Forums » Hold Em Strategy

• Ken Furem

  

  • 8 posts
   

  January 9, 2010 10:57:41 PM EST

  Report

  As a strictly tounament player, I think cash games take more skill,
  
  1. Bankroll Management--in the tournament, your downside is defined by the entry fee.  In the Cash game, you can go on Tilt and lose your entire bankroll
  
  2. Variance/Luck--you can make a bad call in a tournament, luck out on the draw and come away with a huge stack.  If you do the same in a cash game, you may win the pot---but you're also giving away the information that you play weak hands.  Players can buy back in and crush you with their new information.
  
  3. Getting rid of strong players--in a tournament the tough competition can get knocked out and can't bother you any more, in the cash game they can buy back in.
  
  Your thoughts?
  
  
• Anthony Martino

  

  • 494 posts
   

  January 10, 2010 2:17:09 AM EST

  Report

  They take different skill sets, but I'd say that cash games require more skill because you can play them deeper-stacked longer, requiring more post-flop play, while tournament poker becomes somewhat of a standard formula when you reach a certain level of chips compared to the blinds.
  
  
• Jeremy Cerka

  
   

  January 10, 2010 2:18:54 AM EST

  Report

  i play both and the discipline with your money and your stack is the biggest difference. like you said in a tournament you sometimes only get to make one bad call or read and you are done. in cash games if you make a bad read you can rebuy and using your new information win your money back. as far as which is more difficult i am not really sure as they are 2 totally different animals.
• Shawn Ewer

  
   

  January 10, 2010 5:23:57 AM EST

  Report

  Comparing Apples to Oranges.... both have their own skill sets...
• Anthony Martino

  

  • 494 posts
   

  January 10, 2010 5:51:42 AM EST

  Report

  shawneyboy wrote...

  Comparing Apples to Oranges.... both have their own skill sets...

  
  
  While they may require different approaches, I think overall cash games require more skill than tournaments because you are generally shorter-stacked in tournaments and are often in push/fold mode more frequently than you would be in a cash game.
  
  With a cash game you'll have a lot more post-flop play and decisions to be made on the flop, turn and river than you'd encounter in a tournament.
  
  
• Shawn Ewer

  
   

  January 10, 2010 5:55:04 AM EST

  Report

  anthony wrote...

  shawneyboy wrote...

  Comparing Apples to Oranges.... both have their own skill sets...

  
  
  While they may require different approaches, I think overall cash games require more skill than tournaments because you are generally shorter-stacked in tournaments and are often in push/fold mode more frequently than you would be in a cash game.
  
  With a cash game you'll have a lot more post-flop play and decisions to be made on the flop, turn and river than you'd encounter in a tournament.
  
  

  
  Now that you put it that way ... I suppose you are right.... Cash game requires more post flop skills.....  So I change my vote to Cash games...
  
  Thanks for setting me straight Anthony....
• Troy M

  

  • 11 posts
   

  January 10, 2010 1:12:05 PM EST

  Report

  Definitely cash games. Because stack sizes are usually so shallow compared to cash games, tournaments in comparison are very easy to play profitably using basic strategy. Cash games, however, leave more room for people to make light calls both preflop and postflop, set up bluffs over multiple streets, and are overall harder to extract value with premium hands in because you're usually playing with 100 blinds, sometimes even more. This leads to more complex postflop situations, and so the value of big pairs goes down overall as well when facing most players.
• Calvin Jiang

  
   

  January 10, 2010 1:43:34 PM EST

  Report

  Cash ainec
• Matt V

  
   

  January 10, 2010 1:57:42 PM EST

  Report

  Ill agree with the consensus that cash is on average a tougher game. Tourneys definately require skill to succeed at but when the blinds get high its more stack sizes that matter than really anything else.
  
  I do like the ability to reload when someone stacks me playing horribly, not end my tourney there.
• Calvin Jiang

  
   

  January 10, 2010 8:52:22 PM EST

  Report

  lol donkaments
• Anthony Martino

  

  • 494 posts
   

  January 11, 2010 12:27:00 AM EST

  Report

  Calvinzorr wrote...

  lol donkaments

  
  
  
  
  
• Kashuskay -

  

  • 19 posts
   

  January 11, 2010 1:12:59 AM EST

  Report

  wtf does that mean?
  
  
  
  Kash
• Anthony Martino

  

  • 494 posts
   

  January 11, 2010 1:23:27 AM EST

  Report

  Kashuskay wrote...

  wtf does that mean?
  
  
  
  Kash

  
  
  donkament = tournament poker. 
  
  lol  = laugh out loud
  
  
  It's something that was created at 2+2 if I recall correctly, and I think awhile back some of the members proposed to donate to a charity if Barry would say it on the air
  
  
• Gregory Ayers

  

  • 20 posts
   

  January 11, 2010 1:34:38 AM EST

  Report

  Cash games without a doubt !!!!!!!!
• Kashuskay -

  

  • 19 posts
   

  January 11, 2010 9:06:30 AM EST

  Report

  anthony wrote...

  Kashuskay wrote...

  wtf does that mean?
  
  
  
  Kash

  
  
  donkament = tournament poker. 
  
  lol  = laugh out loud
  
  
  It's something that was created at 2+2 if I recall correctly, and I think awhile back some of the members proposed to donate to a charity if Barry would say it on the air
  
  

  lol  I was referring to Gabe's partners  'wtf' at the end of the video.
  
  
  Kash
  
  
• Alex Baker

  
   

  January 11, 2010 11:30:17 AM EST

  Report

  dubya tee ef does that mean?
• Rakerace.com

  
   

  January 15, 2010 6:31:38 AM EST

  Report

  adventTM wrote...

  Definitely cash games. Because stack sizes are usually so shallow compared to cash games, tournaments in comparison are very easy to play profitably using basic strategy. Cash games, however, leave more room for people to make light calls both preflop and postflop, set up bluffs over multiple streets, and are overall harder to extract value with premium hands in because you're usually playing with 100 blinds, sometimes even more. This leads to more complex postflop situations, and so the value of big pairs goes down overall as well when facing most players.

  +1
  
  I think cash games are tougher, but I would tend to say tournaments have higher variance.
  
  And of course, they take different skill sets, but I think a cash game player can adjust better and faster to tournament play, than vice versa.
  
• www.bankrollboosters.com

  
   

  January 15, 2010 7:12:31 AM EST

  Report

  Cash games by far.
  
  Yet MTT's tilt me waaaaaay more when I lose.
• Janet Shold

  

  • 52 posts
   

  January 15, 2010 7:21:05 AM EST

  Report

  Cash games. Totally need another set of skills than with tournament, but I think cash game play is a lot tougher to nail.