Mike Shaw is a part-time poker player currently participating in the Black Belt Poker Grading. Although predominantly an MTT/STT player, Mike has decided to tackle cash games in order to compete more effectively in the Grading. The following article will hopefully offer a guideline to beginners looking to make the same transition.
I regard myself as a Hold’em tournament specialist, but have recently made the transition into cash games. Previously, I would have only played cash games sporadically, normally when I didn’t have enough time to play a STT and wanted a quick game of poker. Inevitably, I would lose whatever amount I loaded up by getting my stack in when behind, and would go away always thinking cash games are boring and not really suited for my temperament
So, what changed my mind? Well, it all started by having an aching desire to get funded to play poker, so when Black Belt Poker announced the Grading I knew I had to take a shot at it. My enthusiasm was dampened slightly by realising that there is no way I could play 120 table hours of STT games in a week due to having a day job, but was certain I could manage the 80 hours requirement for cash games. So my challenges were to firstly get adjusted to No Limit Hold’em cash games and secondly to start playing four tables concurrently (as previously I only two-tabled).
January dawned and I had a bankroll sorted, so before the Grading Selection week I got stuck in and started playing four tables of $0.25/0.50 No Limit Hold’em. It took me a while to adjust but I believe that not only has my cash game improved, but there has been a knock on improvement to my tournament game as well.
So, how have I adjusted from tournament play to cash?
1. Reading, discussions and research
When embarking on a new scheme of any sort, it is a good idea to read up on the topic, discuss with people already doing it and undertake any other research available before embarking on the scheme. When playing an unfamiliar game in the poker world, it is a good idea to do the same before getting stuck in. Of course, in my case, due to a fixed timescale, I just started playing and did the reading/research in parallel, but I would advise you to do your preparation beforehand.
2. Reduce your risk whilst learning
To begin with I took $15 as my buy-in, designed to minimise my exposure whilst adjusting to the new format. This worked well for me as it ensured I could make mistakes without costing me too much. It reduces your options and flexibility, but for a beginner this is a good thing. Don’t join the ‘$10 special’ club, who are players that buy in for $10 then just shove all-in with any pair or A-K. This approach is too easily read and doesn’t leverage any skill which ultimately costs you money. The aim is to accrue the appropriate level of skill and confidence to buy in for the full amount and maximise your value at the table.
3. Don’t play for 10 minutes
In my view, a cash session should last at least a couple of hours (unless you find yourself tilting or getting bored). Good cash play needs patience and good hand reading, so you need time to get to know the players and wait until the conditions are right before committing your stack to a hand.
4. Play for the stack not the blinds
In tournament play, you are often playing to win the blinds as these increase over time. Cash games do not increase blinds so the real aim is to play a hand in such a way as to get as much of the opponent’s stack as possible. This means you need to plan your hand before committing any chips to the pot. i.e. how are you going to react to a raise, will you bet the flop, what to do for the turn and river, and so on.
5. Don’t get married to a hand
In tournaments you would get very excited about flopping an ace with A-K in your hand, but in cash games, top pair/top kicker hands can be vulnerable due to the wider hand range of your opponents. By all means, bet out if you think you’re ahead, but if you get flat called on the flop and turn then face an all-in re-raise on the river, top pair is seldom likely to be winning. You need the discipline to re-evaluate your hand and be able to fold on the river if necessary. One of my worst leaks at the moment is calling too much on the river, so it’s tricky to get this right.
6. Don’t play when bored or tilting
Whilst you shouldn’t play for short time periods, it is also important not to play when bored or tilting. If you are only playing one or two tables it is easy to get bored and play more hands than you should. This can be combated by playing more tables concurrently, but be careful not to lose sight of your surroundings and adopt an auto-pilot mode that leaves you open to exploitation. Otherwise, take a break or play a different game for a while. For example, take the opportunity to try Omama if you’ve not tried it before, but start at micro-stakes. Omaha can improve your Hold’em game as well.
7. Analyse your play after each session
You should definitely have software available so you can track your sessions and see where you are leaking money, whether you are winning due to luck or skill. I still look at replays of some of my hands and think, ‘How did I call that!’ It’s tricky to always make the right decision in the heat of the moment, but at least learn from your mistakes afterwards by taking the time to making the analysis. In order to play cash lucratively, players should at least be using data-minining software such as PokerTracker or Hold’em Manager, and you may also wish to utilise PokerStove for equity evaluation.
To summarise:
• Keep your focus and discipline
• Plan your hands before putting chips in but also re-evaluate your hand on every street
• Keep reading/researching
• Fight boredom by playing more tables or taking a break
• Use post-session analysis of your play to honestly evaluate yourself and learn from poor decisions
Although I am still learning/adjusting to No Limit cash games myself, I hope my experiences so far will help those of you who are thinking of making the transition from tournament to cash games yourself. I definitely recommend playing cash games as a way to obtain a fresh look on playing tournaments as many of the skills learned in cash can be effectively used in tournaments with deeper stacks where hand ranges are wider and the amounts of flops seen are increased.