WoW awesome read,

First, the good news:

-Coming from cash games to MTTs is A LOT easier than going from MTTs to cash.  The skills you need to add for tournament play are much easier to learn than all the skills you learned over the years at the ring games.  But I still make 'cash game' mistakes in tournaments regularly.

I agree it feels like an easy transition, mentally over the last 4 days of grinding straight mtts, Ive really felt the mid to late runbad 🙂 not winning flips in those stages sucks when your running so hot for 3-5 hrs and about to make top 18.

-MTTs are a LOT softer.  Most casual players enjoy the style of MTTs over cash games, and also, fish lose their money a lot more slowly.  If you're terrible at cash games, you're going to be bust-o pretty quickly.  But in MTTs the leak is a lot slower, and its easier for the weaker players to make excuses for their poor results.  'If I didn't take that bad beat, I would've won 6 figures!' etc.

Yes I started playing cash games firstly on Ultimate bet playing recreational poker and trying to build up a bankroll. But was recently in a car accident and have a serious back injury now and want to take poker seriously. Ive just primarily played pure cash games, and I was probably your typical mtt fish/Live one Until joining cardrunners.com 7 months back. But I have always been a fan of the big dog. And I go where the money go's 😉

The thing about mtt's I am enjoying the most is the rush of outplaying someone in position when they have stupid bet sizes, the rush of going deep obviously and its always a rush knowing you took out the whole field and won the game.

-MTTs are a lot friendlier, if that matters to you.  I passionately hated the other cash game regs, since it was a much more personal competition.  But with MTTs, its more of a competition with yourself, since there are so many random variables in play.

 Yes I also was getting a bit frustrated with the regs at my cash games, but then again I had good reads on them and just adjusted accordingly but eventually they adjust also and just avoid or 5 bet you light/ yes I said 5 bet light LOL

OTOH, the bad news:

-I find MTTs much more emotionally draining than the cash grind.  Cash games you can kind of put in X amount of hands per month and expect roughly $X in profit.  But the variance in MTTs is so huge, and its tough to put in tons of volume the way you can in cash games, since there are so many more situational variables to consider.  Its tough to invest so much time and then have it all count for nothing when villain binks that two-outer on the river.  One day you can be making final tables left and right, the next you might barely be able to scrape a couple of cashes together.  That's mentally tough.

Yes mtts I have found lately very draining and disheartening but just I keep reminding myself thats if we all won our flips nobody won come out ahead, and as logn as I made the best play or got my chips in ahead Im usually content with my bustouts. But it does get very emotionally draining loosing your flips for days in a row making the best or most ev plays. The main thing im struggling with is my bankroll now. Recently on a huge cash/ring game downsing where I got overconfident and played with like 8-10 buyins when I know I should have dropped down at min 20 buyins. Im sure once I have a little more luck/success in these flips things will start looking up 🙂

-Obviously, MTTs are much less flexible.  I tried to switch to cash games so I could have a better balance in my life, since you can play for an hour here or an hour there.  MTTs are a commitment.  And non-poker friends often have a hard time understanding that, unfortunately.

Agree 100% above here^^^

But really, it comes down to preference.  MTTs fit my style much better than ring games do.  So I do MTTs.

As far as what you're saying specifically about playstyle, the stakes are only exacerbating the underlying problem.  In cash games, we could table select and just sit down and play the style we want to play.  “I'm going to sit down at this table of nits, LAG it up, and take all their monies.”  But in tournament play, we can't do that.  We have to adjust our play style based on circumstances.  It's not just low stakes either.  Check out Mike Leah's WCOOP final table commentary, and he keeps talking about how people are being stubborn and refusing to adjust to the circumstances.  It's a common theme in all the videos really.

As for the stakes go, I guess it wouldn't be optimal to watch strategy or live play videos of Buyins over the mtt's Im currently grinding then right?

Because I tend to try and make squeeze plays for sb, co ect light and never get respect or folds, maybe Im trying to outplay players whom are on a much lower thinking level then me, or maybe I just need to play a little more tight until the later stages. But i tend to be pretty successful lately in chipping up until around top 50 ish runners with avg pools of 1k runners, and then just loosing flips at the wrong times. Really not sure 🙂

But again I really enjoyed reading your post man, It got me thinking a bit more about my transition and expectations.

Do you use skype…? I may not be or your level and don;t want to bother you but it would be cool to have you on there for some tips help suggestions or rather just have you as a friendly grinder/buddy

Jeff,