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

I played mostly Texas Holdem No Limit Tournaments in the Casino's and home games for years. I did not play that much in Cash Games. I was doing pretty well in the tournaments, frequently making the ultimate table, and sometimes in the money. I was very comfortable playing Tournaments, not so much when it came to cash games. I came across I had the wrong mindset or attitude about Cash Games. Here's what happened to change my mindset, my attitude, and eventually improved my Cash Game play considerably.

I mostly played small buy in tournaments, around $30 to $60 buy-ins, at an area Casino. These were held each and every day, and I played several per week. I was doing pretty well. On the days I obtained 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 eventually to know many of them. I was not doing well in the money Games, and I did not know why. I'm not a bad player, but I possibly 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 very best hand. I'd make my bet accordingly, say $35 to $50, and then some body 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 driving a car of losing that much on just one hand, sometimes just one card. Doyle Brunson made a comment onetime, something to the effect that in order to be an expert 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 for you to put the big chips in the pot without having to be sure of winning, I was concerned about the cash. It was almost subconscious. I did so not know I was "scared money".

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

On the way home, I seriously considered what he'd said. While I do not need to play as loose and crazy as he does, maybe I need a small amount 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 situs poker online (demo.sytian-productions.com), you most likely know what I am talking about. Scared money does not win poker chips. I decided right then and there, that if I'll play Cash Poker, I absolutely need to be prepared to risk up to several 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 in mind, I started initially to "gamble" more in the bucks games. Rather than folding to a $150 bet, easily 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 times I felt right about my actions. I had not been going to let the "value of money" affect my play. I would definitely play my best poker game, and risk whatever it took to play the best I really could, regardless of the loss of money. You can forget "scared money" play for me.

Over time this small change in attitude, my mindset, 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 know it at the time. Cash Poker takes a different mindset than Tournament Poker, and I finally determined what it had been for me. If I bust my daily Poker bankroll, I'll just go earn even more.