How Exactly To Transition From Tournament Poker To Cash Games - They Are Only Poker Chips
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I played mostly Texas hold em No Limit Tournaments in the Casino's and home games for a long time. I did not play that much in Cash Games. I was doing pretty well in the tournaments, usually making the final table, and sometimes in the money. I was very comfortable playing Tournaments, not really much when it came to cash games. I came across I had the wrong mind-set or attitude about Cash Games. Here's what happened to alter my mindset, my attitude, and eventually improved my Cash Game play dramatically.
I mostly played small buy in tournaments, about $30 to $60 buy-ins, at an area Casino. They certainly were held each and every day, and I played several per week. I was doing pretty well. On the days I acquired knocked out from the tournament early and still felt like playing poker, I'd move to a cash dining table, $1/2 no limit with a maximum buy in of $300. There were mostly "regulars" playing, and I got to know a lot of them. I had not been doing well in the money Games, and I did not know why. I'm not really a bad player, but I could not find out what was wrong with my Cash Game. The poker chips just would not come my way. It seemed I kept getting bet out of the pot. I'd have what I thought was a very strong hand, not the absolute nuts, but a good hand, maybe the best hand. I'd make my bet appropriately, say $35 to $50, and then someone would raise me to $150 or $200 and I'd fold.
I didn't really know it, but I was what you'd call "scared money". I had trouble risking $150-$200 on a hand that was not the absolute nuts. This caused me to fold the thing that was probably the most readily useful hand sometimes because of worries of losing that much on only one hand, sometimes just one card. Doyle Brunson made a comment onetime, something to the effect that in order to be a professional at the poker tables, you have to have a "certain disregard" for the worthiness of money. I thought I had that. Well, I didn't. When it came time to put the big chips in the pot without being sure of winning, I was concerned about the cash. It was nearly subconscious. I did not know I was "scared money".
One of the regulars I enjoyed was what I'd consider a very loose, aggressive, crazy gambling guy. His bankroll fluctuated constantly. Some days winning several hundred dollars, other days losing a thousand or more. But he said something 1 day that really stuck with me. When someone commented on his loose, aggressive gambling style he said "I don't provide a hoot about the money. It indicates nothing at all in my experience. I figure if I lose it all I'll just go make more. I really don't care". He was serious and he meant it. At first I thought, "Man, this is a fairly flippant attitude to have about hard earned cash".
On the way home, I seriously considered what he'd said. While I do not want to play as loose and crazy as he does, maybe I need a little bit of his attitude about money. It suddenly became clear to me why I wasn't doing so well in Cash Poker. Maybe I AM "scared money", situs judi (www.sesao19.go.th) and if you've ever played much cash poker, you most likely know what After all. Scared money does not win poker chips. I decided right then and there, that if I'm going to play Cash Poker, I absolutely need to be prepared to risk up a number of hundred dollars on a single hand or single card. If I'm not totally ready to do that at the poker table, I better stick to tournaments.
By keeping this though at heart, I started to "gamble" more in the money games. Instead of folding to a $150 bet, if I really thought I might have the best hand, I'd raise another $150 or more. Not when I was completely unsure of where I stood, but on the occasions I felt right about my actions. I was not going to let the "value of money" affect my play. I would play my best poker game, and risk whatever it took to play the best I possibly could, regardless of the loss of money. You can forget "scared money" play for me personally.
Over time this small change in attitude, my mind-set, made most of the difference. I soon found my opponents folding to my re-raises. I was winning bigger pots, my plays earned more respect, and it turned my entire cash game around. I had bigger losses some days too, but overall, it improved my cash game quite a bit. I had been playing as "scared money" and did not even comprehend it during the time. Cash Poker takes a different mindset than Tournament Poker, and I finally figured out what it was for me. Basically bust my daily Poker bankroll, I'll just go earn more.
