The Science of Tilt

[Sparks]

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From the article:
"Tilt is when a gambler who wants to make the most money he can over the course of a gambling situation employs a wagering strategy other than the highest expected-value pattern of wagering he generally has the ability to adopt for that situation."

This can't be right! Well, it sure SEEMS a poor definition of Tilt, to me anyway. Being on Tilt is a feeling - a very emotional feeling, and it leads to poor play. They are in fact distinct. For example, something happens at the table, and I go on tilt. I suddenly have the urge to call with a hand I normally wouldn't, then dig real real deep, and make my usual fold. Then I go for a walk, knowing I'm on tilt, and knowing I need to calm down before playing again. This is what I do.

So no bad hands played. Was I on tilt?

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No, you weren't. You almost went on tilt, but avoided it by digging "real deep" then leaving the table.

You'd have been on tilt if you'd called, rebought, and stayed playing differently than you usually would to maximize your EV in that game.

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His response to the situation (leaving) could be viewed as tilt because he gave up the expected value he would have enjoyed had he been able to stay and play his normal game.

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Upon review, this is pretty tortured logic cleary seeking to shoehorn my actions into the McCauley definiton of tilt. I WAS on tilt, and specifically because I recognized tilt as an emotional state, I was able to avoid potential bad play. I will be so bold as to say that the McCauley definition is in fact itself, somewhat dangerous. He should have taken the word tilt out of the entire article, and kept it to a discussion of Prospect Theory and how it relates to poker, which is pretty interesting actually.