Why cash games are harder than tournaments?

[rabman50]

In a cash game you can wait as long as you want before playing a hand. The blind levels do not go up so there is no incentive to play less than premium hands. On the other hand, in a tournament the blind levels are constantly increasing. You are forced to play hands or blind out of the tournament. Your losses in a tournament are fixed to the amount of the buy-in, but once you lose your stack you are no longer in the game. In a cash game if you lose your stack you can replenish it from your pocket and continue to play. Good cash game players can make a steady income. Even good tournament players will lose 80% of the tournaments they enter but when they win it could be for huge sums of money. I play both and enjoy both. When I play a cash game I can decide how long I will play. Whereas I need to set aside a large block of time to play a tournament.

 

[WDStipa]

I personally like to play both tournaments and cash games.
I can't say whether it is more difficult to play a cash game or a tournament game, simply two different games require two different tactics.
Playing a cash game you can lose money faster, but both games require discipline and skill to make a profit.

 

[IRINA70]

From my point of view, one of the major differences is the tactics of the game. If we look at the parameters of the HUD, in particular VPIP, and how they differ in tournament games and at the cash table, it becomes clear that in the tournament the tactics of the game differ in their diversity depending on the level of the tournament - more aggressive and loose at the beginning and more tight at the end. as you get closer to the bubble. At the cash table, you need a tight game over a long distance and the patience to keep it that way. And this is difficult and requires attention and discipline.

 

[mina271]

I think that it doesn't really matter what you play, you always have to be able to adapt to the given circumstances at the table. That's why you shouldn't stick strictly to just one strategy. You always have to look at how the other players play at the table and what cards you have and so on. In tournaments, it may be an advantage that you only pay a buy in once and then only lose that if you don't make it to the paid places, but the way to the paid seats is much longer than at the cash table and if things don't go that way then you can't just leave the table. With cash tables, it's true that you can lose more money there, but you can leave the table at any time if things don't go so well. And if things go well, then you have an immediate win and not just after hours of games.

 

[dongato2]

because the cash game is more complete mainly in the postflop game

 

[kunkgreen]

The dynamics of the game change a lot.
In fact we can even consider them 2 different games (cash and tournament).

It starts with the fact that in cash games we are usually almost always deep stacked, but we have several other differences.

 

[Ruslan L]

I also usually lose at cash games. That's why I focused on tournaments. I think cash games require more skill and experience and are therefore more difficult.

 

[Mati532]

Tournaments are more difficult for me, I still have a hard time, I feel more comfortable at cash tables!

 

[Ketienne]

I think it all depends on personal preference. For some, it's probably the other way around and playing tournaments is harder.

 

[AllOut]

There are a lot of weak players in both tournaments and cash games at the micros and low limits, and there can be many reasons why you cannot play cash games successfully, and it is impossible to answer your question without seeing how you play and where you make mistakes. !!! I can only assume that maybe you are not playing aggressively enough as in my experience in cash games in some cases you need a little more aggression and risk than in tournaments !!!

Congrats sir, I believe he got your lesson as this your advice imposes aggression that couldn't be better taught. Well portrayed!!!

 

[sandlax]

cash games are boooring, Flod machine! tournaments sooo bingo with nothing!

 

[No Bologna]

My online experience online is; in a cash game, unless you have the nuts someone always has a better hand than you. I feel I do well in tournaments and then get my ass handed to me in cash games. I don't have the same experience at a casino.

 

[AndreyBudnik]

it's easier for me to play cash I can always take a break to go out for a smoke and stuff

I can always fix my profit and my losses
Yes, you can’t immediately win a lot of money in cash (but this is not a lottery)
because most tournaments with hyper structure look like a simple lottery

 

[barbados]

when we play a tournament we can beat many people, maybe hundred, or sometime thousand, sometime we can reach bubble and win. but its difference if we play cash game. cash game is more tilt than tournament. more difficult, more traps and other. anybody can answer that reason? bacuse many time i can win tournament but in cash game mostly i get lose

Just stop paying attention to the possible winnings. When you keep in mind to get some money, you restrict your own initiative and creativity of thinking. In the vast majority of cases, this leads to defeat. If you like to play poker, treat it as one of the entertainment, but at the same time set yourself feasible tasks. For example, try to guess the opponent's cards or try to reach a certain place in the tournament. There are many options. When the goal is achieved, set new goals. But don't tie your mindset to a possible cash prize. A cash prize will come to you necessarily with a successful game.

 

[HungarianBoy]

Hi guys, I think there are quite a few tight, deliberate players in cash games and they go into battle with strong hands. And we can easily finish the race. if our own combination is not strong enough. I think I play long poker tournaments more often because there are a lot of fish there. the bluff is dense. there are many weak players and beginners. Then enter the cash games. if you don't mind losing your balance. But try it. and learn learn. I wish you good luck!

 

[ASMautoneJr]

it's a matter of better observing the cards you play, the style of play in tournaments is different from cash games, it's just a matter of adapting to the type of game... there are positions and hands you play in tournament and cash game is impossible to play...

 

[milka1605]

Because of the complexity and for me, I do not play cash games. It is unlikely that anyone will give an exact answer to the question. Not everyone finds it difficult.

 

[partz]

Cash games and tournaments are totally different type of poker.

 

[optikdave]

I feel the same way. I'm horrible cash. Guess I'm too worried about my stack of real dollars as opposed to a tourney with a fixed buyin usually less than $10.00. My frustration w tourneys they have HOURS of late registration or rebuys. I won a $2 tournament that I entered 6 levels in at dinner time and the damn thing didn't end until 1:45 AM.

 

[Rob Hobson]

Cash game is harder, for is difficult to leave when you're ahead til you get trapped and lose all your stack. Your emotional control shakes you more than you're at a tourney, because the chips you play are directly connected to your bankroll.

 

[frnandoh]

Because in tournaments the limited buy ins are a way to manage the invested money in a tournament and you just earn money if you survive that make we play more disciplined. In cash games you can put money too many times, have to know how to play many size stacks levels and have to know the time to get out. These little things seems easy but they are points to take decisions and without knowledge or discipline there is no way to be a winner in the medium term on this game.

 

[Rob Hobson]

Because in tournaments the limited buy ins are a way to manage the invested money in a tournament and you just earn money if you survive that make we play more disciplined. In cash games you can put money too many times, have to know how to play many size stacks levels and have to know the time to get out. These little things seems easy but they are points to take decisions and without knowledge or discipline there is no way to be a winner in the medium term on this game.

You've just said all. Straight to the point.

 

[ztibor72]

I don't think that cash poker is more difficult, it's just different.
One of the easier things is that you can reload. You play a lot with the same opponents, so you can read them better and exploit their weaknesses.
So it's not harder, just different.

 

[Rob Hobson]

I don't think that cash poker is more difficult, it's just different.
One of the easier things is that you can reload. You play a lot with the same opponents, so you can read them better and exploit their weaknesses.
So it's not harder, just different.

This is the good side.

 

[recerveau]

I think cash games have more pressure, because you're at risk of losing money all the time, not chips.