Do MTTs + Cash Mix? Thinking Of Mixing Them Advice Needed

Im considering playing in some MTT's, I would love to go deep and say like win $1,000 from $5 that would be awesome. I am experimenting atm
with the 210FPP sattys into the sunday 200k which is sort of a "free" entry if I get into it.
I know these not easy by any means but I would love to give it a go. I feel it may widen my experiences as a poker player
and turn me into a more complete player. However before I do this I need some advice and information about these.
Please could you answer the following for me.

1. If I were to play in MTT's do you feel this would mess up my cash games?
2. Is it worth mixing up cash + tourneys? Any experience on this?
3. Where would you start (BI amount) and with what roll? how many entrants?
4. I play cash on stars, would you consider changing sites + having 1 for tourneys and 1 for cash so the rolls dont get mixed or
is this too confusing? If so what sites are "soft" for tourneys? If no which tourneys on pokerstars would you start off in?
5. In your opinion do you think this is a good or bad idea?

Thanks in advance

IMO tournies are fun to play and a big score is awesome. I would buy into some of the $5-$11 donkaments for fun. I also would say play some of the double shootout sattys to the sunday warmup/million. IMO taking a shot at these once in a while is good since these sattys are very soft and it gives you a chance to play in a big MTT. If you play 6max cash, theres a 11pm 6max MTT thats good too. D

To sum it up, to take some chances and play in MTT is fine but I would never go from grinding cash to grinding MTT etc.

Not at all. In fact it may even strengthen it a bit because you get more experience with dealing with various stack sizes and push/fold stuff when you get short is perfectly applicable to when say there's a shortstack on your left or else a shortstack on your right raised and it's folded to you.
Personally, I make more money playing cash, but the big tournaments are much softer than the buy-ins indicate mainly because of satellites. Even though the buy-in is the same, Sunday million/warmup players are much worse than 200nl players and I'm sure the 200k players are probably worse than 10nl players.
Again this is personally me but I like the huge tournaments just because of the variance. I spend money I can afford to lose (so it's not really BRM) and look to hit it big. It's like playing the lottery basically, only with this lottery you're probably +ev .
I don't think getting rolls mixed is a problem if you simply keep a record. If you want to keep separate rolls just keep an excel sheet or something. Personally as I mentioned before I don't have a tourney roll because my goal isn't to make a steady profit as it is with cash. Just know it takes forever to reach the long run in tourneys and that if you are playing cash as well it could be months and months before you even come close to your expectation if even that. So it depends what you want to do. If you want to grind cash and also grind MTTs (like multi-table sngs maybe) then you could give yourself a tourney roll and just keep track. If you're just going to take shots I don't think it makes sense to have a roll because that's not the goal of playing. It's all about what you want your goal to be.
Good idea. Like I said it can only improve you as a poker player, and tourneys, especially ones with satellites, are much softer than their equivalent ring levels. Just get ready for long streaks (I think Moshman, or whoever the Stox MTT guy is, had like a 50-game streak where he like won 2x his buy-in 5 times and that was it) of losing. That's why I think cash is a good thing on the side so you have one game that hopefully makes semi-consistent money and another form where you could have a few huge scores or also maybe run bad and lose some money.

Anyway, most of these questions only you can answer. What are your goals with playing MTTs?

I'd suggest I'm as well placed as anyone to answer this

1. If I were to play in MTT's do you feel this would mess up my cash games?

It shouldn't do, but they are worlds apart in terms of approach and you need to keep that front and centre in your mind at all times.


2. Is it worth mixing up cash + tourneys? Any experience on this?

Every day. It's hard to play both at the same time after the first hour or two of a tourney as to get maximum value you really need to focus on every hand, whether you are in it or not.


3. Where would you start (BI amount) and with what roll? how many entrants?

"normal" MTT and Ring rules for BMR should apply. This may mean you are winning at MTTs but dropping down levels because you are on a losing run at ring or vice versa.


4. I play cash on stars, would you consider changing sites + having 1 for tourneys and 1 for cash so the rolls dont get mixed or
is this too confusing? If so what sites are "soft" for tourneys? If no which tourneys on pokerstars would you start off in?

