Hard way to make an easy living

As "promised", here goes the article. A lot of questions go into all forums of this, especially from beginning players so I think this will serve as many answers to those players.

Managing the highs and lows

You wake up in the morning, let out a yawn. Sun is already shining and you take a shower. Birds are singing and life is good. Nothing could ruin your day and what would be better than taking a couple of hours to play some poker before heading to the beach. Life's good! Or is it.
You enter a table and get ravaged and even though you play perfectly, you take a swift hit. After that, you have a little trouble picking up the pace, you want to get up. Bit by bit, you get into the mode of wanting to "win it back". Soon you'll notice that the sun has set, it is dark and you're stuck 10 buy-ins.
Sound familiar? I can confidently say that I'm one of the pro-tilters in poker and mental state has a huge impact in my game. Lately though, I've managed to get to a point where it's not so much about the beats and such anymore. So how do you manage these high's and low's then?
Many things can set off a tilt. Many people seem to think that tilt is some rage that makes you go all-in every hand, like some good players have done (Say... B_Buddy is famous for this). That's not the case, it might be something smaller, spewing off chips here and there. It all adds up.
In the early days of my play, I was a bad beat maniac - each time I got a bad beat, I posted it in the forums and was crying and whining for ages. More recently I've learned that it's not the bad beats that matter, it's really all about bad plays. And thus nowadays I tilt more because of bad plays and not bad beats. But no matter what your trigger is, you have to be able to manage it.
Most people underestimate the impact of their personal life and state of mind into their game. It is very important to take care of these things and play when you're in the brightest of minds. So let's go into more specific ways to keep your mind clear.

Rule 1: Don't play tired.
And yet, you often feel like doing so. When your tired, your decision making isn't as sharp as it should be and you might end up doing sloppy decisions that cost you money.

Rule 2: Don't play long sessions while you're losing.
No matter what people say, most have the problem of not being able to quit while they're down. The more they play, the more they think it doesn't affect their game and the more they end up losing. For me, this was a problem for the longest time (just recently realized that losing sessions were my longest sessions). If you feel you're losing and not playing to make good decisions but rather to get even - just quit right away. There will be another day.
Although it doesn't always feel that way, you should also play longer sessions while you're winning. Sometimes you might feel you'd want to quit while you're up and it's true that you should the moment you start fearing you'll lose the amount you've won, but let not a doubt be in your mind. Know that you're winning and it doesn't matter if bad beat destroys part of (or all) your winnings. Just keep your good decision making shoes on.

Rule 3: Take a break after a very bad day.
Ironically enough, the next day after a huge losing day can often be (At some point) the time when you want to go play the most. Don't. This is for sure, one of the most important concepts of tilt management. You're still in the mood from last day's losses, thinking that you're probably running bad or whatever. You still want to get even and you still cloud your judgement by the bad streak you had the day before. Take a day off and you'll notice that the burning desire to play fades away by the next day and you'll be back to your good game again.

Rule 4: Eat healthy and steady.
Now this has a lot to do with keeping a clear mind. If you eat a huge meal, you'll go into a slower state of mind, which kinda is nature's normal response to when you've satisfied one of your basic needs. Keeping up a steady stream of nutrition, never overdoing it can help you sustain your stamina at the tables a lot better without having impact on your judgement. Eating healthy makes your mind work more clearly overall too.

Rule 5: Stay fit.
Although this is something I've somewhat managed to avoid a bit too much, it's very important to also exercise. Healthy body in a healthy mind and vice versa. Going to the gym after a bad session can also help get rid of the bad feelings as you can take it out on something or you can just go take a refreshing walk.

Rule 6: Take breaks when you need them.
It is not healthy to play 16 hours in a row. I've done it and I know of some people who can do it and still do well, but that's definitely not the case with most people. Take your breaks, to keep your state of mind as sharp as possible. Playing overly long sessions can eventually cause you play like a robot and thus, make you easier to read, maybe add some other leaks to your game as well.
It is also occasionally good to take some time off, even if you're winning. And to take off whole days every now and then to avoid "overdoing it", is definitely healthy.

Rule 7: "Morning Sickness"
I do not know if this is the case with all people, but I think many players underestimate the tiredness in the mornings. Don't go to the tables before having your morning coffee and preferably doing something else first (besides eating breakfast - it's the most important meal of the day you know). The early sessions can cause you to go down in 500mph vertical dive and then you'll end up spending the day, trying to win it back.

Rule 8: Only play when you feel like it.
There's no reason to play when you don't feel like playing - no matter what the reason is. You have to be concentrated to avoid making bad decisions and to capitalize on your opponents ones. Also Barry Greenstein suggests that having sex before the game is good for you since it releases anxiety and stress and makes you feel relaxed. It has been shown though that watching porn while playing can devastate your bankroll!

Rule 9: Work on your game.
Although this is not that directly related to tilt management, I still think it's an essential thing to mention. Most players, especially new ones only concentrate on improving their game while they're losing as the normal reaction of a human mind is that you must be doing something wrong when you're losing. But poker is a sick sport and there you can play perfect and still lose or play like shit and still win. What separates great players from the marginal winners is their ability to concentrate and improve their game also when they are winning. So you should also review the winning sessions so that you won't go blame tilt or bad play only when you're losing, you could be doing mistakes in the winning days too.

Rule 10: Don't let your ego get in the game.
This can often be a problem (to some people naturally or) after a big win. If you have huge winning session, you might end up going to the next day with the mentality of being invincible. You might soon be shown that's not the case and you end up beating yourself up with a large mallet, trying to pound some sense into your head. "How could I lose one week worth of winnings in one day?!", that's how. This is also related to rule number 9 - also work on your game while winning. Nobody plays perfect poker and although people generally play better when they're winnings, they still make mistakes. To identify those mistakes at the time will definitely help you improve your game.

So there were 10 rules to follow to avoid and manage your bad days as well as the good ones. Don't overdo it, it's often good to take a day break after a loong loong grind session the last day - even if you didn't lose. Work on your game on the good days and work on your game on the bad days and shrug all result orientation from your mind. Never let your ego to interfere and never underestimate your opponents.

I guess that's it for this time, I hope you took something out of it.

Cheers!~ <3