Cash v. SnG

I want to start building a bank roll and also get a firm understanding of the game however I do not know what direction to take. Do I concentrate on just one type of game i.e. cash or do I try a balanced approach with the aim of becoming a well rounded player.

I do not want to become a jack of all trades and a master of none, and ideally I would like to learn from both and then evaluate maybe in the long run what would be the best type of game to pay attention to.

Pick one to start with. Its difficult enough to try and learn cash concepts alone, you might get overwhelmed trying to learn both at once.

I prefer cash games myself, as I think they provide a bigger edge with less variance. However, its probably easier to get good at playing SnG's, but the swings are pretty tilting from what I hear.

When you are learning to play and trying not to lose your entire bankroll it is better to play the ring tables, imo. This allows you to only play premium hands and blinds for a lot longer before engaging in play while not endagering your chances of a cash as you do in SNG. Once you have a feel for the table you can play more hands. Also, there's no limit on your earning potential. Let's say you're in a $1 SNG and you're really on a roll, the most you can win is $4.50. Whereas when you play ring table, say the min buy-in is $2 it's not uncommon to cash out with $6 to $10. And in all likely hood, you can cash out even, or just a little down.


And, if you just aren't getting lucky you can cash out anytime and try a different table. This has worked for me, but just a disclaimer, I'm a relatively new cash player. (Since about August, still playing on my original deposit!)

sounds to me like you should play a few sngs mtts, and make up your own mind , its down to you which one suits your roll,or your personality, in cashgames one bad night at the wrong limits or game can wipe you out,i tried stts mtts freerolls until i had the mechanics of the game sorted ,everyone in the game wants to build their bankroll,sitngos provide you with a good grounding in most aspects of the game as they vary in size 5 man all the way into the hundreds.you,ll have to play them both to decide .this is a marathon pal, it can take a while before your happy with your level.i play on paddy power so i know there are good sitngoes and mtts but the cash games are ok too .have a look about and try things out before you commit to one type ,i made that mistake years ago and am trying to rectify it these days ,,,good luck

It really is up to you, which one you prefer, but I am really starting to ramp up the amount of SnGs I am doing and as said before be ready for swings that make you feel like you can't lose at them and then make it feel like you are the worst player ever.

I started off focusing on SNG's with a few MTT's. Started off hot in SNG's, felt like I couldn't lose just like Melkor says, then went cold for a long time and felt like a poker failure, then got hot again, then cold again...

SnG's may look safer at first glance than cash, because you're playing for a fixed cost rather than directly playing your money on the table, but that definitely wasn't my experience - being in the money isn't enough, you need to place 1st and 2nd enough times to overcome the rake and the times you're out of the money - and be prepared for being out of the money for stretches of time, even when you're making optimal plays.

Got tired of the variance and switched to cash recently with a few MTT's. Cash is, I think, harder to master (and I'm not there yet) - more postflop strategy than in SNG's, which focuses on preflop - but the swings aren't as dramatic - and my ego (and bankroll) doesn't take nearly the beating when I'm running cold in cash because the overall swing is smaller.

That said, I'd suggest you try a little of everything and see what you enjoy, and then focus on that for a while - though if bankroll is your primary concern, I personally think cash is an easier place to start.

I found early on in my poker career that Heads up Sit and Goes really worked well for me. It depends on your style but if you are not bad at reading opponents then HUSNGs might not be a bad idea to try out. Just make sure you stay within your bankroll and try not to tilt on them. Cash, as was said earlier will give you a bit less variance than SNGs so its not a bad idea either.

so true about sngs ,i won a little 18 man one aday or two a go after coming 2nd in the one before so for the rest of the day i felt i had made progress and that i was "a better player" lol .the very next morning sat down and after that i couldnt win an argument ,every flop i missed ,every hand i folded made full house or flush, slys post is certainly right about your ego taking a battering at times, other times id sit down and and beat anyone (in my mind lol)but cash games are tougher to beat .i got addicted to winning sngs and must admit i had fun playing them ,and they were so cheap, 3 to 1 to make the money in a sng i liked them odds.money was my motivater and was cold comfort during losing streaks but that can be said about all poker variants.

Cash > Sng's

That's my opinion on that

In the long run, cash gives you more value with a harder learning curve. SNGs on the other hand are easier to learn and start off with for beginners.

I personally prefer sit n goes over cash games myself.
My bankroll seems to like it alot more to.
Cash games can get pretty risky with your bankroll.
The swings can be drastic.
In it n goes you know where you stand at all times.

