Anyone gotten to this point?

First I need to preface this by saying that I havn't played much poker in the last 6 months or so. I have played some though (just so I keep some semblance of poker skill alive), and I've played a bit this past week more specifically.

I can say in the last year or so, I really havn't been affected by bad beats at all. I don't get that sudden rush of adrenaline and hot headedness that I used to. This applies both to poker (when running bad) and other everyday occurrences like a jackass cutting me off on the road, someone having 'words' with me at the bar, whatever.

I think that I've just played so many hands these last few years that it usually doesn't affect me anymore. To be honest, I find that playing tired or bored affects my play a lot more than what would traditionally be defined as 'tilting'.

I'm even a little worried that my body is becoming somewhat 'numb' to what is supposed to be the fight or flight response in a genuinely hostile situation.

Anybody else know where I'm coming from?

It's possible that you are starting to realize when you actually need to be in a fight or flight response. Your scale may have tipped prematurely before, where as with experience you are realizing the unnecessary effort that it required to go on alert or tilt so quickly.

Anyone that has taken martial arts will tell you that the whole adrenaline rush comes so much farther into a situation than when they never practiced any discipline. I for one do not feel a rush until situations are diffused and I have time to think. I am not talking about just fights or arguments, but even everyday incidents like when driving.

This may be why I have a sort of reverse tilt. I tend to realize far to late that I am playing poorly, because I do not get angry or upset. I tend to pull back and be too relaxed about losing several buy ins and it only seems to bother me after the session or even a few bad sessions becasue I come to realize I had been playing bad, tired or rushed. This upsets me enough to fix it.

AS jyms already mentioned, it comes with experience. The more hands I played the less did I "think", I just reacted. Button, Pocket Pair, Race, etc.

Same thing I experienced on my way home from work. I drive this without thinking because I know it by hard. The same thing works with poker. Ypu have been in so many situations, have seen so many hands etc. It's becoming natural to you.

AS jyms already mentioned, it comes with experience. The more hands I played the less did I "think", I just reacted. Button, Pocket Pair, Race, etc.

Same thing I experienced on my way home from work. I drive this without thinking because I know it by hard. The same thing works with poker. Ypu have been in so many situations, have seen so many hands etc. It's becoming natural to you.

de-sensitized... I think they call it.

i had a similar realization when i was playing every day a couple years ago. if i hit a huge draw or flopped the nuts, i would no longer feel that rush of adrenaline, instead focusing on how to maximize the pot... like a true shark... but i also no longer got any pleasure out of playing. it just became a grind. now, i play very infrequently and find myself shaking and flushing when i hit a big hand... i know this is worse in terms of tells, but i get a lot more thrill out of playing... and in the fishy low stakes games i play in, tells don't matter anyway.