A whole new world born from playing on TILT

I remember reading an article on Neil Channing shortly after his Irish Open win where he stated that until he understood the importance of position his game hadn't advanced.

Well playing on tilt (not the website but the emotion of playing out of control and out of anger) has had a similarly enlightening effect.

Now I am normally so controlled when I play I liked to think that I was immune to tilt. However this time, after I had ground out to the bubble only to get in ahead (my opponent only having 3 outs for the win) 5 games in a row only to lose by their luck sent me raging. " @##!! That's it !! ... whats the point of playing with skill to have a @?#! draw out to beat you ... aaarrrgghhhhh!!!!" and words to that effect. I had seen red and knew I should have stopped playing but it was Friday night, I was having a drink and it was time to hit another SnG .... and raise ... raISE... RAISE!!!!!!

I started in a completely out of control fashion, starting UTG with K3 I raised for it to be called by the button only ... my continuation bet took the pot! Next hand in the BB I re raised all the pre flop callers to take the pot without a flop. I continued to raise hard, with anything in and out of position. I was still folding to resistance and getting lucky with a few calls and bets but didn't let it deter me from raising the next hand. I honestly entered every pot but not without raising and I won the thing.

My steam was starting to cool down with the win but I was still drinking and the aggression continued. I cashed in 9 out of 13 ten man STT.

I went to bed a little worse for wear but happy that I had showed them!

It wasn't until the next morning I started to think about what had just happened!

Normally TILT is seen as a negative thing and I wonder if I was truly playing on TILT. Was I just playing well but angrily ... was I playing better? I wasn't throwing my chips away, I was using them with aggression, but loose aggression. I also realised it had led to me having to outplay people post flop with the worst hand.

For the following week I tried out a whole new game plan, I was going to play with refined anger (but only on small buy in tables!) and it is working.

I am developing a way of playing that is sitting well with my personality but is a mile away from where I was at previously and it seems to be working. Admittedly I need to play on the higher levels, so far it is only being tested on up to $22 buy in tournaments, but I do feel like I have just discovered I can play real poker. Last night I finished 5th out of 294 players in a tournament I had qualified for on TITAN poker.

So TILT has been my friend this time .... but I must not let it affect me again??

Until next time

Keep it Tight.