|
OP, this has probably been stressed enough in the general online poker community...well...in the general poker community but moreso online I would say, and that is the importance of a balanced life. Moreso online I say, because well, you're in front of a screen, hours on end, not moving, not socializing, barely any sensations besides really, really annoying beeps (thank you party), and listening to yourself think a mile a minute about the hand and everything else going on in your life.
The fact that you have the time to sit there, and do nothing but think about and play online poker to get back losses etc when you're on "tilt" is both cause and effect. I've really, really realized that achieving overall success in this profession is so entirely dependant on what type of person you are...what type of life it takes for you to be successful at it and everything that goes along with it is purely a function of your emotional tendencies. The life you need to live to encounter more of the successes and less of the failures and negatives that can come with it, will vary considerably from one person to the next.
You know yourself, you know what you can handle/can't. You know how you feel when, after how long, the precursors etc etc. The way you described your original post, it was very much an addict venting about his vertigo, sorry to say. Seperate yourself from this and look at yourself through the 3rd person. Really sit down, jot down the times when you do great, the times that you don't, and all the factors surrounding both. Create a life situation for yourself that maximizes the first and limits the second.
This will definately bring about a huge amount of change. Of course, it's not a substitute for working on yourself as well to also lessen your susceptibility and reactions to this form of "tilting". I really am not trying to turn this into some Zig Ziglar pseudo-propagandish "be the best you" hogwash. I know where you're coming from, I'm sure most online poker players do. I've found from my experiences, that thinking about it all in this way, separating yourself and looking at both your poker situation and yourself in the 3rd person, and really analyzing what it'll take to merge them in the most efficient, positive, succesful way with the least potential for "tilt" is huge.
If you're in school, focus on studies and keep poker as a secondary with primary results. If you have a part time job or volunteer where you get to socialize more etc, sports, get those frontal lobes pumping so you don't simply fall prey to all that's subcortical, emotional, and controlling. Basically, don't think of poker as your life, there are too many other things to enjoy, fall asleep while thinking about/doing them/her *cough etc.
I guess to sum, "tilting" on the tables is very much a function of a "tiltful" existence. Getting too caught up in poker + innate emotional tendencies=getting caught up at the table. Spread your life out more, you lose a buyin or two, +ev or not, it simply can't effect you as much when your emotions, thoughts and time are spread out much thinner.
Good luck to you.
|
Linear Mode
