Cash Games vs Tournament Play - Getting More For Your Money

There are many reasons to play cash games and there are many reasons to play tournaments, some prefer to play mostly one or the other or both equally. It is just a matter of your bankroll and what your goals are in poker. Once you assess what both are, you can comfortably choose what you would like to play. You might even find that you are better at one than the other. For example, I play much better in tournaments because I know that the only loss I will incur is my buy in, which for the sake of this example would be a measly $20. Whereas, there have been times I have played in a $2 - $4 limit game, went heads up with someone and got re-raised all in, losing all of the money I had on the table.

When you play in cash games, you start to play at a limit that is comfortable for you as well as one that you can afford to play it. If my bankroll is $1,000, I am definitely not going to be playing in a $50 / $100 limit game. If I play ten big blinds and don't win a hand, I just lost my entire bankroll.

On the other hand if I took that $1,000 and played smaller buy in tournaments, such as a $20 no limit game with no re-buys, I can play in 50 such tournaments and hopefully place in the money to make some of that back. Hence the title - "get more bang for your buck." These smaller tournaments are very popular and all you have to do is check the schedule to see when they are running.

Of course playing in a cash game has its advantages. If I want to end a losing session, I can just get up and walk away from the table, but the only way for me to walk away from a tournament is to lose all my chips or walk away empty handed.

Preferably, if you are new to poker and would like to get the excitement of playing a live game, but without losing more than a set amount such as $20, then playing in a couple of tournaments may be just the answer to feed your poker hunger. Remember to play at a limit that is comfortable for you and games that you are comfortable with. Test both out and see what suits you best.