Cash Games Versus Tournaments - How to Choose
There are two main options when deciding to play poker: tournaments or cash games. There are pros and cons to each and you should know the facts in order to decide which is best for you.
A big difference in tournament play is that you know the amount you have to gamble and you know the amount you are going to win. If the buy in is $100, you know that is all you have to risk to win the prize pool. In cash games your expenses can be immeasurable. On the flip side, you can catch a bad beat in a tournament by a bad player and not be able to regain your money lost, whereas in a cash game you can earn it back later by taking advantage of lesser players.
Luck in poker is a very important part to winning. Yes, you definitely need the skill, but to win a large event you have to have the luck. With Internet sites giving away seats to big events daily, the quality of the player has changed. World Poker Tour winner Ron Rose explains, "Some of the fresher players are playing some hands that they shouldn't have been playing and they get lucky and they hit and they knock out a good player, so it's more difficult now to win and luck plays more of a factor in the game because of the larger field."
A lot of pros will say that skill shows more in cash games over the long run. "If you are a cash game player there is more consistency in winning those games then you would find in tournaments. You are just going to win more often. In tournaments you could go a long time without having a big score," says professional player and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Brett Jungblut. The reason why a lot of pros are playing tournaments is because of the media coverage and the added benefits from being a recognized player. Also, players are motivated by the enormous prize pools and, of course, the legacy of World Series bracelets.
Another advantage to cash games is that you have the time to really observe your opponents. Making a decision in poker should be based on your competition. You have to know who the aggressor is, and who the weaker players are. In cash games you can take the time to watch and figure out other players strategies. In tournaments you can be switched around at any point to another table after you had just figured out a read on your opponents.
If you feel that tournaments are for you then you should be sure to enter into ones that are within your bankroll. If you have developed a poker bankroll of $50 a month then you should be entering small tournaments with a buy in of $1. You shouldn't be risking more than two percent of your bankroll on one tournament. If you are playing cash games you can play online for $0.10/$0.20 or $0.50/$1.00.
As you build your bankroll then you can move up. That is an important part of poker. You must play within your means and as you earn more money you can move up to higher tournament buy in's and higher limits in cash games. Some pros have moved up quickly through limits, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to beginners. Three time WPT Champion Gus Hansen admits that he moved to playing the largest cash game in the world sooner than he should have. "I moved up and down through limits a lot. If I won a lot I would move up, but then if I lost I would move back down. I have never been afraid to gamble."
In poker you should never have fear, but you should be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of what is at stake and what your possibilities of gain are. Based on all of that information you can decide whether tournaments or cash are best for you.
A big difference in tournament play is that you know the amount you have to gamble and you know the amount you are going to win. If the buy in is $100, you know that is all you have to risk to win the prize pool. In cash games your expenses can be immeasurable. On the flip side, you can catch a bad beat in a tournament by a bad player and not be able to regain your money lost, whereas in a cash game you can earn it back later by taking advantage of lesser players.
Luck in poker is a very important part to winning. Yes, you definitely need the skill, but to win a large event you have to have the luck. With Internet sites giving away seats to big events daily, the quality of the player has changed. World Poker Tour winner Ron Rose explains, "Some of the fresher players are playing some hands that they shouldn't have been playing and they get lucky and they hit and they knock out a good player, so it's more difficult now to win and luck plays more of a factor in the game because of the larger field."
A lot of pros will say that skill shows more in cash games over the long run. "If you are a cash game player there is more consistency in winning those games then you would find in tournaments. You are just going to win more often. In tournaments you could go a long time without having a big score," says professional player and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Brett Jungblut. The reason why a lot of pros are playing tournaments is because of the media coverage and the added benefits from being a recognized player. Also, players are motivated by the enormous prize pools and, of course, the legacy of World Series bracelets.
Another advantage to cash games is that you have the time to really observe your opponents. Making a decision in poker should be based on your competition. You have to know who the aggressor is, and who the weaker players are. In cash games you can take the time to watch and figure out other players strategies. In tournaments you can be switched around at any point to another table after you had just figured out a read on your opponents.
If you feel that tournaments are for you then you should be sure to enter into ones that are within your bankroll. If you have developed a poker bankroll of $50 a month then you should be entering small tournaments with a buy in of $1. You shouldn't be risking more than two percent of your bankroll on one tournament. If you are playing cash games you can play online for $0.10/$0.20 or $0.50/$1.00.
As you build your bankroll then you can move up. That is an important part of poker. You must play within your means and as you earn more money you can move up to higher tournament buy in's and higher limits in cash games. Some pros have moved up quickly through limits, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to beginners. Three time WPT Champion Gus Hansen admits that he moved to playing the largest cash game in the world sooner than he should have. "I moved up and down through limits a lot. If I won a lot I would move up, but then if I lost I would move back down. I have never been afraid to gamble."
In poker you should never have fear, but you should be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of what is at stake and what your possibilities of gain are. Based on all of that information you can decide whether tournaments or cash are best for you.
posted by Destroyed-love | 12:46 PM
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