Cash Game

Quick facts by PokerStrategy

• Cash games are one of the main types of poker, along with tournaments.
• In cash games, each pot is played for chips that have a direct monetary value.
• In a cash game, players can buy-in for any amount within the given range and can leave the table whenever they choose.
• Cash game poker strategy revolves around deep stack, postflop play.

What Is a Cash Game in Poker?

A cash game is a type of poker in which every pot is played with cash chips that have a direct monetary value. Players can buy-in for any amount within the range and can sit down and leave the table whenever they choose.

For example, you buy into a $0.10/$0.25 cash game for $25, which is 100 big blinds. After a few orbits, you have won a couple of nice hands and your stack is up to $35. You cash out, and your chips are exchanged back into cash.

The other major feature of cash games is that the blind levels stay the same throughout, rather than increasing at set intervals. This changes how you should approach cash game poker strategy.

Compared to tournaments, the other main type of poker, cash games, offers more flexibility and a completely different game structure.

How Cash Games Work

A Texas Hold’em cash game has exactly the same game rules as a Texas Hold’em tournament. Players post their blinds and are dealt two hole cards. There are five community cards, with a betting round after the flop, turn, and river.

The difference lies not in the rules but in the structure and flow of the game.

Flexibility and Rebuys

In cash games, every chip in play has a real and direct monetary value: a $1 chip is worth $1 cash. You can also cash out at any time by leaving the table and swapping your chips for their equivalent value.

Cash games often run around the clock in casinos and online poker rooms. You can join or leave whenever you want, making them incredibly flexible.

If you lose some or all of your stack in a cash game, you can easily reload by placing more cash on the table and swapping it for cash chips

Fixed Blinds

In cash games, the blinds are fixed and do not rise like they do in a tournament. A $0.10/$0.25 cash game has a 25c big blind throughout. This changes poker strategy in cash games, which we’ll cover later on.

Cash Game Stakes

The fixed blind levels determine cash game stakes. You’ll usually be able to buy in for a minimum of 20 big blinds and a maximum of 100 big blinds. For instance, in a $1/$2 cash game, buy-ins will be between $40-$200. It’s recommended to buy-in for the maximum at the stakes you can afford, as this will give you a deep stack to play with.

Cash Game vs Tournament Poker

Although the rules are the same, the format and structure of cash games make them very different from tournaments.

In poker cash games, you’ll play each and every pot for chips that have a direct monetary value, whereas in tournaments, your chip stack is a way of measuring your progress towards the payouts.

Poker cash games are ongoing with flexible buy-ins and entry times, whereas tournaments are scheduled with a set entry fee and set start time.

In cash games, blinds remain constant, whereas in tournaments they are always rising. This drastically changes cash game versus tournament strategy. Additional concepts like ICM factor into decisions in tournaments, whereas they are never a factor in cash games.

Here’s a quick comparison chart for cash games versus tournaments:

Common Rules in Poker Cash Games

Although cash games follow the same basic rules as tournaments, there are some additional rules you should be aware of that only apply to cash games:

• Buy-Ins and Rebuys: There is a minimum or maximum buy-in, which is usually between 20 and 100 big blinds. You can buy in for any amount in this range and reload whenever possible.
• Table Stakes: If you are already in a hand, you can only bet with the chips that are already in front of you. You can’t reach into your pockets to pull out more cash or buy chips midway through the hand.
• Rake: The house takes a rake on every postflop pot. This can be anything from 2-10 percent. There may be a rake cap that determines the maximum amount of rake that can be taken from any pot.
• Moving Seats: In most cash games, you are often free to pick your seat at the table, and may move after a certain number of hands. You can also request a table change, and most casinos will accommodate, as long as there are other seats free.
• Optional Rules: Cash games are a playground for all kinds of optional rules, the most common of which is straddling. This is where the under the gun player places an optional blind bet worth two big blinds to bump up the action. Another example is running it twice, in which players have the option to agree to the board being dealt twice or even three times to smooth out variance.

Cash Game Poker Strategy

Given that players can buy-in for 100 big blinds and reload at any time, you’ll rarely be playing with 10 or 20 big blind effective stacks. Cash game poker strategy is therefore based around deep stack play.

It’s far less likely that hands will be settled preflop or on the flop in a deep stack cash game. Instead, you have to be prepared to know when and how to value bet over the course of multiple streets, when to control the size of the pot, and when to fire multiple barrels to bluff.

