In the majority of contemporary poker matches, the initial betting phase starts with one or multiple players. They place a mandatory bet. In regular poker, players place bets based on how they perceive the value of their hand relative to their opponents. The next step is for each player to take their turn clockwise. They must either match the highest bet made by a previous player or fold. They also must lose the amount they have bet up to that point and no longer participate in the round. A player who matches a bet has the option to “raise” the bet by increasing it.
Although Texas Hold’em is the dominant force in poker rooms up and down the country and among those who play online poker, one only has to look at the attendances of the non-Hold’em events at each World Series of Poker (WSOP) to see there is a demand for the likes of Pot Limit Omaha, Seven-Card Stud (and their split pot game versions), 2-7 Triple Draw, and Chinese Poker.
What Are Poker Cash Games?
Certain poker players argue that cash games are for earning money while tournament poker is played for the sake of recognition. Although not completely accurate, a skilled player familiar with current poker strategies can more easily earn consistent profits in cash games than in multi-table tournaments.
Cash games typically involve six or nine players, but real money poker sites often feature one-on-one heads-up games. The regulations remain unchanged in the tournament version of the game being played. In Texas Hold’em and IviBet, players are still dealt two face-down cards, and the main objective is to create the strongest five-card poker hand, as with most poker games.
Nonetheless, cash games and tournaments do have several important distinctions. Firstly, players in cash games have the option to depart a game at any time as long as they are not actively participating in a hand. This gives cash game players more flexibility and allows them to remove themselves from a game where they feel outclassed.
Also, the blinds in cash games remain the same for the duration of the session. If you are playing $0.50/$1 Pot Limit Omaha Hi Lo, the big blind remains at $1 for as long as you play.
Third, cash games are usually played with deeper stacks than their tournament equivalent, mostly with each player having at least 100 big blinds at their disposal. Cash game players can add more chips to their stack when they are not in a hand and, if their bankroll allows, to keep their stacks at or around 100 big blinds. A tournament player can only do this during rebuy tournaments, which are becoming more unpopular as time goes on.
The last main difference regards the rake. Poker rooms, whether online or live, charge rake for hosting the game, providing dealers, making a profit, etc. Cash game rake is removed from the pot every time the pot reaches a predetermined amount. This rake can be substantial over time, but that rake usually turns into loyalty points that are used to release a site’s deposit bonus or climb up the VIP program’s ladder.