Learn your tilt signals
Going on tilt is the number one way to lose money quickly. It happens to all of us and becoming self-aware will help save your bankroll.
Wow, Ben. Great advice. Don’t go on tilt, you say? Groundbreaking stuff.
It may seem like the most obvious gambling advice imaginable, but sometimes hearing it can vault a person into a state of self-awareness with regards to tilting. It’s beneficial to hear this advice constantly from outside sources and the little voice in your head.
I skipped out on writing an article last week because I could feel myself itching to write something. The only problem was… I didn’t have anything to say. I could have pieced together a garbage article about welcome bonuses or risk-free bets or something but I didn’t want to throw some low-value paragraphs out to you all. I realized I was about to go on tilt — writing tilt.
For those of you who don’t know, “tilt” is a term used in the gambling world when a person loses their senses and starts to bet recklessly. He abandons his model, strategy, bankroll management system, etc. because he feels a need to get more action down and win at a fast rate. Bettors can get into this danger zone fairly easily after a bad beat or sportsbook settlement error or a million other reasons. It’s absolutely key to recognize when you’ve been set off and back away from the table or sportsbook app immediately. This clip from the movie Molly’s Game does a good job of illustrating what can happen when a bettor goes “full tilt”:
This isn’t a rookie mistake, either. This is something every bettor goes through. The good thing is tilt is treatable. You can’t prevent going on tilt but you can learn your warning signs. Did you have a physiological reaction to a bad beat? Do you feel the need to have action because a big college football slate is starting in 15 minutes? Is your heart beating faster than normal? Have you placed an unusually large number of bets in a short amount of time? When you start to feel yourself entering this mode you need to literally tell yourself “I’m starting to tilt”. Doing this will make you realize any further bets you make are dangerous.
In fact, if you’re placing bets and even think of the word “tilt” you should cancel the wager and take a few hours to reassess. It’s way better to miss a few games than to throw money at -EV plays.
A group can help mitigate each other’s tilting as well. If you have a community of bettors you frequently engage with take notice of your buddy who has placed 10 NFL bets as opposed to his normal 3. It’s totally okay to say “hey man, noticed you got a lot riding today, just wanna make sure you’re not on tilt”. It’s certainly something he’ll appreciate whether the answer is yes or no.
You can also, and this might sounds a bit strange, go on tilt while you’re winning. This might not sound like it but it’s just as dangerous as tilting when you’re losing. If your betting model has been on a hot streak (hell yeah brother) it’s SUPER easy to say “I’m playing with house money” and increase your stakes. Now that you have a little extra cash in the tank you might start placing riskier bets than you normally would. You might feel like you’ve got some slack to get more action down and all of a sudden you’ve abandoned the system that won you the money in the first place. When you’re up, make sure you’re still making good bets.
The danger in tilting when you’re up is pretty straightforward: it’s very easy to lose your winnings and enter the red. Now you’re chasing the money you lost and digging yourself into an even deeper hole. When you’re up, stay up. If you lose your winnings make sure it happens as a result of some poor outcomes on +EV plays. Don’t get loose with your money just because you have a little bit extra of it.
So that’s why I didn’t write an article last week. I didn’t have much to say, but instead of forcing out an article I was able to take a step back, think about the consequences of not writing an article (there were none), and wait for the right time to send the next newsletter out.
Now I’m feeling rejuvenated and am pumped to enjoy a nice week of betting with you all.
That’s all from me this weekend! Full newsletter coming this week. Stay tuned!