Tourneys or cash games? Generally speaking?

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BiznizKid

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I play both but i prefer MTT cause i want to strike it big and if win one day. Ill start playin cash table like 5/10.
 
medeiros13

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I play both but prefer SNG's more over ring games. I don't know what your playstyle is but I am a TAG player and tournaments allow me to be patient and wait for opportunities to gain chips. I feel like its okay to fold a big hand in a tournament because the structure should allow me another opportunity. When I play a ring game, I have a hard time with that mindset because (maybe this is psychological) I don't feel like I get as many opportunities.

To stay disciplined with hand selection, I've been playing multiple SNG's or one SNG and one ring game at the same time. This has been working pretty well for me and its helping me improve my ring game skills. At the end of the day, play what you like to play but understand where your profits are coming from. I know that my BR comes from SNG's but I still play ring games to keep me disciplined in my SNG's and to help me improve my overall play. I'm hoping that as I do this more, my ability to be profitable in ring games will allow me more flexibility when it comes to decide what I'm going to play on any given day.
 
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kingmurda219

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I really had this problem for a while,but if you are just a good player it really doesn't matter what game it is,i just stay focused on the game ring or mtt and sng.Butl 1 at a time,2max
 
ratmantoo

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I Play both but prefer SNG's, with the occasional MTT
 
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RamdeeBen

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I'm still trying to figure this one out for myself.

I'v tried the lot. I seem to not lose as much playing SnG's and gradually getting better at them. They just seem "pointless" and draining when playing at smaller stakes although i understand the need to do so at such low limits with a smaller bankroll. I did experiment of 2 sessions with playing 6 tables at once with 45/180 SnG's and another session where i played 4 tables. Out of the 10, got 2nd,4th,6th 9th 40% cashed so was overall in profit in those sessions. The problem was with 6 tables is that I couldn't make the best decisions I would normally do playing 1 or 2 tables maximum purely based on not being able to read the tables I'm at easier. Plus it gets me into a state sometimes feeling pressured and making a wrong call or fold because I've got another one that wants me to react.

I just don't like playing 1 table at a time for such low limits to just sometimes either not cash or to make a measly 5 cents from 2hours of playing.

Cashgames: I've done ok at limit holdem at $0.1/0.2 limits with overall profit of $7.00. At the no limit, I've not done so well and found i tilt more after i get sucked out from a 3,7os or something for a straight when i got A,K two pair.. So frustrating, so i "think" I'm going to stick to SnG's maybe even going to one table SnG's till I build a bigger bank roll to then try out the higher limit cash games as I feel it's far to easy for people to call at low limits with anything. After a bad suck out at cash games i then made a fundamental mistake of trying heads up limit and no limit and lost even more!

I had to quit quickly before I blew the lot..and was angry i even did that. At a SnG or even occasional MTT, you know what you stand to loss and i don't go on tilt or get as emotional if i take a bad beat.
 
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azagy

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I prefer sit and go's, but I should play cashgames. The problem I make is trying to go to way to high stakes for my bankroll, lol. Should grind it out next time I'm going to deposit cash on my account!
 
doops

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On the whole, I enjoy tournaments more. There's a real sense of achievement when I go deep. Sadly, that is not often enough to make me profitable at them. After 6 hours, though, I start to fade. Falling asleep definitely hurts my chances. :D

I used to do well at limit HE cash games, but lately I've been getting creamed. (Need to figure out whether it's the influx of calling stations or if it's me.) I used to do poorly at NLHE cash, so much so that thinking of them made me scared. But I'm doing OK lately, especially at Rush. I'm only playing micro levels though. It helps the fear factor when losing a buyin or two does not hurt too much. And it helps keep me from tilting at the awful beats. But I still have to, occasionally, step away from the table to calm down.

SNGs, now, are fairly consistently profitable for me -- but I am not enjoying them as much. I play regular speed 9-person ones in several games to keep my interest up. It does not seem to matter which game I play. Oddly, my consistency in these does not seem to translate to the league games. I guess I rely on the other players making more mistakes.

Anyway, I play for entertainment, mostly. As a second job, I'd do better at Burger King most weeks.
 
Siao

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I personally prefer Tourneys and have had a better run at them.
 
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dan abnormal

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Im swinging more lately towards playing cash games more than the long MTT and really need to start hitting the SNG tables as I rarely play them. One thing Im curious if my thinking process is right. I like playing a lot of forum games as since most of them have a lot of the same people in them that I try to pick up leanr stuff from (+Plus my notes come into play since its not just adifferent random set of people)

Ok If Im playing a MTT but it only has 30-40 people in it, should I be playing these games more like a multi table SNG rules and just be ultra tight until mid way through. I notice many times I start getting in pots early and sometimes it works well and other times, Im sitting near the bottom of the ranking boards. I just dont know if Im applying the right methods with forum games with small fields
 
JasonD1014

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I prefer tourneys over cash games. Cash games are fun and you can make some money, but i like playing for first. Especially since everyone starts with that same amount of chips and the blinds progress. Cash games just stay the same and you can buy in with a large amount and bully low stacks.
 
