Moving from Tournaments to Cash Games in Texas Hold'em
In times past, no poker player got his start playing tournaments. Before the days of the Texas Holdem online, the only poker tournament anyone really new about was the World Series of Poker and only
Alex McCay has been playing poker for over 20 years and has written many articles on the subject of how to best play the game. He is also the creator of LearnTexasHoldem.com, one of the most complete resources for players of Texas Hold'em on the web. Alex's website is www.learn-texas-holdem.com a handful of players participated in that. Those interested in poker played cash games, be it draw, stud or hold'em, usually for fixed stakes.
In the 21st century, many players got their introduction to poker by watching tournaments on television. They also got started playing with tournaments online and may not have any experience in cash games. If you're a tournament player making the transition to cash games, here are a few adjustments you'll need to make regarding your Texas Holdem strategy.
Tournament to Cash Game Hold'em Adjustments: Patience
The general Texas Holdem rules are always the same, but in a tournament, the blinds are always rising. Like a shark, you've to keep moving or die. If you don't build chips, the blinds will eat you alive.
In a cash game, the blinds are always the same. This means you never have to force anything. You can hang back and wait for great opportunities before committing chips.
Tournament to Cash Game Hold'em Adjustments: Edges
In a tournament, you often want to avoid getting all your chips in with a small edge if your opponent has you covered. Even though you are likely to win, elimination means the end of your tournament, so it's often wiser to wait for bigger edges.
In a tournament, if you have even a small edge, you should be willing to put in as many chips as you can. You can always rebuy if you lose. Over the long run, you will win money by maximizing your investment whenever you have an edge.
Tournament to Cash Game Hold'em Adjustments: Reading Opponents
In a tournament, you never know when your table is going to be broken or you are going to be moved. You have to make quick assessments of your opposition. In a cash game, a lot of the players you face are going to stay there until they get tired or go broke, which could be many hours down the road. You can take your time to analyze and fully understand your opponents before acting.