I agree with the feeling of winning and my edge is greater in MTT's vs cash because that's what I've focused on. My question is can a pro sustain a bankroll and a living playing only MTT's?
I decided at the beginig of the year I would focus exclusively on MTT's and my results have improved dramatically. But I'm not sure this is the best route to long term consistent profits....thoughts?
Last edited by swet1; 04-13-2011 at 01:43 PM.
One thing about tournaments is that the variance is just so sick. Take a look at this good post by NoahSD:
http://www.nsdpoker.com/2011/01/mtt-pros/
I prefer to play SNGs and MTTs due to my AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder) I get extremely bored with online cash games. I would love to have the ability to concentrate like leatherass, but I just don't have it in my online.
That said, one thing about tournament poker that I do like is the constant movement of the blinds. It creates an ever-changing variable into your play where you may make moves you ordinarily would not due to not having much chips in front of you.
I do play live cash games and am a small winner at that. I guess the buzz around the live casino allows me to actually concentrate on the game more.
I have won live tournaments as well and there is nothing like walking out of a casino with a wad of cash in your wallet.
I have decided that online, I am strictly a tournament player while live I can swing both ways. Who knows, maybe after winning a few tournaments, I might hire a cash game coach to help me figure out myself - LOL
I think I agree with HotJenny, my edge is huge at mtt and at online 6 max I have none. At FR I have a little, but when it comes right down to it one great tourney whips out alot of bad beats, a few good ones keeps you even or slightly ahead, and at the cash table if I tilt, it gets ugly fast.
LOL +1
Iv played a lot of sngs and mtts and not so much cash. Mtts are definitely my preferred choice not only because Iv studied them most (well, tournament poker) but also its so dynamic. There are additional constraints in place that push players to make moves so the circumstances for everyone changes constantly. When you consider playing a long session of different formats, turbos, rebuys, reg speeds etc, you get involved in such a wide variety of situations that it stays fresh. So many little nuances, so many close spots that seem to hold more meaning than a cash hand because you "bust" if you lose or soar to the chiplead with a win. I would never play a sng or cash session for as long as I would play an mtt session because it ends up as such a grind.
Playing regs is more fun too imho. Sure you know this reg well but how is he adapting to the circumstances at the current table? Is he aware you capable of adapting to that and adjusting himself? You can end up with leveling games going that are really interesting and great when they go your way.
And then of course there's the winning!! Nothing more satisfying than taking down a tournament. Sure you go through mind bending variance but the excitement of one tournament changing all of that and then some is just too sweet! Also, I think that variance is what makes me aspire to achieve further in MTTs. It makes it that bit more elusive. Its so difficult to believe in yourself through the bad aswell as the good, though I suppose this is true for all formats...
Ive always been much more comfortable playing cash games than tournements from day 1. I think its because I feel the shortness of stacks limits my arsenal too much in tournaments. Also I like the comfort of making money consistently and I often feel my time would of been more productive playing cash than spending hours in a tournament. I feel that success in cashgames also has more direct correlation with your technical abilities and emotional control. I also dont like the fact that no matter how well you play or do in a tournament in inevitable boils down to flipping pre flop and hoping your luck holds whereas In a cash game I can run really bad but still turn a profit that day. I would like to play more tournaments. I do pretty well in live tournaments though, maybe because these are deeper stacked.
I probably just ran better at SNG and MTTs at first and that why I play them more. I'm actually starting to play more cash now and hope to be doing both regularly.
i'd love to play MTTs but i just can't grind long sessions as my play tends to really drop off after many hours--right around the time it really counts. there are so many factors to consider in MTTs and FT excitement is hard to match. if i wasn't such a long session fish forced to play shorter, I'd be playing MTTs much more often. definitely most fun format for me even tho i've worked on it the least and my edge is def the smallest.
I play cash bc I really only play poker when i feel like i need to scrape a few dollars together and cashgames allow a steady flow of it. that said, if i take a long break from the game i play exclusively SNGs for the first month at least as i get used to playing regularly and just get comfortable with sitting by the computer and managing emotional responses that taper off once u get a bit numb to the beats. the added benefit of SNGs is that all the decisions are soooo easy compared to the other two formats. in 9man SNGs i can play entire tournaments with no more than two tough spots (mostly $10 and $20 buyins....i imagine tough spots come up often higher up). but ye, SNGs mostly prepare me for battle at cashgames. they are also my game of choice when i know i shouldn't be playing but feel like messing around.
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