Cash games vs MTTs vs SnGs for beginners/micro players

I'm a classic newbie who played some recreational live Holdem before playing online, who started at the lowest micro stakes, and who has been moving up pretty cautiously in the stakes to the point that now I'm playing $.25-.50 ... and want to keep progressing and (obviously) keep building my bankroll. And I understand the concepts behind basic BR management, of not playing stakes beyond what your BR can handle, moving up slowly, etc.

So the question is: should a beginner like me be playing mostly cash games for now, or MTTs, or SnGs? I've been playing full ring games almost exclusively, with a very occasional cheap MTT, but basically NO SnGs -- mostly because I'm a little unsure about my short handed & heads-up skills. Should I be getting involved in more tournaments of either kind? or just stick to cash? or play more of an even mix?

(Btw, maybe it doesn't really matter, but I'm mostly playing limit . Most people often assume everyone plays NL.)

Totally up to you. If you want to start SnG's I would strongly suggest the $.25 sats to the Daily Dollar, and I believe there is a $.90 Super sat to the 200K Double Deuce running as well. They're low-risk and a perfect way to get used to the format of it all. After that, the stakes increase pretty steadily so you can keep moving up as your BR increases. Once you build up your BR I would strongly suggest getting into SupTurbo SnG's if you want some fast cash. I think they start at like a $3.90 buy-in so you'll probably have to wait for a while on those. You can also try heads-up for a while, maybe play a couple every day for a change of pace. It's all up to you and how confident you feel with your game.

I personally haven't had much luck with low-stakes MTTs. Of course, I built most of my BR on SnG's so a 5-hour tourny generally doesn't look too appealing to me. I would suggest staying away from those until you can get into the $5-10 buy-in range pretty comfortably.

Try a little of everything, see what you like, slowly increase your stakes! Good luck

Asking if you *should* play cash games, MTT's, or S&G's is like asking what your major in college should be.

The answer is: Do what you enjoy.
If you feel that you want to expand your game into various formats (S&G's, or 6-max, or MTT's, or whatever), or different games (Omaha, Razz, 8 Game, etc.), well then do it.

Professional poker players need to be well rounded, because the want to hit the games that currently have the highest rate of return. Some days there will be juicy No Limit Hold'Em tables, other days the NLHE tables will be dry but the Omaha games are juicy.
But you're not a professional. You have the luxury of playing for fun, so follow your heart.

When I started playing I assumed that I'd only play tournaments. But then I started experimenting with ring games and found that I enjoyed the decreased variance. That is, I liked that I could buy in for $5 and leave most games with a small profit. I liked that better than losing S&G after S&G to hit the occasional big profit. (I learned this with play money so when I deposited I was almost exclusively a ring game player)

You mentioned that you have some hesitation about your short handed and HU play. This is *exactly* why you should play S&G's rather than MTT's.
The real money at the end of any tournament is in 1st place. The difference between 1st and 4th is often huge.
It would suck to get to the end of a 6 hour MTT and you miss out on hundreds or thousands of dollars because your endgame wasn't what it could be, because you lacked experience.
So I recommend practicing in cheap S&G's. The kamikaze nature of engame play is quite different than cash game play. I know I had trouble adapting, and it took Harrington on Hold'em Volume II to finally get me to step out of my nitty ring game comfort zone to do what is necessary to win tournaments.

That's a great reply! Thank you.

(Btw, so far I'm a llimit holdem player, but I assume it still applies.) I've known for a little while that I should just start playing short handed & HU to get my skills more well-rounded. But I'm like you, in that I like seeing -- so far -- my little earning increase as a nice, fairly even pace, rather than the highs & lows associated with tourneys.

Good advice. I'm definietly planning on SnG soon.

if you have been having some success at the ring games stick to them, that will make you the most money in the long run...even pros only cash 40 percent of the time in MTTs...cash games are a monotonous grind but its the best way by far to profit playing this game...i play about 9 hours a day (6 the casino and 2/3 at home online ) i have been doing it full time for about 3 months and its going really well...go to your nearest bookstore and grab a copy of phil gordons little blue book...its perfect for learning how to play cash table...

cheers and gl to you
wooter

i left out a point a wanted to make...mtts do offer the potential of life changing money if you are lucky enough to win a big tournie...but sounds to me thats not what you are looking for right now...

again gl