Tournament VS. Cash

Velvet Alley

I was flipping through Doyle's new book and there was a section saying " Only a few players can be successful at both cash games and tournament". This got me thinking how true that was for me. I am a consistant winner of multi table tournaments and sit and go's, but I have huge swings in cash games. Thats how my on-line account stays active for me I win a tournament and blow it on the cash games. ( keep in mind I'm talking about NL Hold'em)

Anyone out there consider themselves a all around consistant player, or do you fall into one of the others?

DrTyore

Velvet Alley

I'm much the same as you... I fund my cash game lessons with tournament competancy. Though I have had cash games go VERY well for me also.

Mark

drunk7daysaweek

I'm the opposite, I find myself making most of my money on cash games and not faring so well at sng's

QueenNine

I usually just do tournaments, until recently. The past 2 weeks I have been bubble boy in almost every single touny I enter. It is getting so frustrating. Today for instance, I entered 3 10+1 tournys, each with 130+ players, top 20 get paid. Guess what? I finished 21st in all 3! I can't seem to get my finishing game back up to par.

So I went to the 5/10 table. Played for 30 minutes and increased my roll by $157.00 before I had connection problems.

Generally I like tournys because players usually play better. Even the low stakes tournys I find the level of play better than the cash games, not so many chasers, gutshots etc. There are still some, just not as many.

bdiddy69

Me, I get so frustrated with tounaments. I play only B&M games usually with a crowd of the same 20 or so people. We play low limit SNG's usually, 10 or 20 dollars. I'm one of the few people there who takes it serious, so when i lose, it's usually 'cause i took a bad beat, then I'm out till another game starts up. At a cash game, I find people play more serious, as the chips do represent money, while in tournaments, its only chips. Also taking a bad beat in a cash game isn't so bad, because you can just reload.

stoneskn

drunk7daysaweek wrote:

I'm the opposite, I find myself making most of my money on cash games and not faring so well at sng's

ditto

Tilter

I find myself more of a tourney player. Although I did start off in cash, and built my roll up to 1K that way. Im a decent Live cash player. like scott fischman says, cash and tourneys are different animals. I try not to mix up my gams :P

AcidJoe

I prefer tournaments MTT's not SNG's. However I have never won one. I've had several 2nds and can usually make the money. But for the last 2 months have been almost exclusively playing cash games on prima and doing very well. The tournament I happen to like the best is the 7 card stud one on party at 4:30 est. One of my 2nds was there and I cash regularly. Cash games I think your roll can take large hits when things don't go your way. It becomes harder to keep the confidence when you flop well and get out drawn (happens regularly at low limits). In the last month I watch my PT BB/100 go from 21 to 7 now back to 13. Now the 21 was due to one night multi tabling where everything went my way. The drop down was exactly the opposite flop a set of A's and get out drawn by runner runner.

I also think it's easier to justify I played so good until that bad beat came along in a MTT or SNG. In a cash game they happen but shouldn't hurt you the way it can in a tourney and it shouldn't shake your confidence if you play solid.

lmbb50

As a relative new comer to the game I am trying to learn the proper play/etiquette of poker. Play only hold em. Interestingly enough I am considering giving up on line play completely. I do well in sng's where I find the play more consistent. I have been playing poker stars exclusively and in the cash games I have been finding lately that to expect the unexpected is the rule of thumb, lol.

zero

I've played alot of both, but I started out with sngs. In a short while, I found myself consistantly in the money in sngs, so my bankroll was doing alright. I started getting into cash games, and again, after some practice, I was on the winning end of it. What I found was that when I went back to play a sng, my game wasnt as good as it used be. So I guess what youre saying about only being good at one could be true...

stoneskn

Generally I like tournys because players usually play better. Even the low stakes tournys I find the level of play better than the cash games, not so many chasers, gutshots etc. There are still some, just not as many.

HUH? I love chasers. They are losers. I actually derive pleasure from taking their money (well, i don't take it really - they hand it over) The better the players, the lower my BB/100. Mee no like.

im a clown

Now i'm not sure but i think Doyle meant that not to many guys can play in the big tourneys and win and play in the big cash games and win. I'm sure there are alot of people who can win on the small sng's and then play 1-2 no limit and be winners on both.
I've read that Phil Helmuth isn't a good cash player but i bet he can do good on the smaller limits and then be a winner in cash games. I just don't think it is worth his time. Altough it would be fun to play againt him in a small limit game.

Redington

I do well at both, BUT I do horrible at both.

And usually at opposite times, if my tourney game is going well, my cash game sucks and vice versa.

Looking back at this I think there are a couple of reasons.

In a tournament, you have to put up with rout play for the first level, bad calls, bad bets and 'gambling' for the first hour, or few levels. Then you get into an area of fold 'equity' where the value of hands is greatly increased due to the conservative play of other players, 'moves' can and have to be made. Your playing more hit and run.

In a cash game, you have to put up with rout play through the whole game. I find myself saying "how could you possibly call with buttom pair with three overcards on board?" alot in cash games. Here you lose fold equity. You find the targets at the table and punish them. Knowing full well that guys are gambling, with any suited cards, flush draws for the river. Your looking for shots to double your stack more the home run game. And watch the suckers rebuy, because they got "unlucky".

There is no defensive play in a cash game either, you push the edge to the max and get ready to rebuy and take his stack later.

I think tourneys are more overall skill as you have to have starting, middle and end game. Cash games you have to be an expert at the precisely at the starting game.

If your good at one or the other, then look at where your $$ comes from in those games. I know when I start to suck in one or the other, I look at what part of the game is hurting or where I'm being too aggressive. I think you can be good in both, but the differences are subtle, kinda like Omaha and Texas. You can be great at one and suck at the other, but if you go in and look at your suceeses and failures, I think you can be competent at both.