Are you on tilt? How about NOW? How about NOW?!

There are a number of things, as I've gotten older, that I no longer do. For example I no longer ask the question "How could it get any worse?" because I've found there is always a way it can...

I have written articles on tilt and avoiding tilt on http://www.lowlimitholdem.com/ and just when I think I have it licked I am doing just terrible things to my mouse, beating it against my desk and yelling (for the neighbors to surely hear) "No f*&%*ing WAY!" as my opponent makes a one out suckout for a 17 BB pot (the hand in question can be found here). Of course other beats come and sometimes they come in succession very quickly. Flopping two pair is about 49:1 against, but if you're up against the big blind with pocket queens and they have 7 4 suited then it's closer to 50:50.

The longer I play the more I understand why poker players don't want to hear other people's bad beat stories and yet insist on telling their own, and yes I'm telling my own and you as a poker player don't want to hear it. I know, I know...

The point, though, is not the bad beats but the tilt that comes from them that has really damaged my game and win rate over time. I have gotten better at taking beats but I am still prone to tilt when they seem to keep coming and coming and coming. The reality is that if I want to really maximize my poker game I have to get past it and it really really is a challenge.

My last beat was my KK vs KT small blind vs big blind when my opponent caught two tens. Just to type it it doesn't sound all that bad but it sure sucked at the time; so I left the games for a few hours and now I am back, and this time I will keep it together longer than the last time.

What more could you ask?