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 well in the tournaments, frequently making the final table, and sometimes in the money. I was very comfortable playing Tournaments, not so much when it came to cash games. I ran across I had the wrong mind-set or attitude about Cash Games. Here is what happened to alter my mindset, my attitude, and eventually improved my Cash Game play considerably.

I mostly played small buy in tournaments, about $30 to $60 buy-ins, at a nearby Casino. They certainly were held each day, and I played several per week. I was doing pretty well. On the days I obtained knocked from the tournament early and still felt like playing poker, I'd move to a cash 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 had not been doing perfectly in the Cash 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 appropriately, say $35 to $50, and then somebody would raise me to $150 or $200 and I'd fold.

I did not 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 best hand 99poker sometimes because of driving a car of losing that much on only one hand, sometimes just one card. Doyle Brunson made a comment one time, something to the effect that in order to be an expert at the poker tables, you have to have a "certain disregard" for the value of money. I thought I had that. Well, I did not. When it came time for you to put the big chips in the pot without being sure of winning, I was concerned about the money. It was almost subconscious. Used to do not know I was "scared money".

One of the regulars I enjoyed was what I'd look at a very loose, aggressive, crazy gambling guy. His bankroll fluctuated in great amounts. Some days winning several hundred dollars, other days losing one thousand or more. But he said something 1 day that really stuck with me. When some one commented on his loose, aggressive gambling style he said "I don't provide a hoot about the money. This means nothing at all to 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 thought about what he'd said. While I do n't 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 was not 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, I absolutely have to be prepared to risk up a number of 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, 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 days I felt right about my actions. I was not going to let the "value of money" affect my play. I was going to play my best poker game, and risk whatever it took to play the best I could, regardless of the loss in money. No longer "scared money" play for me.

Over time this small change in attitude, my mind-set, 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 during the time. Cash Poker takes a different mindset than Tournament Poker, and I finally identified what it had been for me. Easily bust my daily Poker bankroll, I'll just go earn even more.