Tournament vs Cash game (1 Viewer)

[BigStack]

Regarding home games, what are most people playing ?, I'm assuming cash games, but I find that I really enjoy tournaments as well. Optimally I prefer a good tournament with the
ability to join in a cash game afterwards. Seems simple enough to me, however I often find the guys only enjoy one or the other. Hopefully I can find both types around the bay.
Someone told me that there's a lot of cash games that have sprung up in San Francisco. Anyone got a line on those ?

 

[Baldeagle9]

We like to start out with a $40 Tourney that last about 2 hours. That gives the tourney folks their fix. Then we go into cash games $1/$2 limit (blinds .50/$1), buy in $100. We play that for roughly 3 hours depending on how everyone's feeling. Some weeks just a higher buy in single table tourney that lasts 4-5 hours maybe $100 buy in, then other weeks cash games only, some weeks NL Holdem only, So basically try to mix it up to keep all players happy, to keep them coming back for more, ha ha.

 

[TheRealTeddyKGB]

Lots of tournament & cash games everywhere in the Bay including here in Mountain View!
@SPR
@RocAFella1

 

[arthurmorgan]

Lots of tournament & cash games everywhere in the Bay including here in Mountain View!
@SPR
@RocAFella1

How often do you guys host tournament? Is it for inner circle only or open to outsider as well?

 

[drgg]

I like tournaments but they are alot more work to operate, cash games are easier to host. But I think I see them about 50/50 for games.

 

[Munchies11]

Cash games now for me !! They are more convenient and less of a commitment. The last thing I need is to get a call from the wife to come home for some reason after leading a tournament ! Lol

 

[maxim_666666]

Cash games are good, but tournaments are more fun.

 

[TheRealTeddyKGB]

Cash games are good, but tournaments are more fun.

aaaaaaaaand blocked!

In all seriousness I used to believe Tournaments were better too. Playing winning Tournament poker is BORING though with the exception of maybe taking down a MTT. Cash is way more "fun" by a mile. Can you say VPIP?!?

And this is coming from a guy who's had good success playing tournaments over the last 25+ years too

 

[Munchies11]

Cash games are good, but tournaments are more fun.

Agree with this completely. Tournaments are the best at the start too when everyone is excited to play.. referring to home games with the buddies

 

[RocAFella1]

In all seriousness I used to believe Tournaments were better too.

 

[Old State]

CASH!

I was almost 30 when the poker boom started. Not old…but old enough to remember that poker meant cash games for literally anyone that played the game in any form before that. Tournaments always seemed like a separate occasional event…never the norm.

Some friends and I got into hosting 30+ person tournaments 7-8 times a year for about no-6 years…but the cash games after and, the ones we hosted more frequently, were always the preferred style. Tournament Poker is not ideal for a poker night. Poker nights are supposed to be fluid and more social. The idea of people are knocked out throughout the night and leave has always seemed to me unnatural for a “poker night”

I honestly think the only reason people play single table tournaments on a regular basis as their “poker night” is because so many first learned the game by watching tournament poker on television.

Also, some are risk adverse and feel only risking the buy in is safer. I held a few .25/.50 cash games with $50 max buying for several people i met who played small single table tournament games in the area. They are were converted to cash. Once three realized how cash played and that it wasn’t scary they preferred it.

Poker was invented as a cash game and to me that will always be its purest and most enjoyable form

 

[HiveKueen]

Purely tournaments. Cash is a whole different game.

 

[SteveEH]

Tournament Poker is not ideal for a poker night. Poker nights are supposed to be fluid and more social. The idea of people are knocked out throughout the night and leave has always seemed to me unnatural for a “poker night”

The end.

 

[nynit]

For my home games, cash makes more sense so people can come and go without a schedule. I also find it easier to juggle with playing and hosting.

 

[merkong]

Cash is King but if your group wants to branch out and really compete for longer haul, tournaments are a must.

Versatility.

 

[BPTDirector]

It’s mainly tournaments for my group who I only got to try cash once. The two kinds are totally different in so many ways, I’ve rarely met people that are equally good at both. Watching high stakes cash games shows me how much I need to learn, my record is well above variance in tournaments, and yeah it sucks but I have gone out first when hosting a couple times.

 

[Old State]

Watching high stakes cash games shows me how much I need to learn

Unless you are playing high stakes I’d recommend against this. If you play low stakes poker like these guys on TV play high stakes you will lose a lot of money. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing every hand of $1/3 holdem. That will play closer to your typical low stakes home game. You need to play more straight forward. It’s also very difficult to bluff novice players or even good ones at lower stakes.

 

[raynmanas]

i prefer cash nowadays, but i like tournaments for a different reason, and there were quite a few of us back then. i grew up playing dealer's choice, but i stumbled into hold'em right as i was getting out of magic the gathering, circa 2002. tournaments scratched that same itch, and large field MTTs scratched that itch on a much grander scale. it was so fun back then before everyone figured out how to play.

 

[thePokerClub]

100% tournaments.....BUT

In my club (and I believe the same to be true for @HiveKueen) tournaments overall are much more enjoyable long term with a point system, leaderboards, incentives, etc.

Playing a long game across multiple tournaments where you get to try for a championship qualification, bragging rights, etc. makes tournaments much more fun.

 

[croatan]

i prefer cash nowadays, but i like tournaments for a different reason, and there were quite a few of us back then. i grew up playing dealer's choice, but i stumbled into hold'em right as i was getting out of magic the gathering, circa 2002. tournaments scratched that same itch, and large field MTTs scratched that itch on a much grander scale. it was so fun back then before everyone figured out how to play.

Haha. I'd love to know how many of us got into poker through MTG--it has to be substantial. It was a few years earlier for me, but it just makes sense. Our group went from competitive chess to MTG to poker (because that's where the money was, and it's basically the same skill sets).

Also, to the OP's question: I prefer cash games, but have a number of friends who are only comfortable playing tournaments, so we do both.