Do you open different hands for tourneys and cash games?

knileh

knileh

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Curious if I should be opening different hands (playing tighter) in tournaments compared to cash games. Or does this depend on my opponents? It's hard to get reads on guys and gals online.
 
suby_rafael

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Cash game you can open a wide range because the blinds do not increase unlike tournaments. You can play a similar game especially at the start of the tournament when the blinds are at their lowest. But late in the tournament opening light in early position can be risky unless the players at your table are passive. In most cases you run the risk of getting 3bet so it is recommended to open with strong hands when in early to middle position if the table is loose.
In tournaments it is all about the blind level, the stack of everyone at the table, the position and type of players. So you have to play accordingly in a tournament. Cash game is completely different game where you can try opening with anything from almost any position.
 
knileh

knileh

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Thank you for the complete answer. What I gained was: tighten up as the blinds increase?
 
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thatgreekdude

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i will raise any suited connectors, pocket pairs and big aces early on in a tournament especially if i have position, i'm much tighter in cash games but i am a grinder :D and as far as tightening up as the blinds increase i actually disagree, as the blinds increase so does there value in correlation to your stack stealing blinds is necessary if you want to build and maintain an above average stack and make a deep run, raise as much as possible in the cut-off and the button, obviously not any two cards but cards that have good post-flop playability :)
 
knileh

knileh

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Hmm.. interesting. So don't change the opening hands, change the raise of the better opening hands? If I've understood you correctly, Greco?
 
Akorps

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Definitely different, if only because of ICM :)
 
Jblocher1

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. U need to widen ur range as blinds increase in tournaments. In cash games the blinds are constant and as long as u consistently have 100BB which you should.... You can open the same range consistently.

In a tourney lets say the blinds are 10/20 and we have 5k.... We have 250BB... There's no reason to splash around in the early levels with crafty button/ cut off steals because of the fact that its simply not worth it. Lets say 5 hours into the tournament the blinds are 500/1000 (not factoring in antes) and we have 20k.... At this point... A button steal is far more valuable to our stack, especially since we not only collect the blinds which provides like an 8% increase to our stack (roughly) but also the antes as well. Since there is a greater incentive to steal.... We should definitely open wider in the late stages than the early stages.

Tournies and cash are very different... Don't play them the same way
 
IM deusXmachina

IM deusXmachina

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Hmm.. interesting. So don't change the opening hands, change the raise of the better opening hands? If I've understood you correctly, Greco?


In My Opinion: You need to play cash game based on the table, how your hands are will change every session. The players change every session, even if you are taking notes and see the same people day in and day out. See more flops than you would a trny, and tread lightly unless you have a sturdy hand with decent equity. You need to learn to let go of the JJ and QQ when the K or A come out...ONLY IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THEY HAVE IT OF COURSE.... and keep from defeating yourself by tilting and blowing your buy in. Even if you can rebuy and "start again" remember your opponents are holding more ammo, and it was yours.

As for Tourneys, you are running both a marathon and yet a sprint....YOU MUST PLAY TO STAY ALIVE: the Blinds will NEVER get smaller ( hence the "sprint")

BUT you must also outlast the field and make it into the money if you are hoping to make a profit....(the marathon)

Oh yeah, don't forget you need to beat the general variability of poker odds as well....GL! ; )


:2h4:
 
Arjonius

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It's not just about the cards you're dealt. You should also consider the overall situation and adapt your game as best you can, including but not limited to what hands you open.

In tournaments, there can be different factors to consider because the blinds increase, the payout structure is different, etc.
 
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