6 Max Cash Games vs Tournaments: Which Should You Play?

I’ve often thought that consistently winning in tournaments would make me more money in the long run playing online poker. But after grinding the tables for over a decade, I’ve learned that the consistent money comes from playing short-handed cash games. In this update, I will explain the reasons it makes more sense to focus on 6-max cash games.

Cash Games vs. Tournaments: Key Differences

I would say one of the biggest differences is time commitment. With cash games, you can have a flexible schedule and sort of get in and out when you want. With tournaments, it’s not really structured the same way. For example, I’ve run deep in some big multi-table tournaments online and have had to sit around for upwards of 5 hours, and sometimes the payout doesn’t justify the hours of sitting there.

Another big difference is volume and variance. You can generally put in more volume playing cash games, especially if you are multi-tabling. This can help ride out variance much faster than trying to grind tournaments. So basically, with cash games you can be more consistent while also keeping your sanity dealing with variance.

Which Requires More Skill?

I would lean more into cash games requiring more skill. The reason is because you have constant decision-making and deep-stack play. You also must do more things that require nuance, like bluffing, value betting, and knowing when it might just be best to fold.

With tournaments, there is more flexibility in sitting back and waiting for hands. You do eventually have to worry about things like blind levels increasing, payout pressure, and tables changing frequently, but in my experience it’s much softer to play in tournaments than cash games, especially if you make it up to mid stakes.

Which Is Better for Beginners?

If I were a complete beginner, I would probably stick with low buy-in tournaments until I had a good understanding of the game. Meaning understanding all the basic concepts like preflop ranges, ABC style, and then moving more into GTO concepts. Until you have a good grasp of what I’m talking about, I think tournaments will make the most sense in the beginning.

As you become more familiar with the game, the natural progression should be to play in mid-stakes cash games. Preferably the short-handed games so you can put in a decent amount of volume each time you play. I also think playing 6-max will force you to become a better and more well-rounded player faster than anything else. It will basically sharpen your game faster.

Which Is Best for Building a Bankroll?

This is kind of interesting. When I look at my initial come-up playing online poker, I really stuck with sit and go’s to build my bankroll. I think I started with maybe $200-$300 and eventually grew that into somewhere around $2000 before really moving into cash games. So, I would say low buy-in tournaments may be best for someone new to the game looking to grow a bankroll.

Once you have anywhere between $1000 to $2000 in your bankroll, I would then consider playing cash games at 25 or 50nl and do so playing 2-4 tables at a time. That’s sort of the formula I would stick with.

Before playing either format, it’s worth comparing the available promotions since a welcome offer can give you more room to work with when starting a bankroll. Pokerstacked.com covers current poker offers for players who want to compare their options before playing.

Pros and Cons of 6-Max Cash Games

One of the biggest advantages of 6-max cash games is flexibility. You can sit down, play for 30 minutes or a few hours, and leave whenever you want. You also don’t have to worry about the blinds constantly going up. This gives you more time to wait for good spots and make decisions without being forced to play because your stack is getting short.

Cash games can also be great if you enjoy post-flop poker. Stacks are usually deeper, so there are more decisions to make on the flop, turn, and river. The downside is that you’re playing directly with your bankroll. A bad session can get expensive, especially if you start chasing losses or playing poorly after losing a few big pots.

Pros and Cons of Tournaments

Tournaments offer something cash games can’t: the chance to turn a relatively small buy-in into a big score. There’s also the excitement of surviving a large field, making a deep run, and potentially reaching the final table.

The tradeoff is variance. You can play well for several tournaments and still walk away with nothing. Tournaments also require more time. Once you make a deep run, you can’t simply leave and cash out like you can in a cash game. Blinds continually increase as well, forcing you to adjust your strategy as your stack gets shorter.

Final Thoughts

There are some similarities between playing in cash games and tournaments, but the consistent way to make money playing poker lies in cash games. It’s always been that way, even though one big tournament win could be significant. And sure, it’s possible to get a big score in a tournament that will pay you $10,000 or $20,000 plus, but over time you will learn that it’s hard to consistently make final tables with all the variance involved with playing tournaments.

When you play cash games, you can set your own hours and focus on playing good poker and making the right decisions, win or lose. You will quickly find more consistency with cash games, especially once you start playing hundreds of hands per day on the regular. For a beginner, stick with low buy-in tournaments and eventually put yourself in a position to play mid-stakes cash games for the long term. That’s the formula I would recommend.