In Part 1 of this series, we talked about how tournament players can have a hard time applying normal pot odds and equity because in tournaments there are many other factors to be taken into consideration. In this regard, tournaments are actually a lot more complicated than cash games.

Before we start with Part 2, let’s solve the quiz from Part 1. You can find the article by clicking here.

Quiz 1 Answer:

The mistakes that the Hero makes in both of these hands is that he plays the hand as if he had shallower stacks, which is mostly the case in tournaments. The problem here is the raise-sizing of the Hero and that he gives a flush draw/set such great odds that it would not even be a mistake for them to call even if they knew the Hero had a straight.

When choosing a raise size, the Hero has to find the right balance between charging worse hands enough and not giving them too good implied odds, while at the same time not raising too big in order to drive worse hands away.

Biggest Mistakes, Part 2:

Tournament players focus on stack sizes as if they mattered in terms of EV. They can actually matter psychologically for the Villain, especially if you put him to the test for all of his chips in a cash game, but definitely not as much as in a tournament.

Example:
NL200 cash game, $150 effective stacks, turn situation:
Pot ($80) 8h 9h Tc 2c

Our hand is 99, we 3bet pre-flop, and bet the flop. What would you do here?

The Mistake:

On the turn, many players would bet $40 in order to set up stacks for a river shove. If your first thought is “how to set up stacks for xxx,” you are missing the main point of a cash game, which is getting maximum value each hand. You have no tournament life to protect nor does your opponent.

The mistake itself is betting too small, just like in Part 1 of this series but for a different reason. In Part 1, we discussed that making smaller raises in tournaments can be mathematically justified, and also practically justified. The mistake in Part 2 is to assume that stack sizes matter. Again, they matter, but they don’t matter enough to bet half the pot and give your opponent a great opportunity.

The Correct Play:

Bet $65 or (my favorite play) simply shove all-in. If you are worried that your opponent folds too much to a shove, do it with your flush draws and AJ on the same board as well. Actually, I think this play is a great move in tournaments as well, but this is for the tournament experts here to decide.

Possible Question:

But what if I bet $65 and the Villain calls? The stack sizes could be awkward.

There is no such thing as awkward stack sizes.

It’s a mental screw-up. If somebody shoves for one-quarter or one-third of the pot on the river, it is just like he bet the same amount with a big stack behind. The math on whether you have a call or not is the same. If the Villain bets half the pot, then you need to have at least 25% equity versus his range or, in other words, win one out of four times.

If you believe you win enough times, then call. If not, then fold. It’s that easy and there is nothing awkward about it. The awkwardness is in your head – that’s all.

Most things in poker and in life are only “weird” to you because they are outside of your way of thinking. Most Europeans think it’s pretty weird to measure things in feet and gallons. For our US friends, it’s pretty normal.

Counter-Arguments:

For weaker players, losing their stack in a cash game may come close to the equivalent of losing their stack in a tournament. There is some truth to it. Let’s say you have the nuts and a pot-size bet would be $100 and your opponent’s effective stack is $120.

Sure, you could be tempted to shove here since it’s “only $20 more.”

Keep in mind that if the optimal bet sizes with more money behind in this spot were one-half or three-quarters of the pot, you should still bet that amount no matter what his stack is.

I agree that sometimes a weaker player will say, “Screw it, let’s call anyways” and he will lose more, but the exact opposite could be just as true.

In other words, I call this a tie. When playing versus an unknown, I don’t know in which of the two camps he belongs. In other words, it is not relevant for my decision-making process.

Summary of this Article in a Few Words:

In cash games, choosing the optimal bet size irrespective of stack sizes will make you the most money in the long-run. There will be spots where stack sizes should be taken into account, but they are far less than the average tournament player might believe.

Gordon BPC is the founder and head coach of bestpokercoaching.com. BPC became famous through its coaching for profits program, which has transformed mediocre and losing players to making $100,000 in profits in only nine months. What makes BPC different? They publicly document the progress of their students and prove that what they teach brings real provable results. To learn more about BPC and their mission, visit them at bestpokercoaching.com.