Different

Shadow6969

Shadow6969

Rock Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Sep 11, 2025
Total posts
286
IN
Chips
226
Why cash games are different from MTT tournament?? People play cash games differently why is that❓
 
dreamer13

dreamer13

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Mar 18, 2022
Total posts
5,011
Awards
2
LV
Chips
1,417
Unlike MTTs, you can quit a cash game at any time and collect your winnings. This is convenient because you don't have to wait hours for the tournament to end. The main reasons players come to MTTs are the big wins and unforgettable experiences.
 
austral

austral

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Sep 24, 2025
Total posts
209
Awards
1
AR
Chips
262
Cash games: Each chip equals real money (There's no "pressure" to survive, no bubbles or prize jumps, only making decisions matters + pure EV).

MTTs: Chips don't have linear value (Survival can be more important than winning a pot, there are bubbles, prize jumps, and ICM, which changes preflop range and aggression).
 
W

wushibala

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Jun 23, 2025
Total posts
299
UA
Chips
270
First of all, cash games are harder for many players because chips = real money, and that pressure affects their decisions — for example, whether to call with a medium-strength hand. In tournaments, players will often call automatically, especially early on.
Second, cash games usually have stronger opponents, so many people prefer not to get involved too much so they don’t bust their bankroll quickly.
 
F

fundiver199

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Total posts
15,872
Awards
2
Chips
938
As others have said, in cash games a dollar won or lost is a dollar won or lost, and each hand is independant of the previous ones. In tournaments there are tactical considerations, because the goal is to outlast other players, until its down to the final two. So sometimes in tournaments its better to pass on a marginal spot and wait for someone else to bust.

In tournaments the blinds also go up, which tend to make the effective stack size shorter. In a typical online cash game you need to be good at 100BB poker. In tournaments you need to master different stack sizes, but most of the play happen with an effective stack size of 40BB or less depending on the speed of the tournament.
 
Top