Just 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 years. I did not play that much in Cash Games. I was doing pretty much in the tournaments, often making the final table, and sometimes in the money. I was very comfortable playing Tournaments, less when it came to cash games. I discovered I had the wrong mindset or attitude about Cash Games. Here's what happened to alter my mindset, my attitude, and eventually improved my Cash Game play dramatically.

I mostly played small buy in tournaments, about $30 to $60 buy-ins, at a local Casino. These were held every single day, and I played several per week. I was doing pretty well. On the days I got knocked out of 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 eventually got to know most of them. I wasn't doing very well in the Cash Games, and I did not know why. I'm not really a bad player, but I really 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 somebody 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 what was probably the best hand 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 a professional 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 for you to put the big chips in the pot without having to be sure of winning, I was concerned about the amount of money. It was nearly subconscious. Used to do not know I was "scared money".

One of the regulars I enjoyed was what I'd consider a very loose, aggressive, crazy gambling guy. His bankroll fluctuated in great amounts. Some days winning several hundred dollars, other days losing a lot of 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 provide a hoot about the money. This means nothing at all in my experience. I figure if I lose it all I'll just go make some 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 thought about what he'd said. While I do not want to play as loose and crazy as he does, maybe I need some 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 most likely know what I mean. 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 willing to do that at the daftar poker online (asta.uni-saarland.de) table, I better stay glued to tournaments.

By keeping this though in mind, I started initially to "gamble" more in the money games. Instead of folding to a $150 bet, if I 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 was going to play my best poker game, and risk whatever it took to play the best I really could, regardless of the loss of money. Forget about "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 that time. Cash Poker takes a different mindset than Tournament Poker, and I finally figured out what it was for me. Easily bust my daily Poker bankroll, I'll just go earn some more.