Poker tournaments and cash games have some fundamental differences. It’s important to clearly understand the distinction so you can adjust and implement the optimal strategy. We’ll cover the nuances, why it affects your approach, and how to model your style to give yourself the best chance to win. Keep in mind that playing tight aggressive is normally best. Poker is generally won by understanding the odds, and by putting your opponents on an accurate range of hands.
Poker Cash/Ring Game Characteristics
Buy In: Tables have a minimum & maximum, typical for a 1/2 No Limit (NL) Hold ‘Em game is $60-300.
Re-Buys: Add chips at anytime up to the table max, or to largest stack in some games.
Pay Outs: Walk away at any time with the chips in front of you to cash out.
Blinds: Remain at the same amount throughout the game.
Fields: You’re playing only against the players at your table, never more than 9 other players.
Poker Tournament Characteristics
Buy In: A set amount that can range from $1.00 to $1 million, creating a prize pool.
Re-Buys: Most tournaments are elimination, but some have a re-buy period at the beginning.
Pay Outs: The top 10% of the field makes the money with increasing prizes for placing higher.
Blinds: Continue to raise incrementally after a certain period of time.
Fields: There are multiple tables in the same event, ranging from 16 to 8,000+ players.
Now that you understand the characteristics, you may be asking yourself how it affects your play? Here’s the answer… the blind structure. As soon as the tournament starts, it’s like driving a new car off the lot, your chips immediately start to depreciate in value. In poker tournaments, because their is a clock, and the blinds increase, there is even more reason to justify playing aggressively and going after more chips.
A lot of new and experienced players think in terms of surviving to the end in order to make it into the money. I understand why someone may feel this way, but this mindset can be detrimental to your success. The reality is that although 10% of the field gets paid in poker tournaments, the significant amount of cash is paid out by making the final table.
This doesn’t mean you should play recklessly, but use calculated aggression. Pick good spots when you have the best hand or good odds. Try to play pots while in position. Make bluffs when you think your opponent will fold. Get maximum value by making bet sizes anywhere from half pot to full pot. If you think your opponents are weak and they’ll likely fold, bet. If you’re bluffing and get check-raised, fold.
The bottom line is, you need to get more chips. Don’t be afraid of getting knocked out of a tournament, nobody wins them all! Be selective with the hands you play, and make the most out of your hands. Bet or raise when you think you can get opponents to call with worse. Slowplay when you think nobody will call a bet, like if you have the deck crippled holding AK on an AAA flop. Play aggressive, and have fun.
Cash games should still be approached in an aggressive manner, but because the blinds don’t increase you will typically have much deeper stacks; the amount of chips you have relative to the big blind (BB). So in later stages of a tournament you may 3bet jam ALL-IN pre-flop with 77 and AQ with a 10BB stack, where as in a cash game you may 3bet that part of your range with a 150BB stack, and likely see a flop, unless they 4bet or fold.
