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Poker is a game that takes a very long time to turn out the way it is meant to turn out. When you read or hear about poker percentages, poker odds, probabilities, good hands, bad hands, luck, skill and everything else that goes into poker; this is all analyzed based upon a long period of time. None of it falls into place over night. This is especially true with a poker cash game.
A cash game is a game that is played with cash on the table. There is no better way to put it.
There is no buy-in that is exchanged for chips that will eventually run out or add up to every chip at the table. Unlike a tournament, you can buy-in for as much as you want (up to the max amount at the table), and you can choose when you want to stop playing.
You cannot get knocked out of a cash game, and you can buy back in as much as you would like. If you take somebody’s chip stack, it is real cash that you can pocket right then and there.
Because of these attributes of a cash game, there is a much different approach than if you were playing in a tournament. That is where a lot of players end up getting confused and lost.
You see; patience, skill, numbers, probabilities and control are all things that can really be taken advantage of in a cash game. Luck is something that is still in the picture, but can really be limited if you play the right way.
If you play by the book and mix up some solid strategies, you will win over the long run. There is no better way to make money from poker than with cash games. You do not need to get lucky in order to win in a cash game. If the cards do not come, you will not get blinded out and forced to make a move. As long as you are patient you can sit at the table all night without losing money, until you do get a good opportunity.
That is the number one thing that a lot of players get mixed up. Understanding cash games is the very first step to successfully making a lot of money playing a very skilled game.
Cash Games: Live There is nothing like a live cash game, especially a big one. While online poker may be more profitable to some, there is just nothing like a live cash game. That is what will keep you working hard and keep you coming back for more. A good cash game will encourage you to become a better player and make you want to be great. Not only that, but it can also pay very well too.
You can sit at a poker table in a cash game for 15 straight hours and never think twice about it. The wonderful thing about a live cash game is that you can sit at the same table and end up going through dozens of different opponents.
Even better, most of them will not be very good. Depending on where you play, you will often find new players and tourists. That is the nice thing about poker being part of a casino.
Although, real poker players do not look at the game the same as blackjack or craps; many other players do. Those are the ones that we want to take full advantage of.
Live Cash Game Strategy:
Nothing pays off more in a cash game than patience and aggression. An aggressive style of poker will pay off more than any other style. It is important to be able to mix tight with aggressive.
You want to be selective about what hands you play, but when you play then you want to take control of the hand. The very best way to take control of a hand is by betting and raising.
At the same time, you have to be knowledgeable enough to know when you are beat and get away from a hand, without showing weakness.
If you can win one big pot per hour along with a couple little ones here and there, you will be good to go. It is just extremely important to stay patient.
It only takes minutes to go from $200 to $1000. One minute you will be sitting there wondering if you even like poker anymore. The next minute you will start catching hands and doubling up left and right.
It is amazing how fast things change in this game. It also works the other way around as well, so never get too comfortable.
If you can get all of that into your head the next time you play in a live cash game, you will do much better.
Cash Games: Online
It can be very difficult to sit around and be patient playing a hand once in a while and mostly folding. Watching your opponents get in the action and sitting around can sometimes be difficult. Playing poker online has brought in a whole other level of playing with multi-table poker.
This is where you can play more than one table at the same time. Not only does it make things more interesting, but it also makes the game a lot more profitable as well.
There are a lot of poker players that would choose playing online over playing live, any day of the week. The reason for this is because you can never get that kind of profitability from a live game.
You can play 10 online games at one time and if you are a skilled poker player, this is seriously amazing. With cash games especially, you can make 10 times the amount you can make playing in a live game.
Online Cash Game Strategy:
Playing multiple tables is a lot different than playing just one. You will have to take a different approach and strategy. While you still want to get as much information on your opponents as possible, it is not as important as make mathematical decisions.
Playing multiple tables will not give you as much time to study your opponent’s actions. The math however, is very important. You should never make a bad decision where you cannot justify your call according to the math. That just means if you have 4 outs in a $100 pot, you should not be calling a $50 bet.
It also pays off to be aggressive when you are in a hand. Playing by the math does not mean you play tight and just call and bet. You still want to mix things up and be the aggressor whenever it is possible.
At the same time, that doesn’t mean you should play every hand and go all-in every other hand. It will not be hard to fold and make good decisions if you keep a clear head. Remember, that when you fold that hand there are still 8 more hands on your other tables to worry about.
You have to be quick, and think fast. At the same time, you have to be able to make solid good decisions. If you can do all of this, you will find a whole new meaning to the word “poker”.
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