Is the upside in tournaments greater than in cash games because there are so many unique spots that come up in them?
Earlier this week I had a great study session with LemOn36 (the recording for which will be available soon) which was mostly focused on the differences between MTTs and cash games.
He made a comment which I didn’t understand at first but then quickly agreed with when he explained it. He suggested that there was more room for talent in MTTs.
What he meant was that cash games are much more predictable, and 99.99% of the spots that come up have come up before. As such the cash game grinders make their EV by relentlessly drilling every spot so they know precisely what to do in every situation.
In tournaments, he commented, every spot is unique. Every stack is different at the table, which impacts the optimal strategy. Then you have factors like ICM not to mention logistical things like levels increasing, end of Day 1s, tables breaking and so on.
In tournaments spots that have never come up before is a recurring theme. As such, more talented players can thrive as they adjust to the spot better. He gave the example that Bencb only plays two days a week and still makes a big profit. Cash game players, he argued, have to prioritise volume. But MTT players by comparison have more room to create an edge.
More moving parts
I’ve already written about how I feel MTTs are tougher than cash games, but this is a very interesting argument I have not explored. I think he is right.
Some of the most interesting discussions I have had in poker have been about unusual tournament scenarios that have not come up before, and maybe won’t come up again. A good example was a few years ago I was leading a PKO bounty leaderboard and, Dara O’Kearney, David Lappin and I were trying to work out what an average bounty in a tournament was worth to me when also factoring in the leaderboard points. A lot, was the answer.
I came third in the same leaderboard this year and reflexively was able to work out that on the final day, each bounty was worth four times more than they were to everyone else.
I had a similar discussion last year with a friend who was also leading a live poker leaderboard and we were discussing the optimal strategy when he was playing against the other players who were also in contention, compared to the rest of the field who didn’t even know there was a leaderboard.
I could go on but you get the idea. LemOn36 was right. When there are so many moving parts like there are in tournaments, there is more room for a talented player who can think on their feet to thrive.
Is there more room for talent? Let us know in the comments:
