Cash games agaisnt Tournies

[Harby]

I only play multi table tournies and have never been interested in playing cash games.
A lot of people say your bread and butter is the cash games and tournies are a bonus.
What different qualities do you need for cash games as I have heard conflicting stories a lot of people say you need to be looser on the cash games to tournies and other say the complete opposite. As I said I do not play cash games so it would be interesting to hear any views from cash game players on the difference of starting hands and general play for the two games.

[ifm]

Patience patience patience (not my biggest strength).
I once sat at a pals house (a big cash game winner) watching telly and chatting, he just passed hand after hand after hand until he had a biggy then played it aggressively and back to pass pass pass.
He must play around 10 hands an hour!!!

[The Baron]

Generally in cash games I play like a sniper. A big hand every now and again for a decent sized pot.

Aggression is good in the hands you play but quite pointless all of the time. Bluffing happens more rarely than at the later stages of a tourney so if you try and nick all the time you will run into people playing proper hands. (Also there is not much point nicking pre flop as the blinds never change!)

I like playing two random cards against a rock. If he has an overpair and you hit the right flop you can break them for their whole stack. This aside though I generally stick to (kinda) tight (super) aggressive. A bit dull but it pays the bills.

[TightEnd]

For me it is about patience and discipline. Obviously there are no concepts of increasing blinds etc so every deal can be played on its own merit

It's really quite a complicated subject

For example, different strategies if you sit down shallow or deep stacked

Where on the table should you choose to sit etc

Furthermore it is straightforward, but quite tedious, to sit there waiting for a playable hand and then being aggressive with it. This though is one dimensional and transparent. Whilst bluffing is not a big part of my cash play the value of advertising by showing a bluff or getting caught as cheaply as possible on a bluff can be large if you get paid off further down the line

Finally, one piece of advice I received that I have found excellent (through expensive experience before!) was never go from a tournament straight into cash...leave it a while...I've no ideas whether others agree with this but I find cash works best with fewer distractions, no thoughts of previous bad beats or bad plays and concentration

[The Baron]

Well when I'm playing online if I'm in the early stages of a STT or even MTT and not much is going on, I might play cash on the side as I wont be playing many hands an hour and unless you are in a hand isn't very distracting.

[snoopy1239]

How do you guys play suited connectors in cash games?

[TightEnd]

Suited Connectors:


typically I'm limping in if no action before me

I'm obviously looking to bust big starting hands with them, so will try to be in a multi way pot with them

If I miss on flop or have no worthwhile draws I'm giving up


may be this is too ABC...Anyone try any deception plays with them?


Snoopy....what about pairs from 99 down...limp to hit a set or get out post flop if you miss? or raise it up, call raises?

[snoopy1239]

Does anyone raise suited connectors preflop?

I call any almost any preflop bet with any pair.

I raise the minimum preflop if noone has raised. This makes people feel like the pot is too big too pass. Hence, they pay your set off.

Obviously, I get out if I don't hit.

[The Baron]

How do you guys play suited connectors in cash games?

Depends. If I'm deep stacked I almost always like to see a flop with suited connectors. I may limp with them in later position (multi way) or make a small raise with them in earlier position (say 2XBB, again to confuse, create a nice pot and break an entire stack if I hit the right flop) but I wont go nuts on them. I'll always play them against a rock who I'm hoping has an overpair but am less likely to play them against someone loose aggressive.

If I sit with a more shallow stack I'll just try to see as many cheap flops as possible with them and usually only play them multi way when there's value in catching the dream flop.

With any stack I like to play suited connectors against a real short stack because they always seem to follow pre flop raises with the rest. It can be a quick buck.

Just an additional point - the 2XBB raise from early position I mentioned earlier has given me great success. People with say A10 or KQ behind really dont know what to do with it. If you find someone who plays it cagey when they catch a piece of the flop it's great for rivering your straight/flush/two pair!

[TightEnd]

good posts guys, thanks


Baron....post more!

[snoopy1239]

How do you guys play suited connectors in cash games?

Depends. If I'm deep stacked I almost always like to see a flop with suited connectors. I may limp with them in later position (multi way) or make a small raise with them in earlier position (say 2XBB, again to confuse, create a nice pot and break an entire stack if I hit the right flop) but I wont go nuts on them. I'll always play them against a rock who I'm hoping has an overpair but am less likely to play them against someone loose aggressive.

If I sit with a more shallow stack I'll just try to see as many cheap flops as possible with them and usually only play them multi way when there's value in catching the dream flop.

With any stack I like to play suited connectors against a real short stack because they always seem to follow pre flop raises with the rest. It can be a quick buck.

Just an additional point - the 2XBB raise from early position I mentioned earlier has given me great success. People with say A10 or KQ behind really dont know what to do with it. If you find someone who plays it cagey when they catch a piece of the flop it's great for rivering your straight/flush/two pair!

Do you find that in multi-way pots, your suited connectors lose a lot of money from higher flushes?

[The Baron]

Lol, cheers TightEnd.

In a cash game has anyone ever gotten away from a set under someone else's set on a broken flop (in Hold'em)? Yesterday I lost a load with 222 vs 555 and I felt I was behind but just couldn't..... cick..... fold.

[snoopy1239]

Lol, cheers TightEnd.

In a cash game has anyone ever gotten away from a set under someone else's set on a broken flop (in Hold'em)? Yesterday I lost a load with 222 vs 555 and I felt I was behind but just couldn't..... cick..... fold.

I think that's just bad luck. If it's two big stacks minimum rasing each other several times, then you may be able to release bottom set.

[The Baron]

How do you guys play suited connectors in cash games?

Depends. If I'm deep stacked I almost always like to see a flop with suited connectors. I may limp with them in later position (multi way) or make a small raise with them in earlier position (say 2XBB, again to confuse, create a nice pot and break an entire stack if I hit the right flop) but I wont go nuts on them. I'll always play them against a rock who I'm hoping has an overpair but am less likely to play them against someone loose aggressive.

If I sit with a more shallow stack I'll just try to see as many cheap flops as possible with them and usually only play them multi way when there's value in catching the dream flop.

With any stack I like to play suited connectors against a real short stack because they always seem to follow pre flop raises with the rest. It can be a quick buck.

Just an additional point - the 2XBB raise from early position I mentioned earlier has given me great success. People with say A10 or KQ behind really dont know what to do with it. If you find someone who plays it cagey when they catch a piece of the flop it's great for rivering your straight/flush/two pair!

Do you find that in multi-way pots, your suited connectors lose a lot of money from higher flushes?

That is the danger yeah. The ideal flop for your suited connectors though is a made straight, two pair or trips. Especially vs the overpair. If you flop the flush vs AA and he has a suited card they can still redraw on you. With the two pair, trips or straight this is a whole lot less likely. So the flush is actually the last hand you are looking for.

And isn't it something like "for every 4 times a possible flush is on a board, one of those times is a four card flush on board"? Now how do you feel about your 6d7d? Lol!

[snoopy1239]

What's your alias on party, The Baron?