Do you play to win or play to cash?

Karozi615

Karozi615

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So I've played 3 live MTT's in the last 2 weeks and cashed 3rd in my third tournament. After every session I try to evaluate my play and what I did right or wrong.
I played in my 4th tournament yesterday, there were 60 players and the structure was 15k starting stacks, 30 minute levels, and the blinds started at 25/50.
I ended up busting in 12th place and only the top 6 paid. One hand is annoying me a lot.
Blinds: 2k/4k ante: 300
It is folded to me on the button with 99. I raise to 8k and SB folds.
BB pushes all in for 31,000
I have about 80,000 behind and there is 16k in the pot already. I thought about it for a minute and then I decided to call.
He had AJ and I ended up losing the hand.
My question is this: Outside of the fact that I got it in good and made a seemingly standard play, in terms of MTT principle, is it better to tighten up and avoid coin flips in the late stages? I feel like I could have played really tight and given myself a real chance to cash, and in retrospect winning this hand would have made me extremely comfortable, but looking back I risked 40% of my stack with 99 when the tourney was down to 2 tables, why not just fold?
I guess it comes down to, do you play to win or play to cash?
^anybody else ask themselves this question or take it into consideration in the late stages of a tourney
 
steveiam

steveiam

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If your playing to win then you have to be prepared to take more risks and flips. Otherwise you could just fold everything and hope you make it to the cash. The shorter stacks will be shoving with all kinds of hands so your 99 is not a bad decision you just didn't get the right result.
 
psychotie

psychotie

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As I play only micros I only play to win, It gives me a good feeling and is fun. I don `t play to make money. If I break even in the long run I `m ok.
gl on the felts
 
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cpgd176

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I always play to win. That situation is very standard spot. I would've done the same thing and lost. It was actually a very good spot for a coinflip since you have BB covered and losing the pot there didn't cripple your stack. You still had around 50k left which is about 18 bbs. I can't imagine the play was that deep at that stage and so a 50k stack is definitely manageable there.

You were ahead of alot of the hands BB is shoving, good call. Had you won, you wouldn't have bothered posting this I don't think. Coinflips are part of tournament poker and you need to win some to win tournaments. Good players avoid having to coinflip for their entire stack or even a large percentage of their stack. 40% I would say is either right around the cutoff or even slightly over, but it's by no means horrible.

GL in future tournaments.
 
JaxA

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Early in my poker "career" I would've folded (wrongly I believe) because I used to play to cash. Once I began playing to win I had better results. I think you made the right decision.
 
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matiusaa

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In the long run you will earn more if you play to win than if you play to cash, talking about mtts. this is because the biggest cashes are among the top places.
 
spiderman637

spiderman637

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Generally i divide my game into 3 stages...
First to get ITM...
Second i aim for final table...
Thirdly, once in final table,my preference depends mostly on how big is the winning amount...
If its low to medium, i try and play for 1st position...
If its a huge win prize, i play to win as much cash i could win....
 
dj11

dj11

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Before you can win, you have to make the bubble. LDO

Once that occurs, then you change to a win it strategy. Personally, I do as well barely making the money and coming back to win as I do being a big stack at the bubble.

So IMHO, making that money bubble is paramount until accomplished.
 
Jacki Burkhart

Jacki Burkhart

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I definitely play for the thrill and glory of winning. That is what poker is to me is a hobby that I love and do for enjoyment...and there is nothing more enjoyable than sitting on a big mound of chips and winning more and more!

I play for titles and jewelry, as I already work a full time job that pays me more than enough money and more than I could hope to make as a professional poker player, and I love my job and don't plan on quitting so poker is my joy, and nothing is as fun as winning!
 
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Frankie6636

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IT really depends on the buyin. IF it is high then I try to cash. If it is a small MTT then I play to WIN. This stategy has been helping me out greatly.
 
midgetfactory

midgetfactory

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I used to play to cash, once i hit the money take riskd but then i realised if i min cash im only getting basically my buy in back for wasted time, so now when the money hits it doesnt effect my game and im always gunning for that final table
 
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aircasar9876

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I agree with an above post that it should be played in stages. I actually won back to back tournaments while playing at the same time a few weeks ago. funny enough one was a 2 dollar rebuy in which i was number 240, which was the last to enter lol. when it starts I try to double my stack to the first break and if i cant get hands and am being blinded then I just try to win 1 hand per cycle or 2 to hand in there. once I get to the money then its all or nothing. I feel like playing the final 2 tables is hardest. it moves so slow usually and I used to lose patience.
 
dino

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I always try to go for the final table and for the win, but when it's about bubble time, then I play more TAG
 
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locha2013

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I always played to win, then I become aggressive when I lost the all in preflop with better hands, so I decided to take a break. Now I am playing not so many all ins and become more carefully. Perhaps it is an other playing style and not always a playing style to win. But I have always the desire to win, I don't know where it comes from, maybe because I want to win.
 
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ravpl

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I played at the beginning to get to places paid but now I try to always get to the FT. It's a very cool feeling to sit among the best
 
Arjonius

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I think you have to call the shove unless you have a solid read that his range is well ahead of yours. There's 47k in the pot after he pushes and you have to call 23. Since losing won't cripple you, the pot odds dictate calling unless you feel his range is strong enough so that the pot odds are in his favor.
 
PLAYINBIG

PLAYINBIG

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If I play to cash.I like cash games or double up sit n gos.If I play to win then cash, I like tournaments.
 
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mariocep

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I try the mtt in 3 or 4 stages, depending on the number of players. In the first stage, supertaight starts the 2nd. in the early ante up the range, the 3th in the bubble, I again be tight and 4th if I get to the final table, depends on my stack of rivals and prizes, but from step 2 game to reach 1th, no matter the buyin. Sorry if you do not know, my language is Spanish, I write with a translator
 
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Countmein

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I feel this is a must call. Knowing his situation in big with 8bb left IMHO it's a no brainer he's desperate and I have a made hand. The fact that he got there well hey that's poker. I've been in similar situations held AK-AQs and lost 44-22. Also done it to others.

Now if early position villain shoves and I look down at 99 I might fold at this stage. But in blind or after opening up with a raise heck no.
 
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cotta777

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Playing to win is going to come with higher variance but also you still need to be capable of winning those fields to play the strategy.

with playing to cash you will arguable go deeper more often and still potentially get deep once the bubble bursts it really depends on the structure and skill levelb of field
 
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