Cash or tournaments??

[dreamer13]

Cash is definitely true. In tournaments, I think there's more of a luck factor. If you don't get cards at the right time in a tournament, there's really nothing you can do.In cash, the variance is much smaller. In tournaments, everything is often decided by a couple of hands, and if they go wrong, then everything.

 

[fundiver199]

At first you must starting with freerolls , and than maybe you can try study mtt tournaments . Cash i think its harder to play .

freerolls are for entertainment and to get some of your rake money back. If OP is serious about poker and wants to become a winning player, freerolls are not an important instrument for achieving that. If fact they are more of a distraction, if he end up spending to much time on them.

It's tough for beginners - watching your stack shrink (and knowing it's real money) makes you nervous and leads to mistakes.

You can play cash games for as little as $2 (2NL), so really the money at stake should not make anyone nervous. If the thought of losing $2 makes someone nervous, then I recommend them to fix their financial situation first and play poker later.

my advice? start with sit & go's, they're perfect for learning

This is not a bad choise, but cash games are also a good choise.

 

[Mig32]

Where to start if new but studying poker with the objective of making some money during the process cash or tournaments?? Thanks in advance.!!

If I were starting fresh with the goal of making some money while learning, I’d focus on cash games first. They give me more control over my bankroll and playing time, plus they offer consistent postflop practice, which is essential for building a strong foundation. In cash games, I can sit down or leave whenever I want, and the skill edge shows up sooner because there’s less variance compared to tournaments. At the same time, I’d mix in freeroll tournaments whenever possible — they’re a risk-free way to build a small bankroll, test my skills against real opponents, and get a taste of tournament structure without spending a cent.

Tournaments, on the other hand, can be exciting and offer the chance to turn a small buy-in into a big score, but the swings are brutal. That’s why I’d treat them, along with freerolls that require a lot of time for low expected returns, as side activities while I focus on cash games. Once I’ve built up my fundamentals and discipline in low-stakes cash, I’d use freerolls as extra practice and occasional shots at growing my bankroll.

 

[fundiver199]

But if youre playing online and youre just starting out then I wouldnt tell you to play online cash games because even at 1/2 cent I see ppl literally playing 7 tables of six max and i can tell theyre winning players from how theyre playing. and I can guarantee you that theyre using software and aids to also help themselves.

So even at the very lowest levels lol youre playing against winning players that have a huge advantage against you with experience and probably have all the bells and whistles ie software aids to give them even more of an advantage over you.

Its true, that there are regs in microstakes cash games even at 2NL, but there are also regs in microstakes tournaments, so its just the same. And its not like, they are particularly good especially not at 2NL. They are either new to the game and trying to build up their first bankroll, or they attempted to move up but failed, and thats why they are back at 2NL.

When I got serious about online poker back in 2016 my first investment was a license for PT4, and the next investment was a $100 deposit on pokerstars, and then I started to grind away at their cash games. There is no reason, why OP can not do the same today and for starters work his way from 2NL to 10NL and a $500 or so bankroll. At that point he can decide, if he want to continue with cash games or move to tournaments.

I recently played around 4K hands at 9-max 10NL cash tables on PokerStars, and I only saw a few players, who I would consider strong regs. Most of the regs were of the tight/weak type, which is very easy to play against, since you just overfold to their aggression, avoid light value betting but bluff them a bit more.

Having HUD-data is very helpfull against other regs, and just because OP is new to poker, does not mean, he can not purchase PT4 or a similar program himself and start using it as part of the learning process. Having a tracker also makes it substantially easier to review hands away from the tables, and when your sample is large enough, PT4 can run a leak analysis for you and help you find possible improvements.

Your best bet is to play freerolls and playchip tables to get experience playing those awful players and also study so you have a clue how to deal with the little players doing 7 tables of 1/2 cent lol trying to feed their family in some low cost country.

Freerolls and playmoney tables are fine, if you have no knodledge about the game at all and need to learn fundamental things like hand ranking and reading boards. Like understanding that 66 is counterfeited and playing the board on TT877, or that a A high flush is not the nuts on a paired board. But presumably OP is past that point and want to take online poker serious.

 

[Fallenglory]

Where to start if new but studying poker with the objective of making some money during the process cash or tournaments?? Thanks in advance.!!

Depends on what you like. Tournaments typically last longer but prices can be higher. Being a succesfull tournament player is not easy.

Cash games are easier to get started with but are more 'a grind' so you'll be doing a lot of the same.

 

[fundiver199]

If I were starting fresh with the goal of making some money while learning, I’d focus on cash games first. They give me more control over my bankroll and playing time

This is an essential point. If you are done eating dinner at 7 pm, you do not want to sit around and wait until 9 pm for a freeroll to begin. And you also dont want to enter MTTs, that will not end until 1 am in the morning, if your plan is to go to sleep around 10 pm and work the next day. You want to sit down and play right now and have some pretty clear idea about, when your session is going to end. Or at least the option to end it, if you want to. Which leave either cash games or SnGs as the best choises for a part time grinder.

Plus they offer consistent postflop practice, which is essential for building a strong foundation.

Another very essential point. Its easier to adjust from playing with a deep stack to playing with more shallow stacks than the other way around, and thats why cash games are the best place to build a strong foundation. Its a bit like taking a driving license. If you want to get it as easy as possible, you can take it in a rural area. But if you want to become good at driving, you should take it in a big city. If you can make your way around the capital of your country, you can also manage driving in less densely populated areas.

 

[MAFNL16061986]

starting whith freeroll is the best way to start and learn before play whith real money

 

[uesleisuptitz]

Where to start if new but studying poker with the objective of making some money during the process cash or tournaments?? Thanks in advance.!!

If you’re new, start with low-stakes cash games. They’re easier to learn and let you play more hands. Tournaments are fun but can be tougher with bigger swings. Focus on basics first and build your bankroll step by step. Good luck!