Even though you can
watch poker most nights
of the week on
television these days,
you’ll be hard pushed to
find a televised cash
game. However, the cash
games are where millions
of dollars change hands
on a daily basis and
where lots of very good
players that you’ve
never even heard of can
make a very good living.
Although it’s the top
tournament players that
get the media exposure
and become household
names that all the young
players want to emulate
it’s the cash games
where the real players
can be found.
As Paul Newman playing
Fast Eddie Felson said
in the Color of Money
“It’s all about the
money, and the person
with the most is the
best.” Although he was
talking about pool
hustling, the same rings
true about poker.
While
it may be viewed as a
challenge to take on and
beat the best players in
the world in most other
sports, in poker cash
game play to make money
is the most important
thing. You could be the
tenth best player in the
world, but if you only
ever play on a table
with the top 9 players
you will be a loser.
So our first lesson
about cash game play is
to select a game that
you can beat, look for
the bad players and play
in their game and avoid
players that you think
are better than you. You
may only be an average
player, but if you
always play with poor
players then you will be
a winner in the long
term.
Another important factor
to consider in cash
games is that they are
never ending, unlike a
tournament where the
blinds keep going up and
players get knocked out
until there is an
eventual winner.
Think of your poker
playing life as one long
never ending cash game.
It doesn’t matter if you
are losing in your
session today as the
game will continue
tomorrow and the next
day and so on.
And lastly I’d like to
talk about money
management which is
absolutely crucial if
you are to be a
successful cash game
player. It doesn’t
matter how good you are
if you don’t have good
money management skills.
Indeed several world
class players have gone
broke because they have
no idea of this concept.
The size of your
bankroll should dictate
the size of game you
play in and a good rule
of thumb is to never
risk more than 5% of
your bankroll in any one
game. If you are a good
player and stick to this
rule then you should be
able to withstand the
short term fluctuations
to become a winner in
the long term. Although
I do recommend setting a
loss limit for a
particular game I do not
recommend setting a win
limit. You should play
for as long as the game
is good and you feel
like you are playing
your best. Never say to
yourself I am going to
win $500 then get up.
You should only stop
when the game becomes
bad or you start to feel
tired.
Another aspect of money
management is how much
to buy-in for when you
play a game. There are
some people who advocate
buying in for the
minimum as you are
risking less, but I am
the opposite and like to
have the most chips on
the table as lots of
chips give you a lot of
ammunition and power.
Your opponents may also
be weary of you because
of your large stack.
Although most casinos
set the minimum buy-in
as 10 times the big
blind I recommend buying
in for 50 big bets in a
fixed limit game and 100
big blinds in a pot
limit or no limit game.
If you cannot afford to
do this then maybe you
are playing at a limit
too high for your
bankroll.
Untill next time, enjoy
your cash game play and
I hope to see you across
the table soon.
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