Trading Tilt

Definition: Tilt is a state of emotional dysregulation in which a trader's decisions are increasingly driven by emotion rather than analysis. The term originates in poker, where it describes a player who abandons strategy after a bad beat. In trading, tilt typically follows a losing streak and is characterized by escalating behavior.

Signs of Tilt

• Trade frequency increases significantly within a session
• Position sizes grow with each subsequent trade
• Stop losses are removed or widened
• Trades are taken with progressively less confluence
• The trader is aware something is wrong but continues anyway

Tilt vs. Revenge Trading

Revenge trading is a single emotional response to a single loss. Tilt is a sustained state that can persist for an entire session. Revenge trading often triggers tilt. Tilt amplifies every subsequent trading decision until the session is ended — by choice or by the daily limit.

How TradeBrake Handles It

TradeBrake's tilt detection monitors trade frequency relative to the trader's personal baseline, lot size escalation across consecutive trades, and the correlation between increasing drawdown and increasing frequency. When the tilt score crosses the threshold, a session cooldown is activated directly inside your trading platform.

Related Terms

• Revenge Trading
• Overtrading
• Daily Loss Limit