Transition from Tournament to Cash games?

[Heatman]

Being someone that have been playing only on poker tournaments for years and have done reasonably well over the years, when you feel like there's a need for you to change from playing tournaments to cash games, how would you feel about the transition?

If there's any player that have had this transition, what was the best way you had it done and become successful at cash games?

 

[Bawse]

Don't be over aggressive with mediocre hands. Wait for big hands, and make small moves when you notice tells on your opponents. I've bluffed large sums of money in cash before as well, and it's not recommended. If your bankroll can't afford it, you shouldn't be playing those levels.

If you're a successful tournament player you don't want to switch up your gameplay too much, and start playing hands you wouldn't normally play. I occasionally play cash games, but I prefer tournaments. I like to play cash sometimes, when I'm up a lot from tourneys, and mess around in the lower stakes.

 

[Kross]

I am not that deep in poker tournaments. I have played 90% of my poker journey on cash games. But from the little I know, the transition from tournament poker to cash games is all about strategy. Tournaments are more about short-stacked poker while cash games might require playing deeper stacks. With cash games, one has to spend time to learn how to play in big pots. It is really all about strategy.

 

[Scorpion Girl]

The transition seems really tough because the whole mindset is different. In tournaments you're thinking about survival and chip accumulation with escalating blinds, but cash games are about maximizing value on every single hand with no time pressure. I've heard players say the hardest adjustment is being patient enough - in tournaments you're forced to play marginal hands eventually, but in cash games you can just wait for premium spots.

 

[Kins G]

I have a couple of friends that are deep into tournament poker and they always struggle big time when they enter cash games. And I always sense that it is always patience that presents the biggest struggles to them. Tournament poker is more about short stacks and push fold spots. But cash poker games would demand that one thinks deeper. I think the transition from tournament poker to cash games primarily involves a player expanding their patience threshold. When once stack-depth play is understood, cash games would become easier for a seasoned tournament player.

 

[Heatman]

Don't be over aggressive with mediocre hands. Wait for big hands, and make small moves when you notice tells on your opponents. I've bluffed large sums of money in cash before as well, and it's not recommended. If your bankroll can't afford it, you shouldn't be playing those levels.

If you're a successful tournament player you don't want to switch up your gameplay too much, and start playing hands you wouldn't normally play. I occasionally play cash games, but I prefer tournaments. I like to play cash sometimes, when I'm up a lot from tourneys, and mess around in the lower stakes.

My mentor will always tell you to stick to what's working for you and not look at being where you're not because things might not go as planned in the new spot you want to experience.