Main differences in play between cash and tourney games?

choccypie · #1 08-10-2007, 03:34 AM

What are the main differences between cash and tournament play? I've played a few games of each ($0.05/0.10 cash and maybe a few $5 tournaments) and I find myself playing the same way in both, which I know doesn't work but I don't know why it doesn't [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

How do you decide which starting hands you play in tournaments and what hands do you play in cash games? Do you play some hands in a tournament but not in a cash game, and vice versa? And why? I know you have to take into account position i.e. fold mediocre hands early, but are there hands that are good in tourneys but bad in cash etc?

I'm just starting out so please don't flame me ^^

Thanks for any advice!

jordiepop · #2 08-10-2007, 04:17 AM

welcome to the forums

cash games and the early stages of tournaments play very similar. your in no hurry to get your money in and you can play " poker"

the late stages of a tournament is where things really change. in a tournament , with a certain amount of chips, any pair , ace or king can become an auto shove. in a cash game , for the most part, if all the money goes in your obv going to have a hand like kk aa maybe qq or ak depending on the player. ( again for the most part)

again early stages of tournaments and cash games are very similar, and the late stages of a tournament are their own animal. read the harrington series as well as phil gordans little green book for some good explanations.

phydaux · #3 08-10-2007, 04:34 AM

Jordie hit it. Short stacks and short handed final tables create a lot of pressure to get in there and mix it up with what would be crap hands at a cash table.

At a cash table when stacks are deep, you can just wait for a hand with a real equity advantage.

choccypie · #4 08-10-2007, 05:13 AM

Cheers for the replies [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

So there aren't any changes to your strategy as to how you'd play a cash game and early in a tourney?

When exactly do you decide you're not going to play the "cash game way" in a tournament? When you have less than x big blinds or when the antes kick in?

Also is it important to always make sure you're above "average stack"? What do you do in a tournament if you don't get a single decent hand in hours?

jordiepop · #5 08-10-2007, 05:45 AM

[ QUOTE ]

So there aren't any changes to your strategy as to how you'd play a cash game and early in a tourney?

When exactly do you decide you're not going to play the "cash game way" in a tournament? When you have less than x big blinds or when the antes kick in?

Also is it important to always make sure you're above "average stack"? What do you do in a tournament if you don't get a single decent hand in hours?

[/ QUOTE ]

lots o good questions ... its worth ur time to pick up harringtons books on tournaments 1&2 are worth ur time

philfan05 · #6 08-10-2007, 01:08 PM

In general, low limit tourneys don't give you much play and you are forced to commit your whole stack with 1 hand. Therefore, it is correct to play very tight and try to get it all in with a PP or AK etc. In cash games, you can typically buy in for 200-300BB. This allows you to play much looser and have time to build an image. Playing suited connectors is much more powerful in cash games because you can call a raise with them (in position) and chase a draw if you have the right pot/implied odds to do so.
Also, in tourneys, there is much more pressure to build your stack. In cash games you can be much more relaxed and pick your spots.

Praxising · #7 08-10-2007, 01:19 PM

[ QUOTE ]
In general, low limit tourneys don't give you much play ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Some don't. But most of the low stakes MTTs on PStars have a lot of play - unless they are designated "turbo." In those it's best, I think, to follow the basic "very tight, let the donks knock each other out in the early rounds" startegy.

The $1 tournys are excellent places to practice trny strategy.

pzhon · #8 08-10-2007, 01:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
In general, low limit tourneys don't give you much play ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Some don't. But most of the low stakes MTTs on PStars have a lot of play - unless they are designated "turbo." In those it's best, I think, to follow the basic "very tight, let the donks knock each other out in the early rounds" startegy.

[/ QUOTE ]
That you are saying those players are "donks who will bust out" strongly suggests that you should get involved, not tighten up in the early stages. A significant portion of my ROI comes from taking the chips off of poor players while they are still in the tournament. This is much easier than taking chips from good players later.

In some tournaments, there are situations where players fold too much to steals. In fact, some people profit by exploiting this weakness almost exclusively. This leads many people to overemphasize folding equity. However, if you want to maximize your profits, you should take advantage of other mistakes, too.

Albert Moulton · #9 08-10-2007, 03:55 PM

Read Harrington on Hold'em Volumes I and II.

Also, read Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky for some more on the theory side.

But, if I were to summarize, the main differences are these.

- You have unlimited rebuy in a cash game, but not in tournament. So, sometimes, a marginally +EV move for all your chips in a tournament (at least early in a tournament) might be a bad idea if you have plenty of time to get all-in with more equity. But in a cash game, if you are properly bankrolled, every +EV move for all your chips is still +EV and you should make the move.

- You only make money in a tournament if you get past the bubble, but you can make or lose money in a cash game on every hand. This changes a lot of how you play in a tournament, especially if others tighten up and you can steal alot near the bubble. Related to this is the nature of the payout structure. If you want to win, sometimes you have to gamble more than if you just want to make it into the money. The payout structure and how it effects the game has some interesting effects that are discussed in Tournament Poker for Advanced Players - something about how every chip you win in a tournament is each worth less than chips that you started with. I can't really explain it, but it's worth reading.

- Blinds and antes increase in the tournament as time goes on altering correct preflop and post-flop strategy considerably depending on the blinds+antes-to-stack ratio (what Harrrington calls "M"). This never happens in a cash game.