By [http://www.articlesengine.com/Author/Thomas-Kearns/20208/1] Thomas Kearns

Most folks when asked about what constitutes a really good poker player will respond with such qualities as calculated thinking, talent, lack of risk aversion and so on. The one aspect most mentioned by all, however, is psychological toughness and endurance.

The term tilt is one just about everyone has heard of and refers to a change of course in the game at a downturn. Tilt represents a specifically poker-related mental and emotional state, one where the player is irrationally influenced into making moves he never would have made in his normal play. Quite often, in this tilted condition, the player begins a sudden phase of loose-aggressive play or can turn into an unmanageable maniac, or many other weird undesirable deviations from his usual method of play. At times, fear is behind the tilt and the player becomes tight-passive. Whatever the tilt origination, the player is headed down the road to defeat.

The wise player will avoid being tilted in the first place rather than attempt to undo the damage it will inevitably cause. The best way to avert this type of disaster is to gain a thorough knowledge and understanding of the game of poker. You need to familiarize yourself with what distance and dispersion mean in poker to enable you to more easily get through the tough times. In many aspects of life, not just at the poker table, knowledge of mathematical statistics and the laws of probability will lead to a firmer grasp of reality.

Even a simple comprehension of statistics will help you to realize that specific combinations do not always result in specific results of success, e.g., AQs in combination come with a 68% chance of success which can result in a loss of one out of every three deals.

As we all know, knowledge in itself is not enough to always be of assistance. One can be in total awareness that odd things occur and that you can handle the situation. But a long train of bad cards can upset the coolest cat and the lucky morons become even more annoying at this point. Despite your coolness, in spite of yourself, you may find that you are running completely amok. This is tilt, my friend, and you must ride it to the best of your ability without becoming completely unhinged.

So besides theoretical knowledge, you might try another means to avoid the tilt and that would be an awareness of your personal triggers or hot buttons that when pushed send you off into the cosmos.

You must have a clear idea of an event to gain any control over it. You must be able to recognize such an event coming on before it hits and brings out the demons in you. Do not go with falling blindly under the spell of the tilt, observe yourself prior to, during and after the event and this insight will help you avoid the sensation of impending doom and can be more easily dealt with.

Now that you have gained clear insight into your triggers and your resulting behavior, you will be able to identify the tilt as it is looming before you and handle it in a more cool and controlled manner.

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It’s not a sexy subject, but we all know how vital bankroll management is to your poker career on this US Poker Site. A great way to help out with managing your roll is to keep records of your play.

Accurate records not only help you keep track of how you’re doing, they also allow you to analyze your game and keep you honest with yourself. We all like to believe that we’re winning players, but that’s not always the case.

Here are a few key categories/stats to keep track of every time you play:

• Overall bankroll (so you never play over your head in games that are too big)
• How long you played
• What game/limit you played
• How much you made (how many big blinds or big bets won per hour)

Keeping records of these basic elements really helps put your game in perspective. Personally, I like to dive in even deeper, so I keep track of my emotions as I play. How you feel when you play and what frame of mind you’re in are vital to the outcome of your session – don’t ignore these factors.

Keep track of things like when you get tired and how long into a session you are when you start to get tired. When you play bad or below your standards and make mistakes with your play, note when they happened and what factors contributed to these mistakes. Whether you admit it or not, poker is a game of emotion; it literally pays to keep track of yours – and hopefully keep them in check.

Keep these records on a daily basis and go back through them each month to analyze your play. Be honest with yourself about what you see. You’re looking for patterns: I lost again while playing this game at this limit for this many hours; I lost again when I played for an hour too long or I won more than normal when I played a shorter session.

If you notice a pattern and see that you’re losing at one particular game or limit, ask yourself: “What am I doing wrong here?” The truth hurts sometimes, but don’t let your ego get in the way of becoming a winning player. When the records show that you’re not doing well, it’s time to move down to a lower limit, reassess your game and start over again.

Seeing these records laid out in front of you allows you to be honest about yourself as a poker player. The numbers never lie, and that’s why it’s so important to keep accurate records of your play.

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