Tag Archives: tilt

Poker is Gambling!

September 26, 2018   Game type   No comments

Poker is Gambling!

According to Wikipedia, following is the definition of gambling:

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value (referred to as “the stakes”) on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period.

Online poker was interpreted by the US government tp be gambling and thus was incorporated into the Unlawful Internet Gaming Act of 2006 (added on at the last minute to the Port Security bill… so any Congressman or Senator would have to vote against keeping our Ports safe in order to keep online poker legal… didn’t happen)

The bill, as defined by most experts, did not actually make the act of online gambling an illegal act, but rather made it illegal for the financial institutions and payment processors to facilitate the act of online gambling. This caused many online poker sites to find apparently illegal ways to have players fund their poker accounts and illegal ways to pay funds to players upon their withdrawals.
April 11, 2011 was Black Friday for online poker players such as myself.  Executives at the 3 major online poker sites of Poker Stars, Full Tilt, and Ultimate Bet/Absolute Poker were indicted on primarily money laundering and wire fraud charges and online poker came to a crashing halt for residents of the United States.
To date (August 24, 2011) Full Tilt Poker has not refunded money that was in player accounts ( A good friend of mine has $50,000 tied up in Full Tilt, and this figure in miniscule compared to many other players). Full Tilt has insisted all along that they will make good on refunding player funds, but it hasn’t happened yet and only time will tell. Full Tilt’s license is now shut down by the gaming commission which regulates it, so they now owe the world’s players funds along with US residents.
Poker Stars quickly returned player funds to US residents and now continue to be a leading online poker site for the rest of the world.
Ultimate Bet/Absolute Poker has completely shut down and hopes of their player funds ever being returned to players appears futile.
Since then, the US government has shut down several other smaller poker sites.
Now that is a quick rundown of the thrashing online poker players have took since Black Friday, April 15th, 2011 through today, August 24th, 2011.
I will not argue as to whether or not poker is gambling. By the Wikipedia definition, it can only be interpreted as gambling. However, by the same definition, here are some other gambling activities:
Starting a Business
Buying a House
Investing in the Stock Market

As far as the short term aspect of the definition: Poker has daily ups and downs. Business has daily ups and downs. The Stock Market has daily ups and downs. The daily ups and downs of poker  are often less than the swings in these other gambling activities.
People who know what they are doing in business make money, people who don’t lose money. People who know what they are doing in the stock market make money, people who don’t lose money. People who know what they are doing in real estate make money, people who don’t lose money. People who know how to play poker make money, people who don’t lose money.

Skeptical?

I challenge any other of these gambling avenues to show me a track record more predictable and consistent than my track record of over 25,000 online tournaments:

Sharkscope.com –  chicubbies07 (Full Tilt Poker), deuceflopalo (Poker Stars)
Officialpokerrankings.com – chicubbies07 (Full Tilt Poker), deuceflopalo (Poker Stars), muckitforme (Party Poker)

In conclusion, poker is gambling, but (like it or not) the right to gamble with our own money is what has created the American Dream!

And yes… there were some losers along the way.

Henry Ford knew how to make cars. I know how to play poker. Can I have my company back?

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Playing on Tilt (Page 1 of 2)

August 26, 2018   Game guide   No comments

A player goes on tilt when his or her emotions take over. A player on tilt no longer plays rationally and instead plays like a maniac. Often, the player just suffered a terrible set back and is very irritated. A player on tilt often loses a lot of money, money he cannot afford to lose. However, even the best players go on tilt at times.

If you are like me, you have experienced poker tilt and the purpose of this article to help you learn the cause, consequence and the cure for tilt.

Causes of Playing on Tilt

1. Overly Tired. Exhaustion is one of the best recipes for tilt. When you are tired, your decision-making will fall off and you become prime candidate for making mistakes. If you are constantly yawning, you have heavy eyes, and having a hard time staying awake, it is time to stop!

2. Cold Cards. Poker players often experience a wave of frustration from catching cold cards. You need to maintain a calm approach or take a walk because players who face poker frustration tend to push the action more. Will often play hands out of position and chase cards.

3. Suck Outs. Suck outs and bad beats are the MAJOR CAUSE of tilt. By “suck outs,” I mean a BIG POT that you COULD have won… Then again, even perhaps OUGHT TO have won… but you did not because another player caught a “miracle card” on Fifth Street. For some reason, poker players can always dredge up their FAILURES, but never remember their ACCOMPLISHMENTS at the poker table.

4. Abusive Opponents. Don’t allow other players to put you on tilt with their sarcastic attitude and foul mouthed words. In the brick and mortar venues, poker etiquette is the rule of law among professional poker players. However, playing online, you have the advantage of hiding behind a computer screen. That secrecy allows people to get away with poor behavior that he would not get away with in real life. It is common to find players online who will cut loose a heavy flow of racial insults, curse words, and harassing statements. The best way to handle those players is to mute them.

5. Problems at Home. Usually when bad things are happening to you, it tends to affect your play at the tables. If you are fighting with your wife or you just lost your job stay away from the poker table. POKER and PROBLEMS do not mix. Do not look at poker as a way to escape from your problems, because if you are running from your problems you will only find them magnified at the POKER TABLE.

Consequences of Playing on Tilt

1. Tilt Distresses the Mind. Tilt is an emotional condition, which affects the way you think and behave. As much as we would like to believe we could ISOLATE our emotions from our thinking, we cannot. The truth is our emotions are MORE POWERFUL than logic or reasoning. When on tilt, you will start playing in a way that JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.

  • * You might call bets you should not.
  • * You might allow a personal feud to cloud or dominate your judgment.
  • * You are likely to try too hard to get even.
  • * You might play in games you cannot win. Players playing on tilt play more aggressively because their trying to catch up.
  • * There is a universal poker rule: GAINS COME SLOWLY. LOSSES COME QUICKLY. It can take three hours to win a hundred dollars but only THREE SECONDS to lose it all. Texas Holdem strategy is all about playing smart and keeping the odds in your favor. A player on tilt is hoping to catch a MIRACLE HAND like quads or a full house. The problem is… the ODDS do not work like that. You cannot SUDDENLY win what was lost in the previous hand.

2. Tilt Distorts the Perception. A pre-flop raise of 1,000 chips no longer looks “big” after you have just lost 10,000. Therefore, you decide to call the raise with your K 2 offsuit… because TILT has you by the balls. Accept the outcome of every hand and then forget about it and move onto the next hand.

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