How To Transition From Tournament Poker To Cash Games - They Are Only Poker Chips

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 much in the tournaments, usually making the ultimate table, and sometimes in the money. I was very comfortable playing Tournaments, less when it came to cash games. I came across I had the wrong mindset or attitude about Cash Games. Some tips about what happened to change my mindset, my attitude, and eventually improved my Cash Game play dramatically.

I mostly played small buy in tournaments, around $30 to $60 buy-ins, at a nearby Casino. They certainly were held 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 most of them. I wasn't doing well in the Cash Games, and I did not know why. I'm not a bad player, but I possibly could not determine 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 accordingly, say $35 to $50, and then somebody would raise me to $150 or $200 and I'd fold.

I didn't really know it, but I was what you had 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 just one single hand, sometimes just one card. Doyle Brunson made a comment onetime, something to the effect that in order to be a specialist at the poker tables, you have to have a "certain disregard" for the worth of money. I thought I had that. Well, I did not. When it came time to put the big chips in the pot without being sure of winning, I was concerned about the amount of money. It was nearly subconscious. I did so not know I was "scared money".

One of the regulars I played with was what I'd think about a very loose, aggressive, crazy gambling guy. His bankroll fluctuated like crazy. Some days winning several hundred dollars, other days losing a thousand or more. But he said something one day that really stuck with me. When someone commented on his loose, aggressive gambling style he said "I don't offer a hoot about the money. It indicates nothing at all if you ask me. I figure if I lose it all I'll just go make even more. I really do not care". He was serious and he meant it. At first I thought, "Man, this is quite a flippant attitude to have about hard earned cash".

On the way home, I considered what he'd said. While I do n't need 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", and if you've ever played much cash poker, you probably 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, capsa susun I absolutely have to be prepared to risk up to many hundred dollars on a single hand or single card. If I'm not totally willing to do that at the poker table, I better adhere to tournaments.

By keeping this though at heart, I began to "gamble" more in the cash games. Instead of folding to a $150 bet, basically 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 changing times I felt right about my actions. I was not going to allow the "value of money" affect my play. I would play my best poker game, and risk whatever it took to play the best I could, regardless of the lack of money. You can forget "scared money" play for me.

Over time this small change in attitude, my mind-set, made all 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 understand it during the time. Cash Poker takes a different mindset than Tournament Poker, and I finally determined what it absolutely was for me. Basically bust my daily Poker bankroll, I'll just go earn even more.