Difference in Strategy of Money and Tourny play. Is it huge?

[TheSheath]

I am getting Theory of Poker, HPFAP, SSH. now those are all basically money game books. do those strategies differ much from Tournament ones. I play with my friends where u put five dollars in a winners pot and then u get five dollars worth of chips. whoever has all the chips wins the winners pot. That is tournament right? i could still use strategies i learned from those books and Super System right?? i mean i am not wasting my money.

i also do play some money games so i am still not wasting my money. but the things i learn from those books won't go to waste at tourny.

Basically what is the difference in Tourny strategy and money strategy?? Thank you very very much if you take the time to answer all of these questions.

[Nottom]

The biggest difference in tourney play is that you will often have to pass in places where you might have a small edge, in order to take advantage of a larger edge later.

For example: You flop a flush draw. You are sure it will be good if it hits. You have 1000 chips and there is 1000 in the pot, another player puts you all in.

Now you are getting 2-1 from the pot on a 1.86-1 shot. But its for all your chips and if you lose you will be out of the tourney.

In a ring game you probably make the call given the slight overlay, but in a tourney it is often correct to lay it down and wait for a better opportunity, because if you miss you will be out and you will have no opportunity to take advantage of any future +EV plays. In a ring game you woud simply rebuy and be ready to push that small ege agains next time, knowing it will come out in your favor in the long run.

[TheSheath]

thank you.

[JohnG]

[ QUOTE ]
For example: You flop a flush draw. You are sure it will be good if it hits. You have 1000 chips and there is 1000 in the pot, another player puts you all in.

Now you are getting 2-1 from the pot on a 1.86-1 shot. But its for all your chips and if you lose you will be out of the tourney.

[/ QUOTE ]

Could you please give an example where you end up with a 1000 pot with 1000 chips left and it being right to fold rather then call allin when getting the odds to do so. Excluding special tournament situations. So let's say it's early in the tourney and we do not have a big edge over the field. I'd be amazed if you can come up with one.

[DerrekL]

If you feel as though you don't have an edge over the field then you should push any small +ev you've got. However, you would fold here if your table sucks and you are pretty sure you can recover. Also these decisions are greatly effected by the current blinds and the structure of the tourney. If the blinds go way up way fast, you'd definately think about gambling here even if you think you're way better than the other players.

[JohnG]

[ QUOTE ]
However, you would fold here if your table sucks and you are pretty sure you can recover.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure I agree. If you do indeed have a big edge as you suggest, then I am pretty sure the correct play, in any example you could come up with away from the big money, will have been to fold at some earlier point in the hand. I don't think a typical situation exists where this would not be the case.

[DerrekL]

NL Holdem Multi Table Tournament blinds 150/300 with 50 ante 8 handed. Field started at 300 now it's down to 100 and top 30 get paid. You are Big blind with 9s-8s. Early position limps, everyone else folds, you check. Pot = T1150. You have another 1150 in chips after subtracting the big blind. Flop 2s-5s-Ac. You check and the other player goes all-in and has you covered.

[Nottom]

Maybe I made the odds to good, but how about this ... 10 man SnG you won a few chips previously and consider yourself a good SnG player. 15/30 blinds, UTG raises to 100 and amazingly everybody calls. You call on the button with 7s8s, blinds call as well flop is AsJs5c SB goes allin and has you covered, you have 1000 left in your stack.

You can call here if you want, but I think its normally a mistake.



[ QUOTE ]
So let's say it's early in the tourney and we do not have a big edge over the field.

[/ QUOTE ]

Honestly, I think alot of it comes down to this. If I was in the WSOP and made it to the second day and was forced to make this decision, I should probably call since I'm not a favorite over the field. If I am in a party SnG, I can find a better spot to get some chips without giving myself a 65% chance of going out first.

[xxx]

Another difference is that the value of the chips change ... the fewer chips you have, the greater the value of each chip in tournament play. In cash play, a buck is a buck.

[BeerMoney]

Another obvious is when it becomes time to gamble, and Sklansky's example of when it would be correct to fold aces.
Sometimes the point is just to stay alive. Sometimes you are taking advantage of others determination to hang on to chips.

I don't really see why a single tournament can't be viewed as a long string of tournaments just like a cash game.