Why is the gap concept exclusive to tournamnents?

[Koss]

So I'm pretty sure I understand the idea of the gap concept, and most posters here seem to regard it as more of a guideline than an actual rule, but what makes it apply in tournaments and not side games? It seems like in ring game you still don't want to be calling with hands that are weaker than your opponents average raising hands. This also goes against the idea of calling raises with good implied odds hands, which can clearly be a +EV play if done right, even in tournaments. I guess I just don't see the big idea of the gap concept. It seems like a pretty basic idea that can be deviated from if the conditions are right, regardless if it's a tournament or side game. What exactly am I missing here?

[ekky]

stacks are usually a lot deeper in cash games... and chip values are linear (ie money won is the same as money lost)

In tournies your chips gained aren't intrinsically worth as much as the chips you lose, so your net-net isn't going to be equal to the pot odds. (although to be fair, in the early/middle stages, the difference is negligable)

in either a cash game/tourney.. you dont want to be calling EP raises with filth like A10.. so in that respect you are correct that the gap concept is prevalent in both cash and tournies.. but the nature of deep stack cash games is that hands are playable with 100/200 BB's.. but not when you have 20/30 BB's

[SossMan]

it's not exclusive to tournaments. it is a concept that applies to all forms of poker. it happens to take on more importance in tournaments because of the increasing blinds and the fact that you are frequently in situations where being first in w/ any two is better than calling all in w/ two strong cards.

It's not exclusive to tournies. However, the gap concept in tournaments is much more than just the concept that calling with AJ against the range AJ-AK is -cEV; it is strongly affected by the fact that sometimes cEV and raw EV are nowhere near linearly related. During these times the chips in your stack are worth more than chips in the pot. This makes tighter play in general more correct (although, usually you will have at least some players at your table who do this too much, such that playing against them aggressively becomes correct). However, it also makes variance in chips -EV, i.e. plays that either cost you many chips or earn you many chips are actually less profitable than plays with the same cEV that either cost you a few chips or earn you a few chips. Calling is higher variance than raising because raising carries FE (which is small risk, small reward). Therefore, the gap concept is strengthened greatly in tournaments on the bubble (and to a lesser extent, throughout the tournament).

Another interesting effect of the gap concept is that it perpetuates itself if your opponents know about it. If your opponents are calling tightly, you should raise more liberally.

[KingDan]

It's not exclusive.

Tight UTG Raises you have kq, you fold. Generally KQ would be played there.