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There’s a bigger difference between cash games and tournaments than there is between giving grandma a kiss on the cheek and sleeping with a supermodel. Seeing and adjusting to those differences, however, isn’t quite as straightforward.
There are some concepts that are universal to all forms of poker, such as the power of position and the value of aggression. Yet there are not enough similarities to make you proficient at one form, simply because you’re skilled at another. Many factors should be considered in order to properly adjust between tournaments and cash games.
The Blinds
The escalating blinds drive the action in a tournament. It’s extremely difficult to win a large field event playing ultra tight. If you don’t play, you risk your stack dwindling down to nothing. On the other hand, in a cash game, you can play extremely tight poker and still potentially show a profit.
Stack Size
The deeper the stack sizes relative to the blinds, the more difficult the decisions you’ll potentially face. In a tournament, the majority of the money often goes in pre-flop or on the flop. In a cash game, you are much more likely to be faced with big decisions on the turn and river without being all in. Since you can reload to the maximum any time you want to in between hands, you never have to be short stacked in a cash game unless you choose to be low on chips.
Getting Correct Odds
There’s no reason ever to fold when getting favorable odds in a cash game. If you’re getting the right price, you should always take it. In a tournament, however, just because you’re getting good odds doesn’t mean it’s always best to take them. Sometimes survival making the money or moving up in the prize pool outweighs the math.
Time
In a tournament, you play for a set period of time and can’t afford to miss any hands.
You must play out the day regardless of mood or lack of sleep. A cash game can be played for any amount of time. Since you control your hours, you don’t have to play tired or allow outside influences to decrease the quality of your game. In addition, you can sit in a cash game for a long time, only play one pot, and potentially leave a big winner. That simply can’t happen in a tournament.
Coin Flips
Races are common in tournaments. The money is frequently all in pre-flop and a pair versus two overcards is a typical matchup. Coin flips should be fairly infrequent in a cash game unless they take place on the flop. The deeper stacked you are, the less correct it is to get all your chips in pre-flop.
Making Moves
When you enter a tournament, there are certain things that you must do to accumulate chips or to stay alive. In a cash game you can be much more patient. You should never feel like you have to “make a move” (with no hand) at any given point, unless you perceive yourself to be in an advantageous situation.
Chip Values
Chips in a cash game have a direct dollar value. Once you win them, they’re yours. You don’t need to win another pot to be able to cash them. In a tournament, you must get into the money in order to be a winner.
Pulling Triggers
Once you pay your tournament entry fee, you must make certain plays along the way to recoup your money or profit. It’s easier to make correct plays when you know you must. It can be difficult to pull the trigger in a cash game, even if you know it’s correct to do so, because that money is yours until you put it in the pot.
It’s a very common leak for poker players even professionals to win money at one game, only to lose it playing something different. It’s important to recognize that profit not only comes from what you win, it also comes from what you don’t lose. Remember, the fact that you are able to win at one form of poker doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll win at another.
“Nicky Numbers” is a top Internet poker pro, instructor for WPT Boot Camp, and a private coach. To learn more, visit www.wptbootcamp.com or contact him at NickBrancato@gmail.com.
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