TOURNAMENTS OR CASH GAMES?

After choosing which poker game you are going to play (preferably Holdem), you have the choice of either playing in cash games or tournaments. Hopefully you should have an idea of what each variant is, but here is a quick reminder anyway...

• Tournaments are where you pay a fixed fee to enter a game, and the top positioning players win a certain percentage of the total prize pool. There are short single table tournaments (STTs) as well as larger multi-table tournaments (MTTs) to choose from.

• Cash games are where you sit down at a table with real money in front of you, and each bet and play you make is with actual money. You can leave the cash table at any time, as well as buy in for however much you want to play with (within the limits).

Which game is best?

Both tournaments and cash games have their own unique features about them, so it would be unfair to say that one is better than another. However, it can be safely said that the majority of new online players are attracted to the tournament games due to the thrill and excitement of the knock-out style competition.

Tournaments are popular because they offer a smaller risk to the players, as you cannot lose more than the initial buy-in of the game if you bust out. In addition, making a mistake will not end up with you losing a large sum of money, other than the initial buy in for the game. Each individual tournament also involves a greater element of luck, so amateur players stand a better chance of winning money from each game.

Cash games are more popular with the experienced players, due to the amount of money at stake and the more unforgiving nature of the game. Whilst a tournament is faster paced and filled with numerous highs and lows, a cash game is more of a continuous grind to play optimum poker and outplay your opponents for bigger wins. This is not to say that cash games are boring, as the ability to win large amounts of money in each hand helps to attract a lot of players to these tables.

Which game is more profitable?

The most profitable game is always going to be the one that you are best at. If you are a better tournament player than cash game player, you should stick to playing tournaments and vice versa. You should never pressure yourself to switch games just because you feel that the grass is greener on the other side, although there is no harm in testing out the waters from time to time.

Cash games have always typically been considered as 'the money game' whereas tournaments have been considered more of a fun game for the amateurs. However, despite this preconception, you have an equal chance to become a long-term winning tournament player as you have to become a long-term winning cash game player. If you are a killer tournament player, you should continue to clean up the tournament games and make a healthy amount of money rather than force yourself to change.

Where should you start?

As a new player, I would recommend that you start out in the tournament games to get your feet wet. These games offer minimal risk, as you cannot lose more than the buy-in amount. After a while, if you feel the tournament games aren't quite for you, or you get a hunger to play in the cash games with real money in front of you, then it is not a bad idea to switch over to see how well you do.

Personally, I am more of a cash game player rather than a tournament player. I occasionally play tournaments for fun, but the cash games are where I make the majority of my money whilst playing online poker. This is because I have specialised in this particular game of poker, and I feel more comfortable where there is a greater element of skill involved to make money from hand to hand. It is more of a grind, but the steady stream of income is something that I have become accustomed to.

Summary

Just as limit and no limit Holdem are like completely different games, tournaments and cash games both require a different strategical approach to be able to play them profitably. There are a number of great players, even pros, that can play one game profitably yet lose money in the other. So don't think that just because you can play cash games well that you can win money from tournaments also. Treat each variant as a separate game, and you may well be able to adapt your skills to be able to come out on top in both cash games and tournaments.

Just remember to play in the games that you enjoy the most, and you will have a much easier time winning money from online poker than if you force yourself to play in games you dislike.

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