sevens

I don’t think there’d be any benefit to writing about how “I’m running really bad, can you believe this suckout, this idiot did this blah blah blah” because that stuff happens.  I know that.  I’m fine with the fact that I have to endure that sort of thing, and just keep telling myself “their not playing back at me, their not playing back at me….”.  So instead, I’m gonna write about the 2 ways that I tilt, for reference, and maybe someone reading this can take something from it. 

 

The Setup - OMFG you got it all in with 2nd pair vs my AA and hit runner runner perfect. WTF you idiot.  Or, OMFG I can’t believe I’m getting 3-bet with QQ AGAIN.  Or, WTF you limped AK UTG and DIDNT reraise preflop when I raised with KK?  You KNOW an ace is gonna flop every time.  

 

Tilt #1 - So after losing a stack on some dumb suckout, I decide that I’m not gonna let people off the hook easily.  The next time I get TPTK/overpair, I’m pushin’ it hard.  Then I get c/r’ed on a slightly drawy board and assume “He must be doing this with a draw, I’m all in!” and of course, they have middle set like they always do.  If I wasn’t tilting, it’d be pretty obvious that they have a set, since they’re running 4/2/2 over 500 hands.  So Tilt #1 is that I think everyone’s playing back at me, despite what their line says.  Every time I can think of where I got into this mindset of “they’re playing back at me”, I’ve been wrong, and they’ve had exactly what their line told me they had.  

Remedy for Tilt #1: Be consciously aware of when I start to get into this mindset.  Focus on what they’re telling me about their hand and not on some stupid multiple level thinking.  Remember that, while they may be playing back at me, there’s a 95% chance that they’re not, and it’s only a change in my perception that makes me think that. 

 

Tilt #2 - So after I realize that people have the goods on me when they 3-bet or check raise or value shove the river, I start tightening WAY up.  I fold to 3-bets because it’s always AA.  I fold TPTK to a raise on a drawy board.  I even go so far as to stop stealing altogether because I’m afraid of getting 3-bet.  I even folded KK as an overpair to a SINGLE donk bet.  I turn into this “Great Laydown” machine, which is really just playing bad, and another form of tilt.  Leaving money on the table by folding winning hands because I’m playing too tight is just as bad as spewing money because I’m playing too loosely or aggressively.  

 

Remedy for Tilt #2: Be willing to call more on the flop, re-eval the turn.  People usually don’t double barrel lightly so that will tell me alot about where I stand.  Stop putting opponents on a single hand (last night I 3-bet a 10/6/2 with KK and he called on the button, flop is Q8x with two clubs, I lead for 3/4 pot and he shoves after tanking.  I fold, and complain, and he claims he had a pair of 8s with a club draw.  I made the mistake of putting him on QQ only) and put them on a range of likely hands based on the board texture.  Try to play more in position, and if I can’t, raise more preflop to better define my opponent’s range.  Exercise pot control in WA/WB situations, but not to the point of sacrificing value bets.  

 

And remember, they’re not playing back at me. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.