When you first step into the world of live or online poker, especially if you’ll be playing for real money, there are a few choices you will need to make. Aside from the fundamental choices like picking a poker variant and deciding which strategies to learn and implement, you’ll need to consider which poker format you’d like to focus on – cash games or tournaments. 

When it comes to cash game vs. tournament poker, each option has its pros and cons, but the best choice between the two is ultimately going to be your personal preference. The choice you make, however, impacts your poker experience, so it’s best to make sure you’re well-informed about what you can expect from each game type. This guide will dive into how playing tournament poker compares with playing cash games to help ensure you make an informed decision. 

What are Poker Cash Games?

Poker, like all classic casino table games, has moved into the digital era, offering greater convenience and flexibility to players who can play online from any location in regulated states at any time, day or night. Unlike other casino games, however, poker remains a peer-to-peer game: instead of a house edge built into the odds, the operator takes a rake or tournament fee, and players compete against each other.

So, what are cash games in poker, and how do they work? Whether in online poker games or live poker rooms, players simply exchange their money for chips and can choose between games with minimum and maximum buy-in limits that best fit their bankrolls. 

Unlike tournaments, where you buy a set number of chips and compete until they’re gone, cash games offer a more fluid experience. Players can buy in or opt out of the game at any point, exchanging their chips for real money whenever they’re ready. Blinds and antes don’t increase, as the game parameters ($1/$2 no limit, for example) do not change at that table. (This is why some players will say, “I’m a 2/5 player,” meaning they normally play $2/$5 cash games.)

How Do Poker Tournaments Work?

If you’re new to the world of poker, the word tournament can seem intimidating. Still, tournament poker is actually one of the most popular formats of the game, even for beginners. Poker tournaments involve competing against other players for a share of a prize pool determined by the total buy-in amounts or a preset guarantee. 

A tournament can be a small Sit & Go, typically a one-table scenario with a maximum of 9 players, or an MTT, a multi-table tournament that can range from a few tables to hundreds (the latter mostly occurring in online poker). In either case, a player will buy into the tournament with chips, which have value not equivalent to actual dollars. If there is a re-entry period, that player can choose to buy in again if they are eliminated, but when registration closes, basic poker tournament rules dictate that running out of chips means you must leave the tournament.

A tournament ends when there is a winner or when the last few players decide to chop the remaining payouts to finish the tournament early. Payouts come into play during the middle stage of a tournament, and the top 10 or 15% of the finishers will then be in the money and receive payouts based on their finishing places.  

Learn the Different Poker Games, Then Decide

If you’re just learning poker, where to start can be a confusing matter. Most poker veterans recommend that a beginner might want to learn poker by easing into the game, and straightforward gameplay in tournaments is a great place to start, as long as you know you might lose. It’s easier for a novice to pick up the workings of a tournament than the machinations of a cash game.

As a tournament progresses through several levels, you’ll see that blinds increase, antes are introduced, and fewer hands are played than in most cash games. There are various strategies to employ in the early and middle stages of a tournament, and certainly in the later tournament stages. But overall, the structure of a tournament adheres to a pattern and progresses rather slowly, giving new players the chance to follow along and adapt to new levels, strategies, and tables. 

Cash games, on the other hand, can attract players because they allow players to enter and cash out at any time. The chips reflect the amount of money with which you’re playing, and the players often remain the same for enough time to pick up on their patterns and tells. A beginner can get involved without an effective cash game strategy, though it puts them at a disadvantage.

Broaden Your Poker Skills

If you’re a regular player and want to widen your poker skills, poker cash games will give you plenty of opportunities to develop your technique. This format offers more scope for analytical play because you aren’t concerned with pay jumps and blind level increases, and you can concentrate on your postflop or preflop game strategies, see more hands, and cut your losses if things aren’t going your way. Cash games also provide an opportunity to examine your own play and focus on the poker skills you need to develop before your next session.

