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It isn’t something that you’re proud of; the only consolation you have is that no one is immune from it. No matter how good we are and whether we’re playing online or offline, playing penny-ante or serious money – we’ve all gone tilt or have become emotionally unstable at some point in our poker-playing lives.

Maybe you’ve just ended a stress-filled day at the office. Or you’ve just arrived home after a harrowing drive at the NASCAR race track that was once your leisurely drive home. It could be simple boredom – after playing for hours with run-of-the-mill hands, you finally get a truly playable hand – and you accidentally hit the “fold� button instead of the “raise� icon.

No matter the cause, you know what follows: you lose your cool, and start playing emotional, unreasonable, illogical poker rather than the serene, Zen-like game of poker that you’re used to.

It isn’t pretty when tilt happens. At the very least, you risk watching a thinning bankroll. You may lose the friends you’ve been playing poker with every week for the past five years because you just couldn’t help but curse them when you bungled your game. When you come to your senses, you swear on a stack of chips that it won’t happen again – only to find yourself in the same situation at some unexpected moment in time.

Avoiding the Tilt

The only way to avoid the tilt is to stop playing before you begin tilting. At this point, I can see you shaking your head in disagreement. How exactly do you know when you’re on your way to a full tilt drama?

The tilt can begin when you get distracted. It can be subtle, too, for it can be a combination of events, not all of which have something to do with you. It could start with the irritating player across from you who just keeps drawing the good hands, leaving you with the bad ones. It could simply be a bad day at the office that you haven’t shaken off when you’ve logged on to your favorite game site.

Whatever it is, watch out for it. You’ve learned to watch for the warning signs of flu – what’s so different about watching for tilt symptoms?

Quit while You’re Ahead

The moment you start recognizing the symptoms of tilt, quit. There are no ifs and buts about this. Knowing you’re going to tilt will not stop it from happening. Only putting your game to a screeching halt will stop it from worsening.

A tilt is like a migraine. When it starts biting, the best thing to do is find a nice, comfortable corner and let it wear off.

Turn off the computer if you’re playing online or stand up and walk away if you’re playing live. Take a walk, jog around the block, run over to the store and buy some staples. Do something, whatever, until you’re back in control. Don’t take the chance of losing more than you’ve bargained for simply because you think you can tough it out. Believe me, this is easier on your and everybody else’s nerves. Your wallet may even thank you for doing the right thing.

The common knowledge on making money in poker is that you earn money if you win, otherwise you lose; it is as simple as that. While this is true, did you know that highly-skilled poker players still win even when they lose? This may be as ironic as it seems, but it actually is true.

You see, poker is all about a combination of luck and playing it smart and you probably heard this countless times before. What is probably new to you is that these extraordinary poker players actually learn to make their own good luck. To understand this better, compare an amateur from a professional poker player.

Amateur versus the professional

Pros earn at every single hand because unlike amateurs, they have learned the art of folding when they have a really bad hand. Moreover, they still win even if other players have stringer hands. Not to mention, these players make the raise when they have the best hand. The secret behind all these skills is their discipline in playing their cards. They also know to size up their opponents and they play with the betting tendencies of the other players in mind.

This is not all. Professional players also differ from amateurs with the strategy they employ in maximizing their chips. These players keep a low profile when they need to and they go all out when they are sure to win. While there is no assurance in the game of poker, the experienced player has a analytical skills of the percentage of loss / win of the cards they’re betting. They take calculated risks and they are able to maximize profits.

These players experience their own share of bad luck just like the amateurs. However, they know that in as much as poker is a game of chance, it is also a game of smarts. Thus, even in situations where luck seems to have left these players, they choose to be patient. They are conservative with their bets and in turn this allows them to have enough chips to risk on betting when their luck turns up.

Furthermore, they also know how to manipulate the other players into thinking they have better hands when they don’t have anything. Thus, they end up with the pot. So you see luck alone cannot win you a poker match. Professionals take this game to a whole new different level where they are able to make this as a lifestyle and a career.

Acting the professional

Making money in poker is playing the game like a true professional. You make your own luck when there is none. You also try to play it smarter than your competition. By trying to play like a professional, you minimize your mistakes and you actually get to improve your poker skills.

Sure, you will make a mot of mistakes and you really won’t turn into a professional overnight. However, you now know the tricks of the trade and all you have to do is make them into a habit. Before you know it, you have actually become one—a professional poker player who has mastered the art of making money in poker.