Cash game
A cash game ( German cash game ), also called ring game , is a type of card game poker . In contrast to tournament poker , players can join the game at any time or cash out their chips and leave the table. Chips or cash act as stakes.
Differences to the tournament
In contrast to tournaments, the course of the game is relatively even:
- The blinds and, if applicable, the ante are at a fixed level and do not increase.
- The number of players at the table does not change at all or hardly at all (in contrast to Sit and Go ).
- The opponents are known (in contrast to a major tournament, where you always play against the same number of but changing opponents, except for the final table)
In tournaments, the buy-in is a type of entry fee that is lost if you are eliminated early. The player strives to get as far as possible to get "in the money" and win something. The buy-in finances the tournament winnings and the organizer's fixed fee. Cash games also often have something called buy-in. But this has a completely different character, since it only limits the capital you bring with you upwards and downwards. Players should bring a minimum amount appropriate to the table limit. On the other hand, especially in No Limit, there is also a maximum amount that you can bring to a table, as a large stack is considered a tactical advantage. So you can choose the size of the so-called buy-in between a lower and an upper limit.
You play at home with cash or in the casino (and at home) with chips . All tokens that are in play have a 1-to-1 value, which means that any player can take all of their chips from the table at any time to redeem them for cash (or at another table to set). If a player falls below the maximum buy-in, he can buy again at any time up to the maximum amount.
The cash game has some peculiarities and practices that are unknown in the tournament, sometimes even forbidden. These include pot chopping , card flashing and multiple dealing . Cash games are much more flexible than tournaments. While no one can book a tournament after it has started, with cash games you can join the table at any time - provided there are still places available - and leave it if you want.
While the media interest is strongly focused on the tournament game and the tournament winnings are compared with each other, the cash game results remain hidden. For this reason alone, it is difficult to say who is the most successful poker player in the world. There are real cash game specialists in poker such as Chip Reese , Barry Greenstein , Todd Brunson and Ted Forrest .
There are several reasons for this.
Advantages over tournaments
On the one hand, it is widespread that the luck factor in a cash game is significantly lower than in a tournament, since the player can trigger his chips at any time and is not moved to take action by high blinds . On the other hand, a participant also has the opportunity to study his teammates more closely than would be possible in a tournament. In addition, in cash games you are usually confronted with roughly equal players. Many players also appreciate the possibility of having more control over their bankroll , i.e. their account balance, as one can more or less freely determine the amount for buying and selling. Furthermore, a participant can leave the table at any time, so he is not tied to a competition for a certain time, as in a tournament.
Disadvantages compared to tournaments
However, a cash game also has some disadvantages compared to a tournament. For example, a bad beat or an unexpected defeat of a hand can be more of a fatality for a player than in a tournament, since an all-in usually involves more money than a buy-in in a tournament. Cash games are also used less often for television broadcasts as they lack the appeal of a large tournament. However, this form of play has also become very popular thanks to the High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark formats.
Others
- At casinos and online poker rooms , a certain amount is withheld from each larger pot ( rake ).
- In the television series High Stakes Poker , the most famous professionals play in the form of a cash game . The blinds are $ 300/600 with a $ 100 ante . The minimum purchase is $ 100,000, but some players bought in for up to $ 1,000,000, which resulted in gigantic pots.
- One of the most famous public cash games takes place at the Bellagio . You need to bring at least $ 20,000 to play in Bobby's Room .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kinds of games - play money vs. real money, ring game vs. tournament ( memento of February 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) on onlinepokerfaq.com, accessed on March 16, 2020 (English).