SlySwagga

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It might just be my transition from live to online play. Obviously not understanding the diff between the two yet. But i feel i wouldnt substitute a 1-2 live game for any tourney online.

Then again, uppin the buy-ins might help as well.
 
Hambone8705

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Ring games all the way. Not that I don't like MTT's, I play them quite a bit, but I way prefer cash games. I have many reasons for this and I could probably make an essay out of this answer, but I will just make a few points.

Tournaments are a lot harder to consistantly win at over a long period of time.

In a ring game you can choose when and who you play against. I make a good portion of my money off of people who are playing bad or running bad or both.
When you reach a final table in a tournament, Everybody else is playing good, running good, or both. This makes it tough.

There are a lot of situations that occur in Tournaments that I really don't like.

Examples.

- If I pick up KK and run into AA and lose 80% of my stack and immediately find myself in the opposite situation on the next hand I can only bet with the 20% I am left with. In a cash game I can reload in between the hands and immediately win ALL of my money back.(not that i ever get that on back to back hands, just making a point.)

- I can play beautifully for 2 or 3 hours and make 1 or 2 mistakes and make absolutely no money at all. In a cash games if I make a good play and win a pot I get paid right now, in dollars. If I make a bad play and lose then I pay him right now, in dollars. This makes it easier to evaluate how I am playing, and how they are playing.

I feel cash games have more desicion-based results. If that makes sense. If I make the right decision more often than my opponents than I usually win. If I make bad decisions then I usually lose. This applies to all poker but it is just easier to follow in ring games. There is still luck involved yes, bad beats still happen yes. But rarely does 1 or 2 hands determine a winning session from a losing session.

LOL I'm starting on an essay. I'll quit. SRY.
 
Poker Orifice

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. Oddly, my consistency in these does not seem to translate to the league games. I guess I rely on the other players making more mistakes.

quote]

I think you're actually wrong here ^ (although I'm not sure which site you're playing your SNG's on). imo the $10 sng's (even the $5's if VERY late at nite (00:00 & later)... or early during the weekdays, the play is far superior than the CC Sng league games... (< where you'll get a couple/few players on each table who are sng players & a bunch of others who aren't & are more used to playing small field priv. tourneys). Far better players in typical online SNG's (I wouldn't say this for Pokerstars though as the micro buyin sng's on that site are FULL of very bad players).

Some may disagree with me on this (fine). BUT I know it for fact as I have a fairly large sample size to compare it with (in a typical $5 or more so a '$10' sng/stt on Fulltilt, during the time of day when there's more regs. & less randoms, you'll typically see at least 4 winning players on the $5's, and 5 or more on the $10's).

Just sayin'... don't sell your own play short. I'm pretty sure you're one of the better sng players who plays in the league (you are if you're a winning online SNG player).
 
Poker Orifice

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It might just be my transition from live to online play. Obviously not understanding the diff between the two yet. But i feel i wouldnt substitute a 1-2 live game for any tourney online.

Then again, uppin the buy-ins might help as well.

I don't understand this ^.... you're talking about comparing apples with oranges here (live $1/2 vs. online tourey play??).
Online play is actually far superior if you're comparing the two. In a recent thread I read which had many of the top online MTT regs., they typically compare the wsop ME with an online $26'r... and something like WCOOP there'd be no comparison to in live tourneys.

Many say that online 10nl is comparable to live $1/2 (this is a pretty fair comparison imo... depending upon what site you're on & what time of day/week.... imo there's alot more decent players in the 10nl online than there is in live $1/2).
Another article I read awhile back (in bluff Mag)...the author compared the two by stating, "A reg. winning $5/10 casino donk, who typically plays 3-4 days a week would be busto in short order if he chose to play at the same limits online. I think all would agree with this.

one last comparsion for ya.... a local live $75 buyin Tournament in my area (100+entrants, starting stack of 120bb's), generally has far worse players in it than a Cardschat Fulltilt Freeroll (I say 'generally' as there's some who are very good players at the live tourney.. just not many... & there's also some who aren't very good in the freerolls... but many who are quite good).

Also, as far as your online MTT experience goes... perhaps you're comparing a very small sample size of micro buyin level tourneys to live games. not sure?
 
8Michael3

8Michael3

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I don't understand this ^.... you're talking about comparing apples with oranges here (live $1/2 vs. online tourey play??).
Online play is actually far superior if you're comparing the two. In a recent thread I read which had many of the top online MTT regs., they typically compare the WSOP ME with an online $26'r... and something like WCOOP there'd be no comparison to in live tourneys.

