[EN09]

.02

SnG's - A bit restraining for my tastes. Once begun, you're in for at least 45 mins to an hour. The $5 levels where one might begin is full of atrocious plays/players and loose gamb00lers. Not necessarily a great place to learn or start out as I think you become entwined and then enticed to start playing poorly yourself. Couple that with the fact many times you'll not place in the top third and may even go 10+ SnG's w/o finishing in the money, and you'll feel like you've wasted many hours for little to no returns.

Cash Games - I like. You can jump in for as little or as much time as you want. You can buy in short if you'd like to "limit a loss" or you can buy in deeper if you prefer. You can follow your 'buddies' and pick and choose your tables and seats. You can play a tight ABC style of poker and "pick your spots" instead of gambling when the blinds come around and you're "getting short-stacked". Overall, you can simply make more money in a cash game than a SnG while learning sound basics and using some advanced plays as they present themself.

If you're an action junkie and like to shove, then SnG's can be a good thing. If you're interested more into the tournaments, then SnG's are a good place to get your feet wet, and then certainly move on to the higher limit SnG's.

Personally I think cash games are a better place to learn the basics and then advance your play. I do play SnG's but not on a regular basis and I don't use them to build my bankroll, but use them to break up my cash games from time to time. Sets of ten just to keep up on them and for a breath of fresh air from the games I've been playing.

There are players who begin with SnG's and build some serious bankrolls and move up to the $200 SnG's too though. So it's player dependent and what you want or feel like playing. Neither are "incorrect" nor is one more "right" than another.

Play what you prefer to play, but IMHO, cash is where I advise my friends to start. Win yourself a couple of buy-ins and then go play for fun since you're on a "freeroll" so to speak.

gl to you.

EN