Starting hands in Cash games vs tournaments

So after winning a couple dollars from finishing ITM in a few freerolls I decided to try my hand at 0.01/0.02 stakes cash games. Those have been going well so far and I've a bit more than doubled the $2 I had to start with.

So far I've been sticking more or less to the same starting hands I would be using during the early stages of a freeroll, loosening up or bluffing when I'm pretty sure I can get away with it.
Are there any differences between the starting hands I would want to be playing in these two games?

EnigmaTTO said:

So after winning a couple dollars from finishing ITM in a few freerolls I decided to try my hand at 0.01/0.02 stakes cash games. Those have been going well so far and I've a bit more than doubled the $2 I had to start with.

So far I've been sticking more or less to the same starting hands I would be using during the early stages of a freeroll, loosening up or bluffing when I'm pretty sure I can get away with it.
Are there any differences between the starting hands I would want to be playing in these two games?

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You're generally in the right ball park.

Cash games are effectively Early stage tournaments. Low blinds, Deep stacks. The advantages with cash games though you can learn your opponents. MUCH better. The tables don't change.Like in tournaments, you seem to be carried off to a new table often, but in the cash game the players tend to stay. This gives you the opportunity to be constantly evolving your game and changing as the players change and adapt. As long as you aren't falling into what I call the "pitfalls" of cash games you should be fine and they are.

1. Don't play scared
2. Forgetting that not everyone has a 100bb stack
3. Not bluffing enough

Basically, as long as your strategy at early tournaments is up to par it should translate well in cash games. The only real RANGE differences is in cash there will be a lot more merged and polarized 3 bets vs. early tournament more open steal. and post flop play.

The main problem I have with cash games is having them break often and then you have to jump on a new waiting list.

I guess I need to up my short-handed game up to combat this but I generally won't play with less than 7 sitting. I just don't feel comfortable there but I may need to get my 6-max game up.

NHequalsFU said:

The main problem I have with cash games is having them break often and then you have to jump on a new waiting list.

I guess I need to up my short-handed game up to combat this but I generally won't play with less than 7 sitting. I just don't feel comfortable there but I may need to get my 6-max game up.

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Yea, it’s good to attack what you feel your weaknesses are head on. By fixing your weaknesses you allow yourself to move up to another level. If you feel like you’re just not good at short handed play spend more time studying short handed play than you do playing it until you feel you understand it better, then try it out making notes of what exact parts of short handed play are your biggest issues coming from and attack those issues.

Biggest thing to note though, is that if the game is good (profitable) whether you’re short handed and feel like you’re terrible at it or 10 handed keep playing because that’s what we search for the easiest and softest tables. If it’s not good (to many regs, difficult, consistently losing) leave and go find a better table.

In cash games I play more tight than tournaments

in tournaments I like to play tight till I have lots of chips then maybe loosen up a little. cash games I tend to fold a lot more hands so I won't end up playing any two cards its best to go in with all premium hands rather than any suite connectors or any other flush draws with any cards.

When you play in cash, you always have a deep stack. This should affect the range of hands with which you start to play, as well as your decision preflop. Unlike tournaments, there is no pressure the ICM, the growth of the blinds and, as a result, there is no need to bring weak hands into the pot.

EnigmaTTO said:

So after winning a couple dollars from finishing ITM in a few freerolls I decided to try my hand at 0.01/0.02 stakes cash games. Those have been going well so far and I've a bit more than doubled the $2 I had to start with.

So far I've been sticking more or less to the same starting hands I would be using during the early stages of a freeroll, loosening up or bluffing when I'm pretty sure I can get away with it.
Are there any differences between the starting hands I would want to be playing in these two games?

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better luck with a little wider range..

Cash micro playing the same as opening(tight) range of free-roll, that's a good strategy. But don't be so ready to throw away J10s, 89s. Suited is nice, but how often have good runs, ITM started with started with a win with "inferior" hands?