Cash Games vs. Tournaments

[cbayly12]

Hey everyone,

I am what I would like to think a good tournament player..few wins, frequent cashes, etc. (meaning I make money when playing tourneys. I enjoy playing cash games, but I am not sure the style I should play at when in a cash game. I feel like I am playing in tournament mode. I am curious to know what kind of starting hands I should play compared to tourneys. I am a pretty tight tournament player and I feel like when I sit in a cash game I am playing to tight for the table. Just wondering about the differences between cash games and tourneys, and what adjustments should be made.

Thanks

[Dooms78]

Others feel free to dispute anything I have to say, I've only been playing for 2 years, but I started exactly like you, playing tournaments only. I played in a cheap morning tourney near my house 3-4 times per week. I also won my way in to a WSOP Circut event when it came to town and did pretty well.

When I moved over to cash games I struggled mightily, mostly because I was using tournament strategy and not adapting... here some of the things I've learned playing NLH ring games.

1)There aren't nearly as many all-in situations, since most stacks are deep and the blinds are small.
2)Don't fall in love with A-K. First, you probably aren't going all in, pre-flop with it and second it misses very often. Plus, even when it hits, how will you respond to a big re-raise if there's a possible straight or flush on the board?
3)I LOVE small pairs. Hitting a set with these will usually get you paid off.
4)Because the blinds are so small in relation to stack size, you can speculate with a lot of hands. Limping with stuff like Q-10o or 5-7s can really get you paid off when they hit. (I tripled up once when I played A-2o and turned a wheel... one guy hit a set on the river and the other guy had two pair... both paid me off)
5)Win big pots right away... if you flop a set or a straight and there's a flush out there, go ahead and take down the pot, don't let calling stations draw out... there are many players that will make incorrect plays (calling with 1.5 to 1 odds when they only have 9 outs) who will occasionally hit their miracle and cripple you.

Anyways, I felt compelled to reply, since I made the transition to ring games after about a year playing tourneys only. But I'm no expert, just another hold 'em player trying to make my way on the felt.

[RobBizzle]

Quote:

Limping with stuff like Q-10o or 5-7s can really get you paid off when they hit.

I dont think this is a good idea unless you can play real good postflop. It seems to me these type of hands are going to get you into more trouble than the few times they are gonna hit hard. I could be wrong though just what I think.

[Gonso]

Anything is potentially playable if you (and your opponent) are deep enough... but like Rob was saying, you have to know what you're doing.

[ QUOTE ]
Limping with stuff like Q-10o or 5-7s can really get you paid off when they hit. (I tripled up once when I played A-2o and turned a wheel... one guy hit a set on the river and the other guy had two pair... both paid me off

[/ QUOTE ]
You have to be especially cautious with these hands. A lot of times you will not be as fortunate and will get stacked holding the second-best hand. If you're at a table where you can limp with A2, then you're at a table where 76 or even 62 can get in cheap, and they beat you. Anything's possible in an unraised pot.

Getting paid off is another matter entirely, since most times you do hit you're opponent will not... and even if he does it's rarer still that he'll have a hand he'll risk it all with (unless he has you beat). Worse, this gets much harder to do as you play at higher limits. At 1/2 it's much easier to stack someone holding TPTK when you flop a set that at 5/10.

[Javanewt]

I don't really have advice, but I know what you are going through. I started off playing mostly tournaments and doing well (home and online). Then, I started playing cash games. I was losing at first, but now I'm winning. The problem is, my tournament play has gone bad I'd rather be good at cash games, but I miss being in the money at almost every tournament I play.

I guess it just takes much more time and practice than I've had so far to be good at both.

[bbartlog]

My two cents:

1) Tournament play requires more adjustments as the stack sizes change (stack sizes measured in BB, so stack sizes change every time the blind levels go up). Cash game play is a little more static; you can play the same range of hands for hours, whereas in a tournament you'll have to expand your range as your stack gets shorter.
2) Deception is more important in cash games (at least in no limit or pot limit) since the stacks are always deep.

My own experience is that I do well in cash games (at low limit mind you) but struggle in tournaments. My guess is that people who play aggressively do better in a tournament setting but get trapped in a cash game, while people who play a more passive nut-fishing game do well in low-limit cash games but get blinded down in tournaments.

On the whole however I think cash games are easier than tournaments. My reasoning is that a lot of the expected value from a tournament requires reaching the top few places, so you need to be on a par with the best players in the field to have a fair chance of getting your share; whereas in a cash game you can be the third best player at your table and still have positive expectation as long as there are a few people with really serious leaks.

[jefoss]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey everyone,

I am what I would like to think a good tournament player..few wins, frequent cashes, etc. (meaning I make money when playing tourneys. I enjoy playing cash games, but I am not sure the style I should play at when in a cash game. I feel like I am playing in tournament mode. I am curious to know what kind of starting hands I should play compared to tourneys. I am a pretty tight tournament player and I feel like when I sit in a cash game I am playing to tight for the table. Just wondering about the differences between cash games and tourneys, and what adjustments should be made.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

i think in cash games my personal opionion is that i play tighter if i get a free look on the blind good one if not and ive got rubbish throw away im looking for the top 20 ish hands and trying my best to not deviate, also if you are playing this way too you can get away with a few steals / bluffs on the occasion you want to.

[bbartlog]

Playing extra tight and then assuming that
A) Your opponents are observant enough to give you credit for a good hand so that you can steal or bluff, but
B) Your opponents aren't observant enough to simply avoid your very limited hand range

doesn't sound like a winning cash game strategy to me. But maybe it works for you.

[91106guy]

I'm also a tournament player now dabbling in cash games. The changes I made from being a cash game donkey to a slightly ahead-break even player were 1) don't steal blinds too often, the blinds aren't big enough; 2) in a multi-way pot, be careful on draws unless you're drawing to the nuts, players usually won't put in big $ unless they have what they think are the nuts; 3) AJ and AT stink in cash games, it's a good way to win small pots and lose big ones; and 4) if you're short-stacked, narrow your all-in range (perhaps down to AK or AA-JJ), because of the small blinds players won't call you unless they have something good.

[Unknown Soldier]

[quote[3) AJ and AT stink in cash games, it's a good way to win small pots and lose big ones

[/ QUOTE ]

only if you build a big pot if an A hits, which you shouldn't. Think about pot control the next time you play a hand like this. There's nothing wrong with just winning a small pot. Just dont lose a big one! AT and AJ are strong hands.