Poker is just one of those mental pursuits where even the best in the world can turn to jelly in seconds. I’ve seen it happen in real life to pros, to my friends, and to myself. When you begin to slide into the depths of tilt ... it’s all over. There are probably thirteen different kinds of tilt and at one time or other I’ve fallen into every category. And like most things relating to poker, you can substitute general life or something else in there, so instead of poker tilt, you have work tilt or relationship tilt or travel tilt. Here are three of those categories...
 
The Subtle Downfall. You can subtitle this Digging Your Own Grave. This doesn’t happen instantly; it incubates over a complete session. Maybe you take a beat early on and that’s all it takes to become infected with tilt. It slowly comes on and you eventually spew your chips because you were unable to recognize that you were tilting and unable to make adjustments on the fly. Profitable players plug leaks in real time instead of waiting to analyze their sessions with computer programs and friends.
 
Head First Into the Abyss. You know a few of these folks who go from being normal to full blown tilt in a half of a second. Mike Matusow is a perfect example. The littlest thing sets them off and ... wham! One moment they are calm and cool and in control, then one suckout or bad beat shoves them off the edge. These people are equally dangerous in bars and around sharp objects, and you don’t want to cut them off on a Los Angeles freeway because they might pull a gun on you. However, if you can handle a charging rhinoceros, then you can profit immensely from players who implode on a single hand. They usually tilt off their chips within an orbit, so you better act fast.
 
Never Get Out of This Maze. This is probably the worst category of tilt to overcome because you know you’re tilting but unable to get the heck out. You’re stuck, lost, and trapped. There’s an exit point somewhere out there, but you’re having difficulty getting around because you run into a dead end at every corner. This is the type of tilt that doesn’t happen in one session; instead, it happens over a period of weeks and months. I know a few pros who will tell you this paragraph accurately explains their current losing streak.
 
Education is important. Doesn’t matter what it is. You should always be feeding your mind. There’s always something new to learn, especially when you head off the beaten bath. Tournament poker seems to evolve every few months. Just when I get a grasp on things, I find myself behind the curve once again and struggling to keep up. But that’s why those pros on the cutting edge of strategy are usually the ones who are the most profitable at the present moment. When the chase pack catches up to them, they better adapt or they become dinosaurs. The best of the best, whether they are artists or poker pros, are always two steps ahead of the herd.
 
Continuing your poker education is essential because the game is constantly evolving and players from different backgrounds and styles are entering the pool. I can’t vouch for specific training videos or paying online pros ridiculous amounts of money to share their secrets, but for some people it has worked. Like most things in life, it’s the student who determines how much they want to apply what they learned to their lives. However, all the training and coaching in the world isn’t going to prepare you for the mental battle against yourself.
 
One of the most profitable moves you can make is teaching yourself how to stay off tilt.
 
Paul ‘Dr. Pauly’ McGuire is the author of the upcoming book ‘Lost Vegas’. You can read his poker blog, Tao of Poker, over at www.taopoker.com.