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cash games v. tournament poker


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Hey guys, I'm a newbie to the FCP boards, and there probably is a thread for this somewhere in the piles and piles of over 800 topics, but I'd like to get some opinions on what different "muscles" are required in cash game play versus that of tournament strategy. I have had experience and success in both, but find that my overall performance in tournaments is much better than that of cash games. This goes for basically all forms of poker that I play regularly (7 Stud, Stud 8 or better, PL Omaha, Omaha 8, and NL Holdem). I'm fairly young and have a few years of experience under my belt, but would love to get the opinions of players who have more some more experience in each type of game. Thanks a lot for any input :club:

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i bounce around a lot, I played 10k hands of .5/1 dollar holdem then I went to SNG then MTT. I think you should try different things all the time. Maybe it is just my ADD. Check out strat lots of good reads in there

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Tournaments you make decision in a structured environment.In cash games, you make decisions in an unstructured environment.It's like when you were in college. Some people do better in a very structured curriculum, and some do better in an unstructured one.Players access both left and right brain everytime they player poker.BUT tournaments are more linear and structured and therefore a more left brain game.Cash games require strong right brain skills --mixed with left brain skills. What's better? based on armchair neurology, the cash game specialist would be a better player because they use a strong mix of right and left brain thinking. Clearly to be a winning player in an unstructured environment is a true test of one's true skills.The advantage to being a great cash game player from a neurological standpoint is that the muscles you need to succeed in tournaments are worked out while playing cash games. But the disadvantage of being a tournament specialist is that you lose your right brain poker muscle.

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wow that is a great post, makes perfect sense. I am starting to like tournaments just because they have a start and stop time. It is just one of the many things you don't have to think about in tourneys that you would in cash games

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wow that is a great post, makes perfect sense.  I am starting to like tournaments just because they have a start and stop time.  It is just one of the many things you don't have to think about in tourneys that you would in cash games
where does it say "this tournament will conclude at...."? i know what you're saying but tournaments can last for several hours less or more than you expect them to. That previous post forgets some things. You make structured decesions in cash games too. Such as "does this guy just wanna gain a little money and then leave?" or "does the money mean anything to this guy?" the decesions you make to those questions can determine if you call/fold/raise.
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wow that is a great post, makes perfect sense.  I am starting to like tournaments just because they have a start and stop time.  It is just one of the many things you don't have to think about in tourneys that you would in cash games
where does it say "this tournament will conclude at...."? i know what you're saying but tournaments can last for several hours less or more than you expect them to. That previous post forgets some things. You make structured decesions in cash games too. Such as "does this guy just wanna gain a little money and then leave?" or "does the money mean anything to this guy?" the decesions you make to those questions can determine if you call/fold/raise.
You don't get it playa, but I see what you're saying.By structure, I mean everything is taken care of for you, people are playing "tournament" style because of rising blinds. In cash games, you need the same brain processes that require structured thought, but it also requires more right brain thinking, like game selection, buyin amounts, when to play, where to play, etc. etc. etc. In tournaments, you get a set amount of chips, and the blinds rise in set increments, the only unstructured part of a tournament are the players, but even then, tournament players play a tourney style game that they wouldn't play in live action----a style that would not work. To cater to your fanboy sensibilities, consider Phil Hellmuth----arguably one of the greatest No limit tournament players in the world....but if he were to be pitted against a world class cash game specialist in No limit hold 'em, deep stacks, non-rising blinds no structured game-time etc, he'd be a dog.
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ok there is no hard end time. but there is a stopping point. Something I really struggled with in cash games. Tourneys you either bust or/and they give you money and you go home. Nice and simple.

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ok there is no hard end time. but there is a stopping point.  Something I really struggled with in cash games. Tourneys you either bust or/and they give you money and you go home.  Nice and simple.
thats your job to say to yourself "i'm playing for 4 hours unless i get broke before then and then i quit."
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ok there is no hard end time. but there is a stopping point.  Something I really struggled with in cash games. Tourneys you either bust or/and they give you money and you go home.  Nice and simple.
thats your job to say to yourself "i'm playing for 4 hours unless i get broke before then and then i quit."
if poker is your job, and you approach the game the right way, then you'll never go broke in a single session because you'll know how to manage your bankroll. you'll never be in a game big enough that could break you in a single session.
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ok there is no hard end time. but there is a stopping point.  Something I really struggled with in cash games. Tourneys you either bust or/and they give you money and you go home.  Nice and simple.
thats your job to say to yourself "i'm playing for 4 hours unless i get broke before then and then i quit."
if poker is your job, and you approach the game the right way, then you'll never go broke in a single session because you'll know how to manage your bankroll. you'll never be in a game big enough that could break you in a single session.
Daniel Negreanu wrote a column about cash games. Go read it.
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yeah, I have finally relized that poker is not an easy way to make money. Tourneys on the other hand can be a nice way to hit a good amount of money every once in a while and have fun doing it.