Many say that online 10nl is comparable to live $1/2 (this is a pretty fair comparison imo... depending upon what site you're on & what time of day/week.... imo there's alot more decent players in the 10nl online than there is in live $1/2).
Another article I read awhile back (in BLuff Mag)...the author compared the two by stating, "A reg. winning $5/10 casino donk, who typically plays 3-4 days a week would be busto in short order if he chose to play at the same limits online. I think all would agree with this.

one last comparsion for ya.... a local live $75 buyin Tournament in my area (100+entrants, starting stack of 120bb's), generally has far worse players in it than a Cardschat Fulltilt Freeroll (I say 'generally' as there's some who are very good players at the live tourney.. just not many... & there's also some who aren't very good in the freerolls... but many who are quite good).

Also, as far as your online MTT experience goes... perhaps you're comparing a very small sample size of micro buyin level tourneys to live games. not sure?

This ^^^^
I recently read a book by Arnold Snyder called the "poker tournament formula" and he talks about the patience factor in live MTTs and Online MTTs. He compares most online MTTs (not turbos or 45 SnGs) as "Skill Level 6--you better be a damn good player in these games if you want to make a profit because your competition are some of the best poker players in the world." The slower the blinds levels increase the more skilled you have to be. Besides the really slow levels in huge live MTTs online is far superior.

I prefer MTTs-I like the structure of tournaments and chasing a goal. Sometimes I just dont know how long Im going to have to sit for in a cash game before some donk makes a huge mistake against me.
 
wagon596

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Two words about my N/L ring game play...." I SUCK !! " tourny play some what better.
take care
 
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LBroadbent

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I prefer to play tournaments, especially non-rebuy ones. I think because everything is equal at the start and it can make for a very good few hours.

Having said that, I rarely play tournaments, unless it is one of the bigger guarantee ones because in the long run they simply aren't as profitable as cash games.
 
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letsdothis1

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i tend to play the limit ring games win cash to play mtts and sngs.
i always sit normally 1.00/ 2.00 once i double i split and play mtt or sngs.
i love mtt's and gotten into non turboe sngs preferably the ko ones at tilt getting into the ones at stars now.

as far as getting knocked out late into play just outside the big cash.....
do u save ur mtt games to file?
i do and i use notepad and go over the hands i played as to see if i could do something different in similar situation.
well thats all i can think of to say ....gl on the felt:vroam:
 
kybcat

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SNG

I play SNG dont have to wait as long and can get good games there. I do some tournaments for cash, usally end up on the bubble.
 
SlySwagga

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I don't understand this ^.... you're talking about comparing apples with oranges here (live $1/2 vs. online tourey play??).
Online play is actually far superior if you're comparing the two. In a recent thread I read which had many of the top online MTT regs., they typically compare the WSOP ME with an online $26'r... and something like WCOOP there'd be no comparison to in live tourneys.

Many say that online 10nl is comparable to live $1/2 (this is a pretty fair comparison imo... depending upon what site you're on & what time of day/week.... imo there's alot more decent players in the 10nl online than there is in live $1/2).
Another article I read awhile back (in BLuff Mag)...the author compared the two by stating, "A reg. winning $5/10 casino donk, who typically plays 3-4 days a week would be busto in short order if he chose to play at the same limits online. I think all would agree with this.

one last comparsion for ya.... a local live $75 buyin Tournament in my area (100+entrants, starting stack of 120bb's), generally has far worse players in it than a Cardschat Fulltilt Freeroll (I say 'generally' as there's some who are very good players at the live tourney.. just not many... & there's also some who aren't very good in the freerolls... but many who are quite good).

Also, as far as your online MTT experience goes... perhaps you're comparing a very small sample size of micro buyin level tourneys to live games. not sure?

Oh im sure ur right. Im not trying to belittle online play. I was just trying to figure out why the diff is so drastic. I can murder a 1-2 live game at my casino but then once i hop online and multi-table .5/1 NL i get eaten alive. The other day for eg. i decided to deposit a $100 strictly for experimental purposes. I cashed in a $8 buy-in as well as a few $2 SnG. Then i wanted to compare the level of play in a $24 buy in tourney. Once i did all of that, i was still up about $30+....so now im playing what i consider my bread n butter. Cash games. My $130+ bankroll didnt last an hour multi-tabling .5/1 cash games. This time around im actually gonna deposit w nothing but profit on my mind. I just cant figure out what to play online as a rookie cash game specialist.

I cant seem to grasp the vast difference between online skill and live skill.
 
Poker Orifice

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Why not just start out at 10nl & then move up once you've played a few thousand hands or when comfortable?
 
SlySwagga

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Yea i think i'll have to consider something like that.

Thnx for the advice anyway.
 
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