Tournament player or Cash games?

Question

I seem to do better in tournaments than I do cash games. I can't seem to win at cash games but have won tournaments (in the money) four out of the last five I've played.

Is it possible to be a good tournament player but a lousy cash game player?

What could account for this difference?

Answer 1

Just ask Phil Helmuth, he is considered a horrible cash player.  There are many differences in cash and tournament play all driven by the fact that you can reload chips and the blinds stay the same.  Hands that are great in tournaments such as A/K, A/Q etc, are nothing more than drawing hands in a ring game and have nowhere near the value they have in tournament play.  Standard bets in a tournament are no good in a cash game either, if a 1/2 cash nlhe player gets a/a and is first to enter the pot, a 6 dollar bet aint gonna run anyone off, yet in a tournament, 3x big blind raise for first in the pot is a standard raise.  A 3 bet raise in a cash game only encourages more callers with a multitude of drawing hands.  this is because in a cash game alot of folks have 50 to 100 or more, times the bb which is seldom the case in a tournament for very long.  Also in a cash game, if they take a big hit, all they have to do is reach into their pocket for more chips.  In cash games, chip stack size looses alot, if not all, of its power as a weapon, at least to me because I can always reload. A huge chip stack in front of the raiser is actually an attractant as opposed to a deterent in my decision making.

It is nothing unusual for there to be a 20 dollar or more raise preflop for someone first in the pot in a 1/2 game, whereas that is a 10x the big blind raise in a tournament, which you simply don't see many of those and if you do, you know the player has no clue. In tournaments, you are trying to survive, to make the money, the final table and then to win.  You lay down hands you simply would not lay down in ring games so that you dont risk being put out. You call with 9/8 suited late if there is a raise if you have a number of callers before you in a ring game, flops generally are a whole lot cheaper to see in ring games, because, once again, kinda like that ol Led Zepplin song, "the blinds remain the same" (replace blinds with song, you get the idea). As you know, in tournament play, once the antes have kicked in, and the blinds get on up there, there just isn't much limpinng going on, it is either raise of fold, it never gets that way in a ring game.

With all that being said, just remember, chip size relative to blind size difference always stays large in a cash game, in a tournament you are always fighting against chip stacks decreasing as the blinds are increasing.  Hope this helps, good luck.

Answer 2

To know which your better at I'd say you'd have to play 50,000 hands of cash games and thousands of tournements then compare your win rates.

Until then or if that's too much play what you enjoy most.

Answer 3

There are a lot of things that differ in tournament play and cash game play.  Especially depending on the blind structure of the tournament.

One thing, survival in a tournament is very important so sometimes pot odds go out the window because survival is more important.  Also when you cash changes the way people play.  There is no bubble play in a cash game.

When the blinds build in a tournament, it takes away from post flop play, and strategy's that depend on how many chips you have, and the size of the blinds come into play.

In cash games since the blinds always stay the same, and everybody at the tables normally have enough chips to play out a hand, post flop play is very important.

Answer 4

The main difference between the 2 for you now, is that people play a little looser in tournaments because they have less to lose.

If they have pocket Jacks in a tournament were there are only really risking there buy in, they will probably call an all in bet (stakes depending).

If they are playing in a cash game and have to risk a decent amount of thier bankroll on those same pocket Jacks. they probably fold.

Also, in cash games, you never know the size of someones bankroll. Meaning, if you play smart and conservative, and they have tons of money and playing loose and for fun, You might beat them once, they rebuy, beat them twice, 3, 4 plus times, eventually they WILL win. They can outbuy your skill.

And when it comes to the internet, playing loose seems to be very effective. But if you dont have a good size bankroll, it is very tough to do.

Answer 5

Yes.

The value of chips in tournaments decreases relative to the blinds over time so tournament play requires a different style of play than cash games.

Also 5 tournaments is hardly statistically significant. It could just be a fluke.