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OK, whomever said tourneys are straightforward, you are an idiot. Yeah, I said it. In cash games, especially at the lower levels, you can play a high volume of ABC poker and you will make money in the long run. They require no creativity, just a lot of basic decisions of making the most +EV play.In tournaments, there are so many more factors that you have to consider when making your decisions. You have to be able to factor in the payscale, the escalating blinds, etc. You are faced with many tough decisions because you are forced to play marginal holdings, or else you will be shortstacked everytime. With low level NL cash games, you can basically play supertight, nut peddle, and you will win. High level cash games do require tricky and creative play, but not at low levels.Whomever disputes this is a moron. Nuff said. Sorry if this is abrasive, but it's the truth.

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OK, whomever said tourneys are straightforward, you are an idiot. Yeah, I said it. In cash games, especially at the lower levels, you can play a high volume of ABC poker and you will make money in the long run. They require no creativity, just a lot of basic decisions of making the most +EV play.In tournaments, there are so many more factors that you have to consider when making your decisions. You have to be able to factor in the payscale, the escalating blinds, etc. You are faced with many tough decisions because you are forced to play marginal holdings, or else you will be shortstacked everytime. With low level NL cash games, you can basically play supertight, nut peddle, and you will win. High level cash games do require tricky and creative play, but not at low levels.Whomever disputes this is a moron. Nuff said. Sorry if this is abrasive, but it's the truth.
thats what i've been tryin to say all along.
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OK, whomever said tourneys are straightforward, you are an idiot. Yeah, I said it. In cash games, especially at the lower levels, you can play a high volume of ABC poker and you will make money in the long run. They require no creativity, just a lot of basic decisions of making the most +EV play.In tournaments, there are so many more factors that you have to consider when making your decisions. You have to be able to factor in the payscale, the escalating blinds, etc. You are faced with many tough decisions because you are forced to play marginal holdings, or else you will be shortstacked everytime. With low level NL cash games, you can basically play supertight, nut peddle, and you will win. High level cash games do require tricky and creative play, but not at low levels.Whomever disputes this is a moron. Nuff said. Sorry if this is abrasive, but it's the truth.
No dispute actually, just sketching out a rough distinction playa. When you're right you're right. :club:
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I wasn't saying tourneys were simple. I was saying that start and end times are simple in tourneys.... something I really struggle with in cash games.
no not really. you never know when a tournament is going to end. its not that hard to set a time limit on a cash game.
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OK, whomever said tourneys are straightforward, you are an idiot.  Yeah, I said it.  In cash games, especially at the lower levels, you can play a high volume of ABC poker and you will make money in the long run.  They require no creativity, just a lot of basic decisions of making the most +EV play.In tournaments, there are so many more factors that you have to consider when making your decisions.  You have to be able to factor in the payscale, the escalating blinds, etc.  You are faced with many tough decisions because you are forced to play marginal holdings, or else you will be shortstacked everytime.  With low level NL cash games, you can basically play supertight, nut peddle, and you will win.  High level cash games do require tricky and creative play, but not at low levels.Whomever disputes this is a moron.  Nuff said.  Sorry if this is abrasive, but it's the truth.
I like how you call out lower level NL play to justify you argument. Maybe when you play more cash games at a higher level you'll understand how retarded you just sounded.
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OK, whomever said tourneys are straightforward, you are an idiot.  Yeah, I said it.  In cash games, especially at the lower levels, you can play a high volume of ABC poker and you will make money in the long run.  They require no creativity, just a lot of basic decisions of making the most +EV play.In tournaments, there are so many more factors that you have to consider when making your decisions.  You have to be able to factor in the payscale, the escalating blinds, etc.  You are faced with many tough decisions because you are forced to play marginal holdings, or else you will be shortstacked everytime.  With low level NL cash games, you can basically play supertight, nut peddle, and you will win.  High level cash games do require tricky and creative play, but not at low levels.Whomever disputes this is a moron.  Nuff said.  Sorry if this is abrasive, but it's the truth.
I like how you call out lower level NL play to justify you argument. Maybe when you play more cash games at a higher level you'll understand how retarded you just sounded.
Read closer you dipshit
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