Tournament Profitability vs Cash Games

[TrueBritt]

I've heard a couple top pros say they just play tournaments for kicks, and that they earn their real money in cash games. This matches my experience that cash games are much more profitable. Have you found this to be so? If my objective is solely to make maximum profit, should I only play cash games?

[Simplistic]

I am not a cash game player [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

my bank is primarily earned at SNGs. I need to take a week+ break from poker and evalute my game, yesterday was a shitacular day for me and it never got better.
my problem is that I'll have a great day at poker and think I can crush the competition and then i'll start playing things I wouldn't normally do, i.e. higher buy-in MTT, multi tabling ring games etc. and then I end up being the fish.

[faustusmedea]

I would say that you could do evenly as well playing SNGs as you could in normal ring play if you found your comfort zone on each.

I look at MTTs as parleys; last year I took 2nd in one of the PP Million Guaranteed and that one tourney was easily a year or two of profitability. I took a first in the Paradise 50k last week and that wiped out a horrible Feb of Ring game downswing + some.

So, in my case I feel I am good enough to make the tourneys pay for themselves and sometimes quite a bit more. I have played in some big live events as well, but have not yet cracked a final table.

Cash games are the bread/butter, MTT are the gravy (and sometimes the steak/caviar/champagne)

[schwza]

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I would say that you could do evenly as well playing SNGs as you could in normal ring play if you found your comfort zone on each.

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my understanding is that the earning potential goes (top to bottom):

- limit cash
- NL cash
- sit n go

for very good players. mostly b/c it's easier to multi-table limit games a lot. but i don't know where MTT's fit in there.

[MonkeeMan]

I enjoy MTT's and S&G's more than the ring games, but my bankroll was more like a bankcrumb when I started out, so I was forced to play in the ring games to build it up. Those MTT's can be a hugh cash drain and pumping more money into my account was not an option. Now that I have the roll I play mostly MTT's and S&G's, but I fear my ring game results are suffering as a result.

[zaxx19]

Hmm...

I think it goes:

1) Ring games (LHE or NLHE..)
2) STT
3) MTT

I started playing in the summer of 2004 and had really good MTT tourney results immediately and have also had some lately at small buyin levels but consistent money can be had by any TAG player in NLHE ring games from 100$ or under with just a little creativity and solid play. With PT PV and the like low limit holdem play can be really +EV if you can handle the grind..

Some STT players who have grasped the theory of STT play to such an extent that they can simply 4-8 table them at decent limits do very well also(Isnt this what Zeejustin does mostly)

MTT play is just too volatile to be anyones primary money maker unless they are just DAMN GOOD and have the roll inclination and time to play very often.

Just one dudes take on it....

[MLG]

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MTT play is just too volatile to be anyones primary money maker unless they are just DAMN GOOD and have the roll inclination and time to play very often.

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With proper roll management it can be done. It certainly isn't the road most travelled (at least online) but it can certainly be done. How it compares to other forms of poker though I can't really say.