Steam (poker)

Steam is a poker term for a state of anger, mental confusion, or frustration in which a player adopts a suboptimal strategy, usually resulting in poor play and poor performance. This term is closely associated with tilt and some consider the terms equivalent, but 'steam' typically carries more anger and intensity. [ [http://www.answers.com/topic/steam Steam definition] ]

Steaming an opponent (angering them) or dealing with being steamed oneself is an important aspects of poker. Steam is a relatively frequent occurrence, due to frustration, animosity against other players, or simple bad luck. Experienced players recommend learning to recognize that one is approaching steam and avoid it, not allowing it to influence one’s play.

The origin of the word "steam" is a reference to boilers building a head of steam that must either vent or explode, the latter being a dangerous situation.

Being “on steam”

A common way to become steamed is by losing, often the victim of a bad loss or being defeated in a particularly public and humiliating way.

For example:
# Folding to a large bet only to have your opponent turn over a horrible hand (being shown a bluff).
# Being bluffed by a small bet (a post oak bluff).
# Having an opponent “suck out,” or catch a miracle card late in the hand (an unlikely out-draw).
# Having what you think is a dominating hand defeated by an unexpected more powerful hand.
# Standing up to an overly aggressive player who plays nearly every pot but encountering a big hand.
# Having an all-in showdown with a strongly superior hand preflop and losing.

These can upset the mental equilibrium essential for optimal poker judgment. Another common way to become steamed is from bad behavior of the others at the poker table. Excessive rudeness (or lewdness) and otherwise poor table etiquette are ways that players can wear on nerves.

Advice when steamed

For the beginning player, the elimination or minimization of steam is considered to be an essential improvement that can be made in play (for instance in the strategic advice of Mike Caro and especially, Lou Krieger). Many advanced players (after logging thousands of table-hours) claim to have outgrown “steam” and frustration, although other poker professionals admit it is still a “leak” in their game.

A commonly suggested way to fight steam is to disregard the outcomes of pots, particularly those that are statistically uncommon. So-called “bad beats”, when one puts a lot of chips in the pot with the best hand and still loses, deserve little thought at all as they are the product of variance, not bad strategy. This mindset calls for the player to understand poker is a game of decisions and correct play in making the right bets over a long period of time.

Another method for avoiding steam is to try lowering one’s variance, even if that means winning fewer chips overall. Therefore, one may play passively and fold marginal hands, even though that may mean folding the winning hand. This may also imply that one plays tightly— and looks for advantageous situations.

Once steamed, players are well-advised to leave the table and return when emotions have subsided. When away from the table, players are advised to take time to refresh themselves, eat and drink (non-alcoholic) if necessary, and take a break outside in the fresh air.

If none of these work in lessening steam, players are advised to leave the game and not return to playing until they have shaken off the results that led to being steamed.

The intent of the advice is to prevent the upset person from letting negative emotions lead to bigger losses that can seriously hurt one’s bankroll.

Steaming others

The act of steaming opponents may not pay off in the short run, but if some time is put into practicing it, a player can quickly become an expert at “steaming” other players (with or without bad manners). In theory, the long-run payoff of this tactic is a monetarily positive expectation.

Common methods of steaming others include:
# Playing junk hands that have a slight chance of winning in the hope of sucking out on the turn or and delivering a bad loss (which can be an enjoyable occasional style which will make the table’s play “looser”.)
# Victimizing individuals at the table, (which is often considered a more old-fashioned tactic, identified with 1970s “verbal” experts such as Amarillo Slim.)
# Pretending intoxication, i.e., hustling, excellently demonstrated by Paul Newman against Robert Shaw in "The Sting" (although his technique included cheating).
# Constant chattering, making weird noises, and motions whenever you win a hand, or other erratic behavior is a “steaming” or “loosening” approach first discussed by Mike Caro.
# Taking an inordinate or otherwise inappropriate amount of time to announce and show your hand (also called "slow-rolling") at the showdown. (Such deliberate breaches of etiquette have the side effect of slowing play and risking barring, thereby limiting the earnings of the expert player. For this, and other social reasons, such tactics are mostly associated with novices.)

These antics can upset the other players at the table with the intention of getting them to play poorly.