Cash Game Consistancy

Velvet Alley

I'm a very consistant tournament player and having a tough time being profitable in cash games. Many times I feel I'm supplementing my cash game from tournament winnings. This is true in all forms of poker I'm playing NL hold em, PL omaha8 and 7 card stud.

Is there any help anyone can give who've been in the same situation? I would like the consistency on my tournament play to continue into my cash games.

DrTyore

Hey

Had the same problem... I think it's the mindset.

Playing tourneys repeatedly gives a sense of progression to a poker game, it makes you feel like there's a beginning, middle, and end. Try and be aware of that in the cash game, and realize, you're always at the "beginning". THere's never pressure to put all yoru chips in, and the blinds are not creeping up on you.

A second piece of advice, keep control of the pot size, be the general of the betting. If you want huge risk / rewards, well, make large bets. If you want to grind it out and consistantly do well, be aware of what your opponent likely has, and bet accordingly so that he's making mistakes drawing (obviously this is most easily done for things such as straights and flushes). I suggest you find an appropriate limit to your bankroll and play limit for a while. It will give you an idea / better feel for the longevity of any particular cash game session.

Just my 2 cents..... I've recently become more cash-game oriented, so I went through a similar phenomenon. Be more tight as well, since you dont' just lose your buy-in, you lose every cent you bet.

Mark

P.S. After you play cash games for a while, tournaments will become foreign to you again, so I suggest mixing it up.

Spicol

I'd still say I'm a better tournament player but experienced the same struggle with ring games up until a couple of months ago and am now fairly profitable at $25NL. The solution was tightening up severely and taking extensive notes. There's little pressure to act in a ring game since the blinds aren't increasing so you can truly wait for good hands in good position. How many flops are you seeing? With regard to note taking, I used to jot down what kind of preflop hands people are playing and little else, because in a big MTT or larger SNG, you're changing opponents so frequently. In a ring game, I'll take note of position, what the players raise with, if they use a continuation bet, bluff tendencies, check raises etc. I'll likely see these players for much longer than in a tournament and can't trust my memory to classify their play.

Good luck.

adammc

what's consistancy?

cadillac

Consistancy is the illiterate cousin of Consistency!


I understand the struggle between the two games.  There is a much different mindset required IMO and a large dose of patience.

I also get the feeling as well that cash games have better players.  Now before all you tourney guys flame me let me explain.  By the way I am mainly a tourney guy.

At Sit'n go tables or in MTT's.  I have rarely played a tourney where I have not been able to spot a total donkey within 2 laps of the button.  I would venture to say that 95% of the time this is true.  (Does that make me the fish the other 5%?)

In cash games I don't find very many players who are blatantly terrible.  You pay a much bigger penalty for being a donk at a cash table.

BTW This all relates to online play. 


In a B&M setting most donks are practically wearing a neon sign and I sat with many of them this weekend playing 1-2 NL at Casino Niagara.  One guy dropped 4 buyins...$400 total in less than an hour.  When he sat down the game immediately got out of the muck.  I was able to get $90 off of him with a pair of Ladies    Many, many All-In Artists!

I have spent 10 years in sales and reading people is a huge asset in live poker.


Cheers

Caddy

Nexus-Poker

After every cash game session, there are always a few key hands that stand out. Write these down on paper when you get home, & analyze how &/or why you could've/should've played the hand. Also make note of things that worked & things that didn't.