Fri, 03/11/2011 – 01:16 – PokerPages Staff

Two poker players who were behind a robbery of a high stakes poker game in Louisville last month have been charged by the police.

34 year-old Ronald Walter and 30 year-old Michael McTier infiltrated the basement of Glenn Ubehlor, who was hosting his weekly game of poker, in Vineleaf Drive on February 17.

The two masked men were accompanied by a third associate as they executed the heist by holding the players at gun point. They seized all valuables before fleeing the scene.

Eric Ivey, one of the regular players, admitted he did not recognize the magnitude of the situation when the three men first entered the basement.

“Thirty minutes into the game, we just look up and I noticed a masked gunman walking into the room. At first I thought it was a joke, but quickly realized that it was not.”

Ivey and Ubehlor both questioned whether it was a random attack or the workings of people they knew. Walter and McTier were both regulars at the home games.

A fourth man had also allegedly tipped off the masked men about the ideal time to enter the basement and steal the money.

Ivey spoke of his relief that the men involved have been charged with eight counts of robbery.

“That was one of the most unfortunate effects of all this. People who would typically be friends were questioning each other’s integrity. So it is a huge relief that we have found who caused this.”

He also admitted that the home games are unlikely to occur in the future as the incident has flagged the possible dangers involved.

“…it makes you realize the inherent dangers of playing at home games. It really does.”

Tue, 02/15/2011 – 00:49 – PokerPages Staff

Tilt is a poker term for mental frustration that disrupts your ability to play your best game.  When a player is on tilt, that player acts according to their frustration level rather than according to rational decision-making.  The beginner poker player must learn to control or eliminate tilt in order to have success.

The most common cause of tilt is a bad beat.  In poker, a bad beat is a term for losing with a strong, favorable hand to an opponent who wins with a weak, inferior hand.  Generally, cards on the board improve the weak player’s hand.
 
Dealing with tilt is an essential aspect of poker.  The beginner player cannot allow emotional frustration interfere with their game play and must always apply their best strategy.

The first step to controlling tilt is to recognize that you are experiencing tilt.  Once a player recognizes that they are on tilt, they can employ strategies to control it. 

The most commonly suggested way to overcome tilt is to understand that success in poker is viewed over the long term, not the short term.  With this view, you can simply disregard uncommon outcomes.  Statistically, losing these hands is a result of variance in the game of poker, not bad strategy.

To learn more, check out PokerSchoolOnline, the best source on the Internet for poker related learning.  Afterwards, why not test those skills by playing free at PokerStars.net.  Also, check out the PokerPages section Poker Information and Poker Articles for more poker betting, tips, bets, and strategies.