Two sites may allow better mental separation, but it's all your money.

On pokerstars the 1500 chip MTTs are crapshoots compared to those with deeper stacks. Turbos etc are just increasing variance.


5. In your opinion do you think this is a good or bad idea?

Depends on whether or not you are prepared for months at a time where you lose money and yet don't get affected in order to suddenly make it all back and more. MTTs are more of a grind than Ring, because the gratification is so few and far between. Most of the time even the best player loses. At least with ring you get to stack someone every few hundred hands or so.

Good luck.

Glad you commented rex as you are probs "the god" of mixing cash + MTT's. I like zachs approach of using it like the lottery, although $200 to me is like 8 buy ins at 25NL lol I think for the mean time the 210 fpps will work into the sunday 200k as its just a lottery when im in the tourney but ok to get in it as the SNG was fairly basic. Are there any other sattys into tourneys like this which are worth playing?

Well I'm not the most consistent or experienced of Ring players, so I'd avoid crowning me just yet.

But as I tend to have most months in profit at MTTs I certainly see that a combined successful ring and MTT game is potentially extremely profitable.

$3 rebuy and some of the turbo sats are good, but the edge is small and it's not really a good BRM move to play many unless you are rolled for the main event.

And seriously, as Zach says MTT variance is truly, truly horrific.

Think im going to try and satty into the 200k every week, I have 5 free tickets for 2k freerolls + play the VIP freerolls for the mean time. Then hopefully make gold for next month and maybe play steps into the million/warm up next month.

Thats the plan now, dont want to eat into my cash roll for tourneys so I will use my FPPs but not too many.

MTTs Im going to play now and future plans.

210 FPP Sattys Into Sunday 200K

5 free tickets I received for 2k Freerolls Every Sunday - Tourney > Private

VIP 20k Freeroll 100 FPP Buy In - Saturdays

VIP 1k Freeroll 50 FPP Buy In Saturdays

VIP 2k Freeroll 100 FPP Buy In - Sundays

VIP 2.5K Freeroll 200FPP Buy In - Last Saturday Of Month

VIP 100K FPP Sattys - Last Saturday Of Month


Future - Once Goldstar

SNG > Steps > Step 4 Ticket = Entry To Million/Warm Up

I play a mix of Ring and MTT.

My preference is for MTTs. Ring games seem dull by comparison - no beginning, no end, no rising blinds or changing gears. All you need to do (certainly at the levels I play, 50nl and 100nl) is to sit around until you catch a hand and somebody gives you their money.

The downside of MTTs (as others have said) is that you can play well and still go long periods without success. My solution, when I haven`t had a recent MTT win and the BR is going the wrong way, is to play my MTTs for free by winning the buyin first at a cash table.

Bolded parts don't add up imo, how can people giving you their money be dull?

its great to mix up your game.
just realize before you get started in mtt's that variance in them is huge.
you will soon learn you play mtt's much different than you play cash games.
good luck.

I personally do not like to play cash and mtt's at the same time. Ill either play a few cash tables or a few mtt's when multi tabling.

The variance blows as previously stated but when you finally break through and win an MTT it is 100x better than winning a stack in ring.

For you Jake I'd just say give it a try, and if you're feeling like it messes you up then don't bother with them

well first i eat the cash, then i eat the mtt, if after i eat them all i end up withh a profit then its victory forall

Two Different Mind sets completely! Have to play Tag in Cash Games to be consistently Profitable. And MTT's are all about being able to pick your spots with nothing but air. Relying on your Chip Stack Dynamics and Opponents alot more. Just my opinion. Plus in a MTT you have to know that its a numbers game you may not hit for your first 10 tourneys and than get a big cash and be well ahead in your BR! Good luck whatever you decide to do..

DonkeySmash

I play both , usually I like playing MTTs when I have bad luck in SnG and i don't feel like keep playing while I'm in tilt. MTTs requires different approach (start tight etc.. etc.. ) Also , don't forget that some MTTs are paying good like one in PS that buy in is 2.2$ (if I recall) and first place (180 players) get paid 108$ :-)