SNG/Tournaments vs. cash games

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Iselo

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I'm pretty new to poker in general and have been building my bankroll from freerolls for a couple of months now. I'm playing some real money (micro) SNGs with my freeroll winnings along with reading about SNG and tournament strategy to improve my game. I have chosen to focus on SNG and tournaments because I have heard from a few professional players that "this is where the money is nowadays". Because the poker boom brought lots of players to the cash tables and the cash palyers that are left today are the really skilled ones. What do you guys think, is this true? Are tournaments the way to go and why/why not?
 
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sagiPOTM

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its not that players on cash games are skilled, its just that on turnaments you can earn a lot of money, 1st, 2nd, 3th place of big tournament and you can retire... :D so play smart, and focus on tours :) btw my opinion is that hyper donk agression today is called skill....nc
 
ChiTownRon

ChiTownRon

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It all comes down to preference. If you feel like you are playing better in tournaments then cash ring games, then stick to tournaments. I can enjoy playing both but I enjoy playing tournaments a lot more and I feel I'm a lot better in those then at the cash ring tables.
 
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credsfan03

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In the long run you can make more at cash tables if you get good. In tournaments there is a lot more luck involved.
 
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Pipernga

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I like to play both tourney and cash games. It depends on how much time I have and what kind of mood i'm in.
 
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dan abnormal

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I have some major money holes that I gotta figure out cause I have lost some cash this month playing cash and I think its cause Imthinking like an MTT player. I mean hand like KK I do want to get it all the middle preflop if possible or is that more of a MTT type move. It just seems in later posiongs that in cash I should be tryingout more lower suited or even capped connectors but once I enter those waters, I find myself sorta lost on semi good semi bad fops
 
bullishwwd

bullishwwd

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One can generally "win and lose faster" in Cash games ... keep that in mind and play accordingly.

You can likely "win the most" (long run) in MTTs but you must be able to accept many many many tournaments without even an ITM finish...you will lose many many more than you win...can you accept the failures, the grind, the long hours, the greater variance?

Your poker 'strategy' should be significantly different between the two... 'chip accumulation' vs 'cash & go'. The GOAL of each is significantly DIFFERENT.

Analyze what "type of player" you tend to be best ... your player traits lend itself to one over another.

You can be good at either, but generally you'll tend to play better at one and enjoy playing it more too ... key is to discover which one. Play the one you 'enjoy' the most (likely will be the one you win at the most).


Good luck, Wally
 
trucker103

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i prefer sng over cash games but play both !
 
Arjonius

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Play what you enjoy. As a beginner and/or a recreational player, if you look at the big picture, how much does it matter if you could theoretically make more money by playing games you enjoy less? You can always decide to do that later if you advance to where you're playing for significant amounts of money.
 
sam1chips

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I've always had more success at tournament-styled games than ring games, it just comes down to what you like the best / what you have the most success in
 
A2345Razz

A2345Razz

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One can generally "win and lose faster" in Cash games ... keep that in mind and play accordingly.

You can likely "win the most" (long run) in MTTs but you must be able to accept many many many tournaments without even an ITM finish...you will lose many many more than you win...can you accept the failures, the grind, the long hours, the greater variance?

Your poker 'strategy' should be significantly different between the two... 'chip accumulation' vs 'cash & go'. The GOAL of each is significantly DIFFERENT.

Analyze what "type of player" you tend to be best ... your player traits lend itself to one over another.

You can be good at either, but generally you'll tend to play better at one and enjoy playing it more too ... key is to discover which one. Play the one you 'enjoy' the most (likely will be the one you win at the most).


Good luck, Wally


So wrong, just so wrong....
 
A2345Razz

A2345Razz

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I've always had more success at tournament-styled games than ring games, it just comes down to what you like the best / what you have the most success in

Unfortunately most people who casually play donkaments have NO CLUE if they are profitable or not in a meaningful way...they usually get hooked after binking early when the deck hits them silly and constantly think they have an edge till volume and reality build up.

Good thing for skilled players too...its WAYYY more easy to be delusional in Donkament play about your relative skill level for a myriad of reasons...not the least of which is most donkament play is played well under 100BB while cash can be well over 100 a lot of the time making it it a much more complex endeavor.
 