Play for the Fun of It

If you’re a recreational player who plays purely for fun, tournaments attract the type of player who appreciates these events more for their entertainment value than the profits that might be had. Also, remember that the variance and crazy swings in tournament play are easier to handle, financially and mentally, when you’re in it for kicks instead of trying to win hard cash. This attitude toward poker is one reason to learn to play online, too, as you can play for very small stakes and enjoy the process.

A Tight Poker Bankroll

If you’re on a tight budget and live poker is your choice, cash games suit every pocket because you aren’t tied to a particular buy-in value, as you’d be in tournaments. But if you’re looking for even smaller stakes that you’ll find at a poker room or casino, online poker cash games are going to be the best bet, so to speak.

Online sites like BetMGM offer micro- and low-stakes poker, often as low as $0.01/$0.02, with a minimum buy-in of less than $1.00. And whether live or online, you can quit a game whenever you choose and convert your chips to cash. 

Live tournaments typically demand larger bankrolls, unless it is a very small poker room, but even then, it might be difficult to find a tournament with a buy-in lower than $40. Online, however, poker sites like BetMGM offer tournaments for as little as a few dollars.

Limited Play Time

Something all casino game enthusiasts love about playing online is the convenience and flexibility it provides. Cash games are a clear favorite over tournaments when it comes to playing anytime, anywhere. These games are as simple as opting in and out whenever you wish. And because cash games are available around the clock, it’s up to you to decide when you want to participate. 

Multi-table tournaments, on the other hand, have no time limit (they’ll keep going until there’s a winner), and you can only leave when it’s over without potentially being disqualified and forfeiting your chips. Sit & Go poker tournaments, however, can be much faster, providing tournament action without the time requirement of an MTT.

Smaller, Action-Packed Games

When you play poker online, you can take part in cash games that are smaller than normal nine-handed tables. In the debate between full-ring and shorthanded poker, the latter often wins, as it features smaller tables (typically a maximum of six players). These six-max cash games allow gamblers to play more hands and play them more aggressively since, as the blinds come around far more quickly, players can’t wait around for premium cards. It’s a hard-and-fast poker style with a growing fan base.

A Chance at Big Money

One of the enduring attractions of poker tournaments is the chance to win big, though keep in mind this is rare, and you should never play with more than you can afford outside of a set budget. Winning big doesn’t happen often, but finishing in the top spot (or top three spots) will increase your buy-in significantly, offering a hefty ROI (return on investment), especially if you satellite into the tournament for a discounted price. Of course, there’s also the fame that accompanies winning a major poker tournament, the rush of exerting so much time and energy to end up with a top prize and a proud victory, and possibly even a trophy, ring, or bracelet to cement your place in poker history. Newcomers rarely win major tournaments, though, without studying and gaining experience in how to win MTT poker games over time. 

Still Can’t Decide on Poker Tournaments or Cash Games?

It can be tough to decide whether to spend your time and money playing cash games or tournaments. Both require an investment in improving poker strategy skills if you want to play consistently and see positive results, though both can also be a fun experience on a very casual basis without overloading on strategy. Poker pros often play a mix of both types of poker, as each offers a different challenge.

For quick reference, here’s how the two formats compare on the fundamentals:

	Cash games	Tournaments
Tight budget	✔
Limited time	✔
More action	✔
Return on investment		✔
Fame and/or trophies		✔
Skills required	✔	✔
Recreational fun	✔	✔

Get Your Fill of Online Poker Tournaments and Exciting Cash Games at BetMGM

No matter your decision, keep in mind that online poker offers many more options for micro and low-stakes cash games, and there is a wide buy-in range for online poker tournaments at BetMGM. Many poker players begin with online poker, as the lower financial requirements and fast play allow them to gain more experience in a shorter time and try a variety of formats and game variations. 

If you live in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Michigan, you can play poker for real money on BetMGM and take advantage of the online poker welcome bonus to get started with perks.