Having 100 big blind stacks impacts hand strength and playability in several ways:

1. Hand Values: The strength of one pair hands, like top pair top kicker, goes down in cash games, as it’s too costly when you run into stronger hands. When playing for big pots, you want to be the one who is ahead with something that crushes top pair.
2. Implied Odds: Implied odds and reverse implied odds are more important in cash games. With deep stacks, playing strong suited connectors becomes more valuable and set mining powerful, as you stand to gain huge amounts when you hit.
3. Pot Control: Pot control becomes crucial in cash games, as you don’t want to go broke and risk a 100 big blind stack with a marginal hand. Consider checking or flat calling bets for at least one or two streets to make it to showdown with a vulnerable or medium strength hand.
4. Bluffs: In deep stack cash games, one flop bet might not be enough to force other players off one pair hands or draws. If you’re going to bluff, you need to be prepared to fire the turn and river.
5. Adjusting to Opponents: Cash games tend to have all types of players, and you’re more likely to encounter the extremes, such as very aggressive players or complete calling stations, along with tight recreational players who are waiting around for a hand. Be sure to take a mental note of how each is playing so that you know how to respond when you’re against them in a pot.
6. Tilt: Going on tilt is always a bad idea in poker, but it can potentially be even worse in a cash game where spewing could cost you 100 big blinds’ worth of real money in a single hand. Thankfully, cash games also offer an easy way out if you are tilting, as you can leave the table, take a break, and rejoin when you have calmed down.
7. Table Selection: Your edge in poker comes from choosing tables where you have a clear skill advantage over your opponents. When playing cash games, you have the unique option of being able to choose your seat, as well as change your seat or table throughout the game.

Common Mistakes in Cash Games

Here are some common mistakes that players make in cash games and how to avoid them:

• Playing too Many Hands: With deep stacks and steady blinds, it might feel like you can play any hands. This is a losing proposition. You still need to open with the correct ranges according to position.
• Overvaluing Top Pair: In tournaments with short stacks, top pair is often strong enough to commit your chips. In deep stacked cash games, though, it’s better to control the pot and aim for showdown rather than risk everything.
• Undervaluing Speculative Hands: Players who come from tournament poker will often undervalue speculative hands like small pocket pairs and suited connectors in cash games. These hands have great implied odds when stacks are deep, so you can see the flop for cheap and look to hit big.
• Ignoring Table Dynamics: Getting a read on your opponents is crucial in a cash game, as players vary greatly in terms of skill and style. If you ignore this, you’ll miss loads of valuable opportunities.

Cash Games Bankroll Management

Cash games have less variance than tournaments. As a result, it’s easier to maintain fairly consistent results over the course of weeks or months. However, bad beats and downswings can and do still happen.

Proper cash game bankroll management can protect you against these downswings. It’s often overlooked by cash game players, but it is one of the keys to becoming a long-term winning player.

For profitable players, the general rule of thumb is to have at least 40 full buy-ins for the stakes that you want to play. If you are targeting $0.05/$0.10 games, the maximum buy-in is $10, so 40 max buy-ins is a bankroll of $400.

If your bankroll drops considerably below this threshold, consider moving down in stakes. This won’t feel great at the time, but it’ll allow you to rebuild so that you can move back up.

Pros and Cons of Playing Cash Games

Whether or not you choose poker cash games or tournaments is a matter of preference. You can switch formats based on your mood. Here are some of the pros and cons of cash games:

Pros

• Flexibility: You can join or leave anytime, making cash games ideal for players with limited time.
• Lower Variance: Unlike tournaments, you don’t need to beat a huge field or win every chip, so results are steadier.
• Deep Stack: If you prefer deep stack, postflop poker strategy, then cash games are for you. If you play against bad opponents, having a deep stack can be a huge advantage.

Cons

• Smaller Wins: While big pots are possible in cash games, most sessions end with modest wins or losses. Unlike tournaments, life-changing scores are rare.
• Steady Gameplay: Cash games offer a consistent pace, but some players miss the pressure of rising blinds and dramatic moments like the bubble.
• Strategic Depth: Deep stacks demand skill, but cash games don’t require as much adaptation to shifting stacks, table dynamics, or ICM as tournaments do.

Online vs Live Cash Games

Online poker cash games and live cash games have the same rules and format, although the overall experience differs.

Online poker cash games have a faster pace. You’ll typically see a couple of hands per minute, around double or triple what you would expect to see in a live cash poker game. You can also multi-table online cash games, allowing you to further increase your volume.

Fields are usually stronger online for the equivalent buy-in, and players will usually have a tight, aggressive approach. Expect more recreational players in a live cash game.

One of the main differences is the use of live tells. In a live cash poker game, physical and verbal tells can paint a picture of a player’s hand strength. In online poker cash games, you’ll have to rely fully on betting patterns and bet sizing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you leave a cash game whenever you want?

You can sit down and leave a cash game whenever you want. Cash games offer complete flexibility over playtime.

How much money do you need to start playing poker cash games?

To start playing poker cash games seriously, you should have a bankroll of around 40+ max buy-ins for your chosen stakes. So, to play $0.05/$0.10 cash games online, you should have a bankroll of $400.

Are cash games harder than tournaments in poker?

Cash games involve a different type of poker strategy with an emphasis on deep stack play, which can be more difficult than playing short stacks in tournaments. However, tournaments bring a lot of depth when it comes to concepts like ICM that don’t apply in cash games.

What are the best strategies for winning at cash games?

The best cash game poker strategy is to learn how to play deep stack poker so that you can gain value and run bluffs across multiple streets. Adapting to opponents is also incredibly important in cash games.