll add some more to the comment later tonight..
Cheers..
Try saving it as wallpaper. I did that…lol…Hundreds of em…hahaha