Sit and Go vs Cash games

This strategy article from Poker Rakeback Online is aimed towards beginner poker players without much online experience as I would expect any player with some experience to understand the difference between playing sit and go tournaments and cash games.
As a new poker player you don’t want to take on more then you can chew as they say so you should choose too play either cash games or sit and go tournaments, but not both of them.
If you try to play sit and go tournaments and cash games there is a good chance that you won’t be able to effectively switch gears.
Let’s take a look at some of the positives and negatives of both sit and go tournaments and cash games so we can make a more educated decision before starting playing at the online poker sites.

Sit and Go Tournament Positives & Negatives

A lot of beginner poker players choose to go down the sit and go tournament road because it’s typically a lot less inexpensive to play and the game is easier.
The competition is for the most part going to be looser on a tournament table then a cash game table which gives you a better chance to win money.
There are plenty of strategies in place which should help you become consistent in sit and go tournaments, but once you learn these strategies you need to make sure not to mould yourself to them because they won’t work in cash games.
Often in sit and go tournaments you’re going to sit patiently and wait for your big hands while avoiding as much confrontation as possible.
A negative of playing sit and go tournaments is that the amount of money you can win every game is capped and in order to make money over the long term in sit and go tournaments you need to be really consistent.

Cash Game Positives & Negatives

The cash game is a completely different beast then the sit and go tournament and you’re going to have a lot more at risk while playing cash games.
With a lot more money on the line you need to first make sure you’re comfortable playing for big pots because a lot of new players are nervous.
You can never show nervousness at the poker table because your opponent’s will eat you alive once they pick up on the fact you’re not making the big calls.
In sit and go tournaments where you basically hit a hand or don’t it’s fairly simple to execute a winning poker strategy, but on cash games the task is more difficult.
You need to learn a lot more about betting and raising your opponents in cash games then sit and go tournaments because you want to put the pressure on your opponents.
Don’t make a habit of making big bluffs because you’ll get caught, but make sure you keep your nose in the middle of the pots as much as you can.
The biggest skill you need to conquer the cash game is to be able to control your emotions.
When you’re down on yourself you can’t let yourself go on tilt because depending on how much money you have on the table it could cost you a lot to go on tilt for even one hand. You also need to know when to leave a cash game table whether you’re winning or losing there is always a point when you need to walk away from the table.

If you’re really new to playing online poker then I would play sit and go tournaments for the first few months while you learn the ins and outs of the game.
Sit and go tournaments are fairly inexpensive and you should be able to learn a strategy which will allow you to grind your bankroll up.
As you begin seeing consistent success in sit and go tournaments you can begin looking at playing cash games which will give you the chance to earn more rewards with more risk.
Hollywood poker offers sit and go tournaments at all levels, and it is a great site for beginners.
If you are from the US, then we recommend Full Tilt Poker.
If you havent got a Full Tilt Poker account, the sign up for Full Tilt Poker Rakeback.