Why do they get to me sometimes and not others?

[Kasrielle]

I've only been playing poker for about a year and I'm the first to admit that I'm average at best. (Ok - compared to 2+2ers I suck big time, compared to everybody else I'm low average...) But I'm trying to study the game - both the math and the psychology - and am working hard at improving my play. And I'm really trying to concentrate on making every decision be the best I can, so even if I'm beat I can feel ok about the way I played the hand. And I'm finding that this attitude generally helps me to avoid major tilt.

But sometimes...

So tonight I was playing in a $1 18 player S&G, and doing ok. We get mid way through, down to the final table, and a player that had been quiet up to now starts bluffing big time. He's coming over the top of my raises, and going all in. The first time this happened I had TPTK, he had position, and I wasn't going to call off my stack so I folded. He showed the bluff, called me a donk, and generally acted like a douche. He reminded me of that horrible kid at the WSOP ME - Eric something? - the one who had the nerve to call Jamie Gold an ass, and kept getting time penelties for saying the F word... That Eric kid made me crazy, and this guy did, too.

Maybe it's because I'm probably old enough to be his mother, but his lousy winning attitude sent me round the bend. I felt incredibly disrespected and just went crazy. Ended up blowing most of my stack, but got a run of good cards and built back up to over 5000 from under 400 - once or twice doubling up through him.

Now he's on a mission to make me crazy (or maybe he was just really good at making me feel that way...) He's showing bluff after bluff and now is way out in front - which upsets me more because I don't think he deserves is because he is acting so horrible. So now I'm really tilting.

Finally he and I were in a pot - flop came and we both checked - I made a set on the turn. I raised, he reraised, I'm convinced he was trying once again to rob me blind, and go AI. He insticalled - had preflop trash but made a well disguised straight and busted me.

Getting busted was a ton worse because it was him, and because he laughed and cat called and continued to tell me what a terrible player I am. I wanted to throw the monitor through the wall.

Ok - so I know that clearly the biggest emotional leak in my game is dealing with a bad winner. And I know the easiest fix is to turn off chat. But I enjoy the small talk that happens sometimes - saying nice hand - being polite and saying TY if somebody compliments my play.

Does anyone else get steamed by a bad winner? What is it about them? And what advice can you give a 47 year old woman on how to deal with rude kids? Am I expecting too much?