nl cash games vs nl tourneys:how does your strategy

[flapgreen 0]

differ?I need help adjusting to each one. For the most part, my style stays about the same for cash games and tourneys and I'm quite sure that shouldn't be. My cash game is much stronger than my tournament game. For those out there who have a lot of experience in both, how does your approach change for each one? I want to become better at tourneys and even better at cash games. The sng's are also starting to annoy me. When I don't catch the cards early, I seem to keep getting blinded down to nothing. When I can build an early stack, it's much easier. TIA :-)

[Scott3705 0]

It would help to know how you play in tournaments. Do you just try to survive until the field is trimmed and the blinds start getting a little sweeter? Or do you try to accumulate right from the beginning?(Although I read/heard somewhere that DN disagrees), I prefer to just try to remain in healthy enough shape until there is a 1/3 of the field left in a tournament. And then really open up my game because that's about when people start getting tight about being in the money. Without knowing any thing about what your styles are, I would say the one difference that I keep in mind between cash games and tournament games is that a hand played in a cash game is played in isolation to that one specific hand. In weighing decisions in a tournament, I consider what the implications are up/down for my chip stack if I am right/wrong. This usually will tend to make me avoid marginal situations in tournaments where as I may take a stab in a marginal situation in a cash game.

[BigSlickBengal 0]

I play alittle tighter in cash games then i do in the MTT. I tend to be more agrresive in tourny's and it pays off with blind stealing and such. But in the cash games i get more callers for some reason.....

[Emptyeye 0]

I'm not exactly well-versed in either, but I believe in a cash game, you can afford to sit and wait for a situation where you have someone crushed. In tournies, you're probably, at some point, going to have to force the issue with a marginal edge thanks to the escalating blinds/antes.

[Rocketwadster 0]

cash games that I play are all about looking for a big score. Tournaments are totally different, as you can't be as patient, as the blinds increase way too fast for me to play like I do in a cash game. Now, I'm not saying that I wait for pocket aces, just that I look for the right situation to pop up so I can put a hurting on someone's bankroll (hopefully not my own). :wink:

[flapgreen 0]

It would help to know how you play in tournaments.  Do you just try to survive until the field is trimmed and the blinds start getting a little sweeter?  Or do you try to accumulate right from the beginning?(Although I read/heard somewhere that DN disagrees), I prefer to just try to remain in healthy enough shape until there is a 1/3 of the field left in a tournament.  And then really open up my game because that's about when people start getting tight about being in the money.  Without knowing any thing about what your styles are, I would say the one difference that I keep in mind between cash games and tournament games is that a hand played in a cash game is played in isolation to that one specific hand.  In weighing decisions in a tournament, I consider what the implications are up/down for my chip stack if I am right/wrong. This usually will tend to  make me avoid marginal situations in tournaments where as I may take a stab in a marginal situation in a cash game.

I'm usually very tight preflop but I get aggressive when I do get involved. When I don't hit on the flop and I'm not 1st to bet, I probably tend to be a little passive if someone comes out betting big. If I'm 1st to bet after the flop and I don't hit something, I'll usually always come out with a bet but I'll fold if someone comes way over top of me. If I hit something on the flop, I'll try and bet the most that I think someone will call. To be honest, I've only been playing for about a year so I'm not sure if I've really adopted a style yet. That's what I'm trying to figure out, along with how I should vary my approach in cash games as opposed to tourneys. Which should I be more selective preflop? Which should I get more aggressive after the flop? Which one should I take more chances in? If I don't have a great hand post flop, should I still be more aggressive in one or the other? There's are just some questions off of the top of my head.I assume you should probably be more patient in cash games than in tourneys. I'm just trying to figure out how to be successful in tourneys when I'm too patient and the blinds eat me alive. There has to not be overly patient or overly aggressive and play smart at the same time.

[FebreezeHead 0]

In a tournament it is generally best to play tighter early on, as blinds increase you can begin to open your game up more. Finally if you reach the later stages you can open up all the way and play as loosely as you would in a cash game.The reason for staying tight early on is that the advantage of gaining chips is outweighed by the disadvantages of getting highly short stacked or knocked out.For example in a cash game if you held KhQh, and the flop came Jh 10c 5h, and you were raised for all of your chips, you should call every single time. You've got 15 almost guaranteed outs, and an aditional 6 which have a descent chance of being the best hand, you'll draw to the best hand more than half of the time so of course you should call.In the early stages of a tournament however it may be incorrect to call. A win will double your chipstack, but this does not guarantee you a spot in the money. Conversly if you lose your out of the tournament and have zero chance to cash.In a tournament a gain of chips is not a guaranteed reward of money like it is in a cash game, so you should take fewer risks, particularly all in coin flip situations (or even when u think your a slight favorite) early on. Also, often in the later stages, particularly nearing the "bubble" players will play too tight, merely trying to hang on until they make the money. I often find myself playing more aggressively than usual in these situations, because my opponents are playing overly tight, usually allowing me to build my stack conciderably.

[flapgreen 0]

In a tournament it is generally best to play tighter early on, as blinds increase you can begin to open your game up more. Finally if you reach the later stages you can open up all the way and play as loosely as you would in a cash game.The reason for staying tight early on is that the advantage of gaining chips is outweighed by the disadvantages of getting highly short stacked or knocked out.For example in a cash game if you held KhQh, and the flop came Jh 10c 5h, and you were raised for all of your chips, you should call every single time. You've got 15 almost guaranteed outs, and an aditional 6 which have a descent chance of being the best hand, you'll draw to the best hand more than half of the time so of course you should call.In the early stages of a tournament however it may be incorrect to call. A win will double your chipstack, but this does not guarantee you a spot in the money. Conversly if you lose your out of the tournament and have zero chance to cash.In a tournament a gain of chips is not a guaranteed reward of money like it is in a cash game, so you should take fewer risks, particularly all in coin flip situations (or even when u think your a slight favorite) early on. Also, often in the later stages, particularly nearing the "bubble" players will play too tight, merely trying to hang on until they make the money. I often find myself playing more aggressively than usual in these situations, because my opponents are playing overly tight, usually allowing me to build my stack conciderably.

Thanks Febreeze. I really wish there were some books or articles out there on nl cash games.