Cash vs Tournaments preference? (3 Viewers)

[Mojo1312]

Depends on what game we are playing, NL Holdem Cash is boring as there is no pressure to create action(folding up to 80% of the time) and 2 to 3 big pots will decide your night, where else scenarios in tournament forces you to constantly assess your situation and you just cant nit it up and win.
I think there is a reason why PLO is so popular now and games like SOHE, Pineapple holdem, Big O(Why have 4 cards when you could have 5?) are created. Its for the action.

I find that even with the mixed games some of the largest pots are still NLHE hands.

 

[EnjoyLife]

Cash, definitely. But, if nothing else is going on and the structure isn't obnoxious, I would play a tournament

 

[MattyMatt]

Poker is all about winning, tournament and cash games!! Everyone wants to know what happened.

Well, technically of course it's about winning, but to me at least the hands I remember are the ones where I learned something either by making the right move or the wrong one. Doesn't really matter. Could be a hero call with two pair up against one pair and basically figuring out that I had it, or a good fold after figuring out I'm beat.

I'm not a great player so any time I realize that I'm truly understanding the dynamics of the evening or a specific hand I'm satisfied. I can win or lose that evening and as long as I'm not losing too much I'm ok with that. Which leads me to:

I have written this repeatedly. Straddles are uncivilised and absurd rural bullshit, a stupid and least cunning way of ignoring and bypassing the stakes, intending to lure clueless people into a game of stakes higher than they can afford, i.e. looking for suckers.
Don't ever play in such a game, and don't ever allow it in your house. It's unrelated to cash, in general. Just say no.

"But how do you really feel about straddles???"

So here's another take on that; I used to hate straddles. I actually still don't love them. And I get the point that straddles inflate the pot and make the game play bigger. But two key things remain true though:

1. Players can simply start to raise 4,5,6x by default without any straddles. I've had that at my game a couple of times where a player basically even just said "This is now a 2-4 game". And since it's no limit that's what it is.

2. A blind bet is a bad thing for the person doing it. There's a reason why the normal blinds get to act last in the first round of betting, so here then is someone willing to wager even more chips blind. Statistically this should surely be good for us, no? In my experience in some games you can also get a feel for how a person plays his straddles. I've played with some who will fold to a decent raise and never defend without a great hand and will also never raise themselves unless the hand is very good. So right away you've got them on some kind of range.

In general I actually think this is just another thing thrown into different games and the challenge is to overcome it strategically. Like I said, I used to hate it but now I don't much care either way. I'll try to figure out how people play and simply adjust. Over the course of a year for example I don't really see how playing straddles against me is going to be profitable for the straddler.

I do understand the point about the game getting bigger though.. but again.. if it's no-limit then it can get big anyway. I'd rather have them inflate the game blind than do it with more information.

 

[Coyote]

Sure, there are many factors.
But I 'll do whatever it takes, when I invite people to a home game, to stay true to the supposed stakes, be it banning straddles or having a max buy-in of never more than 150BBs.

 

[MattyMatt]

I hear you..

 

[JScott]

I know this is a really old thread (of mine) and I know our game has evolved since a lot of the posts I made here, but rather than start a new one I just wanted to say one thing....

I still f**king hate tournament poker.

 

[TomC727]

I prefer playing cash, but getting a decent cash game going has been difficult, so tourneys it’s been.

 

[surfik]

When playing cash you can choose your opponents, in tournament not so much...

 

[allforcharity]

I will gladly play either.

 

[surfik]

I will gladly play either.

Wise man.... We all would like to...

 

[JScott]

I prefer playing cash, but getting a decent cash game going has been difficult, so tourneys it’s been.

My crew will come for cash, I've found they prefer it over tournaments. I even got my "there has to be a winner" buddy to start preferring cash.

When playing cash you can choose your opponents, in tournament not so much...

So, so very true. I just hate how you can't pick your spots, anxiety of rising blinds, and basically playing with donks without the benefit of variance.

And sorry Bernie, I came to the realization that I'd almost rather not play than play tournaments.... almost. With friends I'll play for their company, but it's not a true poker night for me.

 

[RichMahogany]

And sorry Bernie, I came to the realization that I'd almost rather not play than play tournaments

No need to be sorry, Bernie agrees

 

[TomC727]

No need to be sorry, Bernie agrees

View attachment 620115

He’s the 50% rake.

 

[surfik]

This whole Bernie vine is hard to understand for the rest of the world....

 

[Silver_Fiend]

Damn, Bernie got felted.

 

[JustinInMN]

No need to be sorry, Bernie agrees

View attachment 620115

Stealing.

 

[R_oh_double_B]

Cash. Feel like the atmosphere is 9x outa 10 better.

However as a true degenerate, im always in

 

[Poker Zombie]

So, so very true. I just hate how you can't pick your spots, anxiety of rising blinds, and basically playing with donks without the benefit of variance.

The very reasons I prefer tournaments.

Picking spots is the best part of tournament poker. None of that "I'm card dead so I'm going to fold for 3 hours" whining. You gotta pick your spot with what little you got. Like buying your first car (unless mummy un daddy gave you a freaking handout), you never knew if it was going to run on a cold morning - and you loved it!

In a cash game, I hate it when I sit down, and all the players at the other tables scramble to get a seat at my table. Even if I'm at an empty table, they all want my money.

Plus, once you smooth out the variance, I have no chance of winning. Feed the fish - play more tournaments!

 

[Anthony Martino]

The very reasons I prefer tournaments.

Picking spots is the best part of tournament poker. None of that "I'm card dead so I'm going to fold for 3 hours" whining. You gotta pick your spot with what little you got. Like buying your first car (unless mummy un daddy gave you a freaking handout), you never knew if it was going to run on a cold morning - and you loved it!

In a cash game, I hate it when I sit down, and all the players at the other tables scramble to get a seat at my table. Even if I'm at an empty table, they all want my money.

Plus, once you smooth out the variance, I have no chance of winning. Feed the fish - play more tournaments!

Reminds me of when one of the better pros at Hard Rock is begging me to join the 5/10/25 game even though I short stack it and I'm a nit so not really the guy you want in the game.

The lineup is generally terrible when he asks lol