Playing LAG and Maintaining Control of Emotions

[JohnnyBgood4]

No major theory or anything here: I'm just curious if others have gone through something similar when learning to play cash.

I come primarily from a STT background, which many of you will know entails playing a nearly rock solid style of TAG poker. I played too tight when I first switched to cash but have quickly been changing my game and my style as I've watched videos, read various forums, and received coaching.

While playing more and more hands and learning to manipulate opponents based on my image is really fun, I sometimes end up getting way too emotionally involved in situations and end up trapping and/or tilting myself and making bad decisions and spewing. Contributing to the problem might also be that playing a looser style tends to make your results swing more wildly, which can also cause negative emotional responses until you get used to it.

(For example: when I first started with cash--playing a tight style--if I lost more than about two buy-ins starting a session my head would a-splode. Playing a looser style you realize a couple of buy-ins either way is a minor blip.)

Since I realize this is an issue I can start to take steps to monitor and control my emotions. Right now when I realize I'm getting too emotionally involved I need to take a break because if I don't spewage is imminent.

I'm wondering, have any of you had similar experiences learning to play cash? Did you take any steps to address the issue or was simply recognizing the problem exists enough to keep it in check?

I would love to be able to detach myself, not only from results but from all the confrontations that exist in poker, and just play every hand "hand-for-hand" without being tainted by emotions.

[etown]

Im having a hard time understanding what you mean by being getting emotionally inolved. I had a similar transition when opening up my game in terms of getting used the the larger swings. But how are you getting so emotionally involved, poker imo is not a place for emotions. It will only clog your judgement. Im curious if the emotional involvement is a result from the your relation to the money your playing with. I guess i remember when i lost 4 buyins in the micros it would make me steem. And now losing 6 in the mids just makes me analyze my play but not got emotionally upset. Ive learned to really distant my self from the money and just look at everything as chips and bets.
I think cutting your sessions short is a good step and also multitabing less. If your like a lot of us you probably started multi tabling before you even ever played a few thousand hands one tabling. When you one table you can be happy with all your decisions and grow the confidence in your game. As your confidence grows i think you can take your emotions away from the table because you can be upset after a sessoin with the results(if you got unlucky), but you will know your plays were correct.

[JohnnyBgood4]

Im having a hard time understanding what you mean by being getting emotionally inolved.

What I mean is getting caught up in a testosterone war and making bad decisions because sometimes I think people are playing back at me just because I'm raising more hands than most.

I think sometimes instead of logically thinking about how (or if) a particular player might be adjusting his range to counter my aggression, and therefore what I should do in a particular spot, I just get kinda too wrapped up emotionally in the confrontation and shove in a dumb spot or something else equally spew tardish.

Maybe its just a flavor of plain old tilt but I didn't seem to be as prone to it playing STT's. I mean I got pissed off when I had really bad losing sessions or long stretches with bad results, but I don't remember being so steamed while actually at the tables.

My max tables is 4 and I often play only 1 or 2 when I'm working on concepts or playing a higher level so I don't think that's an issue.

I control it much better now than a few months ago but its probably still my biggest impediment to improving.

[Losingdonkey]

I actually completely understand where you're coming from. Changing games and stakes can be a trigger when have a history of being prone to tilt. Try taking shots at NLcash, and when you feel like you're going to tilt, just quit out. Playing while tilting is obviously massively counter-productive. Take a break and read up as much as you can on tilt and discipline. It takes time to completely overcome, but patience is the key here.