Cash play v MTT play.

I got a lot of useful feedback on my last entry - it was very much appreciated.

There are three of us out here and all of us are primarily MTT players. I say primarily, but really we are pretty much solely MTT players. All of us have had good success in these online tournies - between the two guys I'm here with they share 1 Big Deal, 3 Grand Prixs and numerous Daily and rebuy wins on Pokerroom. However, all of us have struggled a little to adapt to the live cash games.

I wouldn't neccessarily say it is our live skills that are letting us down - We've all won multiple live MTTs in casinos at home.

The primary reason why we haven't been winning big in these games is our inability to play later streets, ie the turn and river.

In a standard MTT online there is little play on the turn and river. Obviously in the early stages of a tourny there is some as you often start with approximately 100 bbs. But it still differs to play in a cash game with 100 bbs. A reason for this is that generally ppl don't tend to speculate as much in tournaments, because they can't reload if they don't hit. It is normally a mistake to continuously call off 4 or 5 bbs with hands like J9s and AT, because for the most part you won't hit, or won't hit big enough. When the blinds go up you are struggling because of all that speculating, or when you get a big hand you only double to 2k instead of 3k etc etc.

As the tournament continues, blinds escalate and the number of bbs you have continues to lessen (assuming you have the average number of chips). As this happens, turn and river play (even flop play to an extent) become much more non existant. It is all about preflop play, raising in position, re-raising in position/out if position shoves - and a large amount of the time open shoving. These are the skills that the three of us are proficient in. These skills are useless in cash games.

Over the past 2 weeks, my cash game has improved dramatically, but it still has a long way to go before i would class myself as a well rounded NL HE player. I class myself as a (very) good MTT player, a good STT player and now.... probably an adequate cash game player. 2 weeks ago i was a poor cash game player. Over the next 5 days, I'm going to concentrate on my game even more to try and improve my status from adequate to "decent", then when i return i might try my hand at some online cash games, and read some forums etc. Another point that i haven't noted is that my MTT play can only benefit from these cash game lessons!

Ok, one hand from today. I wasn't involved in it but i found it interesting:

1/3 NL.

3 limpers to sb who makes it 6 - funny raise obv. This guy has about 250 back. BB calls, leaving 400 back and others call.

Flop:

89T

sb checks and bb leads for 20, mid position loose guy calls with $600 back, folded to sb who calls.

Turn J
(no flush draws)

sb leads for 35
bb calls 35
mid calls 35

Ok....

Now this is interesting. What the hell do they have? There's four to a straight on the board, we have an old guy (warning: sterotype time) who looks like he only plays the nuts. A younger guy who has been playing pretty solidly, throwing some suited connectors into the mix, and a guy in his mid thirties who thinks he is a poker god, is wearing a WSOP t-shirt and has been playing baaaaaadly.

SB has to have at least a queen. Has to. BB - well i think he knows sb has to have a queen, so surely he needs to have at least a queen. Mid position - well as i said this guy is bad, but come on, how the hell can you call this without at least a queen?

River: A

Changes nothing.

SB moves all in for $165

Ok - bb makes it inifinitely clear he doesn't have KQ. I know sometimes weak is strong etc, but this guy DEFINITELY didn't have KQ, he eventually calls. Mid position says "Time please dealer" and sits for 30 seconds before announcing "All in".

BB has abut $200 back.

He doesn't call instantly, but we know he doesn't have KQ. He shakes his head saying how sick it is, but he might have to call. "God, i'm calling off all my stack hoping to half the pot, but i think i have to."

Does he have to?

As badly as i thought he played his hand, i did genuinely feel for him here. The re-raiser did not have to have KQ to move all in here. If he had the single queen i think that this is a great bet. He knows the bb only has the queen, and knows that if he flat calls he is at best splitting it 2 ways (realistically at best 3 way, or maybe losing to the old guy's KQ), but if he moves in, he has a chance of pushing out the bb's Qx and splitting the pot 2 ways with the old guy, and if the old guy has KQ so be it, same result as flat calling.

Ok, so knowing that mid pos doesn't have to have KQ to make this bet can the sb call of his remaining $200 with a single Queen?

There's about $750 in the main pot. If he thinks it's a 3 way split, he is calling $200 to win $250.... If he thinks its a two way split he's calling $200 to win $375.

I think the chances of it being a 2 way split were 0%.
Chances of it being a 3 way split is obviously more difficult to put a number on.
And there is no chance he is scooping the pot.

I think he should fold the river to the old guys all in, but once he calls..... it is a tricky spot.

As it happens the old guy had KQ and so did the shover, the young guy mucked, but to the joy of the table he pulled out another four $100 bills from his wallet "Player checks on 18" was shouted across the floor and four stacks of red chips arrived promptly..... their destination unknown.

Not sure if we will play any more poker tonight, we've played our 8 hours to get the reduced room rate. Probably will head to a restaurant and have a few beers.

Puggy.