How to transition from Poker Tournaments to Poker Cash Games. They're only poker chips

How to transition from Poker Tournaments to Poker Cash Games

. They're only poker chips

I played mostly Texas Holdem No Limit Tournaments in the Casino's and home games for years. I did not play that much in Poker Cash Games. I was doing pretty well in the tournaments, frequently making the final table, and sometimes in the money. I was very comfortable playing Tournaments, not so much when it came to cash games. I discovered I had the wrong mindset or attitude about Cash Games. Here's what happened to change my mindset, my attitude, and eventually improved my Cash Game play considerably.

I mostly played small buy in tournaments, somewhere around $30 to $60 buy-ins, at a local Casino. These were held every 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 table, $1/2 no limit with a maximum buy in of $300. There were mostly "regulars" playing, and I got to know most of them. I was not doing very well in the Cash Games, and I did not know why. I'm not a bad player, but I could not figure 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 best hand. I'd make my bet accordingly, say $35 to $50, and then someone 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 the fear of losing that much on just one hand, sometimes just one card. Doyle Brunson made a comment one time, something to the effect that in order to be an expert at the poker tables, you have to have a "certain disregard" for the value of money. I thought I had that. Well, I didn't. When it came time to put the big chips in the pot without being sure of winning, I was concerned about the money. It was almost subconscious. I did not know I was "scared money".

One of the regulars I played with was what I'd consider a very loose, aggressive, crazy gambling guy. His bankroll fluctuated like crazy. Some days winning several hundred dollars, other days losing a thousand or more. But he said something one day that really stuck with me. When someone commented on his loose, crazy style he said "I don't give a hoot about the money. It means nothing at all to me. I figure if I lose it all I'll just go make some more. I really don't 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 a little bit of 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 probably know what I mean. Scared money does not win poker chips. I decided right then and there, that if I'm going to play Cash Poker, I absolutely have 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, I better stick to tournaments.

By keeping this though in mind, I started to "gamble" more in the cash 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 times I felt right about my actions. I was not going to let 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 could, regardless of the loss of money. No more "scared money" play for me.

Over time this small change in attitude, my mindset, made all 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 the time. Cash Poker takes a different mindset than Tournament Poker, and I finally figured out what it was for me. If I bust my daily Poker bankroll, I'll just go earn some more.

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