Copyright 2006 Full
Tilt Poker
April 25, 2006
(View all Online
Poker Lessons)
Poker Lesson: Why I Prefer Cash
Games to Tournaments
Author: Huckleberry Seed
I'm best known in the poker world for my tournament
success. I've won four World Series of Poker bracelets, including
the World Championship in 1996. With as much success as I've had
in tournaments, however, I still prefer to spend most of my time
in cash games. If I were to limit myself to tournaments, I'd miss
out on some of poker's most interesting aspects.
In tournaments,
you're constantly moving. The tournament director may move you
so that he can balance tables, or your table may break. So, even
if you've been attentive to your opponents' tendencies, there's
a good chance that you won't be able to exploit the information
you've gained. In a cash game, however, you have far more time
with a set of players. When I play a cash game in a casino, I
might spend eight, 10, or 12 hours with the same group, so I have
a longer time to study my opponents and exploit their weaknesses.
If I'm going to be playing with the same people
for hours, I can create a table image that will benefit me over
the course of my session. For example, when I first enter a game,
I might make a series of unprofitable plays - some strange bets
or bluffs. These plays may lose me a little bit of money, but
they affect how everyone thinks of me for the rest of the session.
Even if I shift to a more solid mode of play, some players will
retain the idea that I'm a nut case. In a tip I provided a few
weeks ago, I showed how developing this sort of table image can
be used to great effect by representing a bluff.
In a tournament, however, it's tough to profit from
that kind of persona. You can spend an hour getting everyone to
believe you're a maniac only to be moved to a table of complete
strangers. At that point, your stack will be decimated and your
image will have disappeared.
In cash games, you also have the chance to track
your opponents' mood shifts over time. At various points in a
session, a player may get tired, frustrated or just go on tilt.
If you're attuned to your opponents' moods, you'll find opportunities
to profit from their weakened states. In a tournament, you rarely
get a chance to take advantage of someone else's tilt. Usually,
the hand that gets a player steaming also busts them from the
tournament.
While tournaments can provide for some great action,
playing them exclusively can limit your game. By branching out
and playing cash games, you'll develop a completely different
set of poker skills and be able to explore some of the more interesting
psychological aspects of the game.
Full
Tilt Poker Bonus
Downloaded
from the World Wide Web on April 25, 2006:
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/proLessons.php?lesson=57
|