Cash games are played with real money, hence its name and its tremendous notoriety, since they are games where the cash prize can be very succulent and it is where more spectacular plays can be seen, mainly due to the reactions of the players.

And it is noticeable that when playing with real money, things change: hiding the tells is more important, having the money in front of you makes you more nervous and playing for a prize that can grow if the pot gets bigger gives another perspective.

Let’s make a brief review of some of the most useful strategies to opt for victory in a poker cash game.

Poker cash game: what it is and how it is played

Poker cash games are among the most played by those who prefer the adrenaline of games with cash prizes. It is a different type of game from tournaments, in which the game is played with points and where the scheme of the games differs completely, despite maintaining the same strategic essence, typical of poker games.

To learn how to play cash games it is essential to take into account the following aspects:

• Manage the tables like a pro. In any poker game it is important to learn how to choose tables, but in poker cash games it is even more important. The aggressiveness and the kind of opponents you will face will depend at all times on your criteria when choosing a table. Therefore, it is recommended that you take a look at the table selection beforehand, and that you create your own lineup to know which ones to choose from.
• Study the tables and the players. It is crucial that you are attentive to any tell you can perceive from the players. Don’t stop studying the tables to know what possibilities they offer, how the game is being played and what are the moves of the others.
• Always keep your bankroll under control. This is a “back to basics”, not only in cash games, but in poker in general. Because bankroll management, or BMR, is fundamental to try to bring to fruition any project you work with. If you are unable to keep your bankroll in check, you will never be able to fight for any reward.
• Study preflop hand ranges. It is essential that you study preflop hand ranges for any decision you make. The poker tables can be very helpful in guiding you, and you should spend time getting to grips with the ranges because your postflop play will depend largely on how you approach your game early in the round.
• It’s okay to be aggressive, but don’t overdo it. Beware of overacting, because in cash games it can be what many call a big “tell-tale”. In any poker game it is the order of the day to pretend to be stronger than you really are, that’s the spice of the game. But taking it too far can put you in a very uncomfortable position. Therefore, it is important that you measure well your way of playing, that you work the tells and that you never look fake. Because if you are aggressive and you are seen as a fake, automatically those who are afraid of you will start to get you right away.
• Keep in mind that your game is always aimed at a player. In any cash game poker game, it is a common mistake to want to go for the jackpot by fighting with everyone. But the fact that it is a table with a smaller number of players does not mean that you have to take on everyone to win. The way to success in poker cash games is to focus your game on a single player. For that, it is important that you find out who can really fight your hand, since that will be your “villain”, and that you focus all your strategies on placating him.
• You should not abuse bluffing. If it is not convenient to overplay, much less to abuse bluffs. In itself, we talk about bluffing as a resource that only professionals know how to master, but it becomes more complicated even in cash games. If you are going to play with a bluff, be careful, because if you abuse them, it will soon be seen that you intend to play more hands than you would be entitled to by statistics.

Strategic tips to win in poker cash games

If we stop to think about the strategic point of view, we will soon see several ways to try to better base our game in a poker game in general and in a cash game in particular.

A basic aspect: the profitability of the bets. If we are not offered more money per euro bet than the money per euro of the odds, we are not interested. Because the last thing we want is that it costs us money to play, and that is what is going to happen if we get into a bet that does not offer us a higher reward per euro bet.

Another aspect that you should master: the inverse implicit odds. But be careful, it is a resource only reserved for those hands in which we have a lot to lose and little to win. Normally, in these hands where the balance is so tilted, so little in our favor, we can easily be outplayed. Taking into account the reverse implied odds can allow us to stay ahead, so keep them in mind.

Aggressiveness is something you have to learn to measure, especially on the final streets. Playing a project on the flop aggressively is great, but if you get bluffed for postflop play, you’re going to struggle to stay in the game. You probably won’t make it to the showdown, and that will happen by not being aggressive before it’s time. Impatience punishes the player, especially in cash games.

That leads us to a conclusion: we must develop an art to keep our game out of the focus of the rest. Because all your rivals will also focus their project on a player, and if it is us and we go too far, game over. Not to x-ray our game is the first step to opt for the prize, confusing the rest so that they never know where we are going to come out.