NeverEnough

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You can wait for cards in cash whereas in MTT, you will be out if you always wait for great cards.
 
frozensprx

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i prefer sng, but that is because i get really bored with cash games and i enjoy the excitement of increasing blinds and adjusting to the different levels of the tournament. Perhaps if you are more patient then cash is the way to go, but personally i just enjoy sng more so that is the route that i choose to play.
 
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MIShroomer47

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Both aspects are a battle. The highs and lows of cash can be a roller coaster of emotion. It's not a stack of tourny chips, every bet matters in the cash game, and you better be damn sure when you put all your money in the middle
Tournaments (as mentioned above) are a grind for sure, but the payout to buyin ratio is usually a solid investment if you make the final table. yeah you might not cash extremely well for 20 or 30 tournys but when you do, it usually covers your lost buy ins and then some. Plus with a tournament you already know the amount at risk, some people are more comfortable that way.
You'll find the style you like best, good luck
 
Extreme Fishing

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I preferred starting up with cash, my bro started with sng. Think it is just personal preference.
 
JAE1957

JAE1957

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Cash game or STG

I prefer to play stg's but when I do decide to play cash games I do so for recreation and set a limit on what I can afford to lose and also a limit of when to walk away! I usually feel that if I can triple my starting investment it is time to walk away and put those chips in the bank for another day. I am not a pro by any means and this system works for me to keep my funds available to play without having to reload more of my hard earned cash.
 
AllboutMeBaby

AllboutMeBaby

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I really like playing the bounty sit&go but now that black chip has moved they don't have many and they cost more with less of a bounty paid. But I still like them and I do better short handed anyway. I don't know why I guess my patience runs out for the people who seem to get the " all in deck" at every game. I mean for real people why all in every hand we are playing poker not bingo. I guess that is what you get with people who have more money then since at a table.
 
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MIShroomer47

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I am a tournament player... I find it difficult to make a profit playing cash for some reason... yet I can manage to earn profit in tournaments. there are plenty of skilled players in both games, but there are plenty of fish as well.

I can certainly confirm that if you are a successful MTT and SNG player you will earn a profit, and a good one if you manage your bank and play in the limits that you should be. I would also like to point out that satelliting is a great way to earn money. I earned an 11$ buy in for 1$ and min cashed the 11$ game for 18$... 1$ into 18$ was nice...

Satellites I think are going to be the way to go for sure. I'm currently working from a 0$ account.. and am now at $125+ Took a 3rd in the dollar frenzy rebuy yesterday... and I'm still playing $1 sat. tournies for 11$ tickets. Just remember bankroll management is key to being a winning MTT and SNG player. you need to leave yourself with sufficient funds for many buy ins and expect to not cash all the time...
 
MediaBLITZ

MediaBLITZ

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I'm pretty new to poker in general and have been building my bankroll from freerolls for a couple of months now.

Okay this is not meant to be insulting but good solid advice.

#1 - You are not playing in the same ballpark (almost literally) as "a few pros" - so much of what they say is not really relevant to you and your game. This gets a lot of players confused and ultimately in trouble.

#2 - At this point it just doesn't matter too much which way you go, BUT whatever path you choose it is best to stay on it with the goal being to learn and gain some sort of mastery of that variation of the game. So choose the one you enjoy the most, commit a time frame of study and play, reassess and try something else if it strikes your fancy a little ways down the road.
 
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Samweis3

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personally i prefer SNG's because i am much better in these, but also cash games not playing nl holdem ar ok
 
Tropwen

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One thing to consider is the availability U have. I played cash games when I started and the only thing I ended up liking was how no matter what you can always find a cash game online or live , and with tournaments u always have to wait for it to fill up (sng) or to start (mtt) and then u have to dedicate a few hours for play time (mtt) or at least 30min for a fun step sng and me having 2 kids and job I'm not available all hours for all the nice tournaments but even all that I still prefer mtt/sngs over cash tables but I'm sure most pros make most of there money from cash games so find what's more fun for you
 
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