Hi,
I dont know much about poker as I have only been playing it for 3 months, so all I can do is relate my experiences so far.
I started and still love 2.50/6player sit and goes where two get paid- 9+6. I started them a few months back and my ROI is at 32%. This is not spectacular, but I am happy as a beginner. What I found about them is that if you are tight and like to be able to wait for good cards, then don't do turbos- a bad run of cards, one lost race, or one bad beat combined with the rapidly rising blinds could leave you shortstacked and pushing with muck. However, this kind of game suits some people really well. I'm not saying that one shouldn't play them- I guess it depends on the kind of player involved, and I am really only saying what works for me.
I also found that at this low level, there are plenty of fish and maniacs that allow you to get paid off when you get a good hand.
The downside for me was the psychological whack when I finish just outside the money. All that effort for jack sh-t. It is even worse when it happens due to someone getting seriously lucky. Another downside is that I don't feel confident enough to multitable- if I was good enough to do that, my bankroll would increase significantly faster.
Recently, I have been getting into cash, which is also relevant to your original question. Again I want to stress that I say what I say with the obvious caveat that I have only been doing this for a short while and that what works for me may not work for you.
I got into cash because I learned a bit about the kind of poker style that suits me. I want to be able to go into any hand with a reasonable expectation of making a profit and without being pressured by the blinds to make a move. In cash, things are much slower, and that suits me. I can wait for the kind of cards I like to play, and I can make the right mathmatical decisions while knowing that losing a particular hand will not cost me my tournament life.
Basically, I play at very very low limits, as I am still learning. I play 9handed 4 NL- blinds of .02/.04 and I only play one table at a time. In the few weeks that I have been playing it, I have done ok. I have not compiled the records yet, but i have been profitable on 13 of 14 days and usually leave with over 4 dollars in profit after playing about 130 hands. I don't know if this is good or bad because I have yet to find out what the standard expectation for profit is. All I know is that there is way less variance than in sit and go play so far, but based on such a small sample, I don't fell like I can start pontificating about anything.
Having said that, I do think that good tight patient play without being really advanced or clever will yield profits in micro-limit games. I have found even more madness in this game than in the sit and goes. It is not uncommon to see players going all in with the likes of A 10o or KJ, and if you are around to take advantahe, you can do really well. What I would say is don't freak when the numbers betray you and you get a bad beat. I have had my Aces busted by a guy who called with Q8, but I still win enough hands where I am favorite to be profitable. On my worst day, I had that bad beat plus I also had my full house busted by quads, but most of the loss was paid for by profits already accrued, and I only lost about 4 dollars overall. Overall, the style of being patient and only playing premium hands has been paying off, and it is easier for me to play this strategy in 9 handed cash games than in 6 handed S&Gs.
Right now, I can say that I plan to play a lot more cash. I like sit and go games, but cash seems to suit my style. However, I am not giving up sit and go games- I think I'll play them less frequently, but for 5 instead of 2.50. I also want to slowly get into 10 NL, but I still would still like to play for a bit longer at my current level. This is because I have yet to lose kuch there, and I really want to see how I would react to a bigger loss. There are bound to be quite a few and I want to to see if I can have confidence in my current approach to risk management. I have a mental stop loss of 8 dollars per day, but I have no idea if this figure is an appropriate one. It might be too tight or too loose- right now I don't really know, so I can't really say a lot about it.
So with regards to your question, I found that it is best to try both and then see which one better suits your style of play. I found that cash suits me better.

Play what you enjoy until the money you're making is actually meaningful. The amount that is meaningful can be very different for different people. In my case, I play mostly MTTs because that's what I enjoy most. My ring game win rate per hour is higher, but the additional amount I'd win if I played the same number of hours (which I probably wouldn't) is not meaningful enough to me to make me switch.

If you get good enough so you are playing for meaningful money, you'll probably be good enough so you can change your main game without too much difficulty if you decide to do so.

I would like to play cash games to have more VIP points, this points I use for freerolls with good prizepoll.
SitNgo I playing with 6 players at table, it is easy way to win.
Mainly there are 2 donks eliminated quickly and 2 paid places . It is coming very soon to have a good win.

I started at $1 SnG's myself after weighing the opportunity cost of all games.
It gave me more time to pick and choose the hands i played. solid conservative play built a small bankroll for me and from there i got into cash games and bigger SnG's.