Hi guys, i'm a 6max player and recently i've been dipping my feet into the HU side of the game and i've run into a few issues. What i want to know from you guys is when you first starting playing HU were you immediately able to remain tiltless and calm when dropping buyins to guys sucking out on you? I'm asking because i'd love to get into HU, but at the moment i'm having a tough time dealing with the frustrations of it all and wondering if i should just stick to 6max or whether it's more of a gradual learning process to be able to deal with the hu suckouts/tilt issues. Any advice would be much appreciated

What i want to know from you guys is when you first starting playing HU were you immediately able to remain tiltless and calm when dropping buyins to guys sucking out on you?

For me, I seem to tilt less when this happens cuz, unless they hit and run, I get to play them more and likely will win it back. At 6 max I'd just steam and simmer while I'd watch the suckout artest donk off my money to someone else and that'd piss me off even more. I like the challenge of improving my play during a match and seeing if I can out play my opponent. Also, if they hit and run, it pisses me off but I'm not as affected like I was at 6 max cuz the game is over, no one is at my table and I make a good quit. I simply make a note not to play that person then move on. It happens a lot and wll happen a lot but I just don't get bothered by it like I did when playing 6 max.

My worst bit of tilt that needs improvement is when I'm sitting on a bunch of bi's and lose it. That's where my game deteriorates the most. I seem to play way better when I donk off a bi or two and then make my comeback. Of course, starting off well and finishing well is always the best, but w/ HU that doesn't always happen.

Another difference for me is that I feel less affected when I lose a bi at hu than I do at 6 max b/c the pace is so quick and stacking someone seems so much closer than it does at 6 max, where it could take a while. I'm also less affected when I have a good hand stacked, b/c often time I'm the one who made the atrocious call at 6 max against 13/10 nit w/ my overpair and it sets me off. HU, I'm just able to move on easier.

Overall, however, I am less affected by tilt at hu b/c of one thing I do better than I ever did at 6max which was quit. Not sure of the exact dymanics of why, but I'm just able to make better quits, in general, whether I'm up, even, or losing.

Ummm, make that 2 things. I used to play 2/4 and 3/6 for my reg game on Bodog. But, since I quit that site (8 mos. breakeven stretch that made me want to give up poker for ever and was caused in large part to tilt) I decided to focus on HU but at a much lower limit, first .5/1 now, 1/2 and am following very strict 100bi BR before movin up. So, I'm playing much lower than what I was used to. I'd recommend that you play a level or 2 lower at hu than your reg game if possible. I'm really not worried about the money, this isn't a job, but I really am focused on playing better and better. knowing my online BR will be relatively unaffected by normal swings makes me less upset when things don't go my way at the tables.

Other benefits to HU that have curbed my tilt:
- When I'm tired (and that could be after an hour or what ever) I'm able to quit b/c most matches don't last that long and it's easier for me to walk away from the computer when i'm not playing anyone.
- I don't feel like I have to grind as many hands or as many tables to make the same amount
- HU is generally never boring and I think I force things (tilt) when nothings happend at 6 max for 30 minutes and I feel like my head is gonna explode! (fyi, generally I played 2/3 tables on bodog and 3/4 when I played 6 max on stars before deciding to switch to HU)
- Seems easier to game select. When I'm up against a good player, not that hard to quit hu. As far as good hu players, there just not as many regs as there are that infest even SSNL and we pretty much just stay out of each other's way. So, seems like I gotta deal less w/ good regs than at 6 max. That said, there are a bunch of bad regs, too, but after a while they won't play me. All in all, it just seems easier to pick and choose who you want to play against.
GL

Another tip-

I have broken 3 $80 mice over the course of the last year from slamming them after taking a bad beat... I can say with the utmost confidence that breaking a mouse after losing a big pot does not help to reduce tilt playing HU. Especially when you lose an extra blind because you end up timing out because you can't click on the screen.

I think JAXWY said it well. (You write long posts)

I definitely agree with starting HU a few levels lower than your usual, even if it means 25nl. HU is a different kind of beast and practice makes perfect. You just don't want to be making more expensive mistakes while learning.

As for tilt, yes at first I would get angry easily, but the more beats I took the more I learned to deal with them well. Like JAXWY said, at 6-max you can wait for an hour to make up your money, but at HU it could be 3 hands away. So losing a couple of BIs is not a big deal if you have an edge on the guy. What is important is that you recognize when you're getting frustrated/making bad plays, and quit. Since the pace of HU is so fast, tilt can really compound fast if things are not going your way. In 10 mins you can end up down 5-6BI without even realizing it as you keep reloading and cursing. ;p

I probably smashed over 30 mouses
It's great. I only buy wireless mouses for about 15$.
They are splitting in a dozen parts on my rommwall.
This way i avoid continuing playing on tilt, which would cost me probably a lot more money.

(get sure there's some paint left for your roomwalls ;-))