Tournament or Cashgame?

[DetroitHusling101]

Somewhat newer to the game. Only been playing for Year and half. Recently started reading books and really trying to figure out where i wanna go with my game. I'm a TAG player.
On a limited BR
Thinking i should grind out limit tables live because the 3 times i've played at the casino i left with decent profits...
I love nl but i need to get the bankroll right first.

Other thought is deposit a b.r. online and play low - medium stake sng mtts.

Would trying to do both be negative to my game/ learning process? (Playing low limit live and deposit some money into a site to play MTT and SNGs?)

[DetroitHusling101]

Im so f*d with money right now i think i'll be selling this laptop and than i'd have a nice b.r. and just tough it out live.
I have access to a mac cpu to but its so limited with mac.
I just bought this laptop like 2 weeks ago and someone is offering me 150 more than what i paid.
If i do this though it means no more forums no more pokerbay no more pdf books ...dunna what to do...could play fulltilt with my limited access that i have to my fathers mac...

[SHAKE]

i agree, live is better for a pro. If you just want to supplement your income bonuswhoring is great but if you want to make 1K a week play live, there are donkeys playing 5-10 limit holdem right now that would make your last play money STT look like the TOC.

[DetroitHusling101]

Thanks for the advice. Even with my limited B.R. i think i will take your advise and play live before depositing money into a site.
Will read the tom jones book on limit hold em. And found a few good DVDs about limit I found on the net. I understand the basics but i know theres a lot more i could learn. The times i played sucessfully was at a canadian casino (casino windser to be exact) , but since i turned 21 i played about a month ago here in Detroit at greektown and it discouraged me. Mainly the problem was i didnt wait to get seated at a real table and they have like electronic games where the cards are dealt to you on a screen. And flop comes on a screen. No real cards and no dealer. And it was like 4 handed. Outcome wasnt too good. Lost only 50 , and pretty much regreated not waiting to be seated to a real table.
What should my bankroll be at once i do build one playing limit before moving to no limit which is my real passion.

since i won't probally be making it to the casino but maybe 2 or 3 times a week i might still invest a little to an online site to just play low stake tourneys just to help practice.My main game is sit n go's Ive have read quite a few articles on strategys for them. I'd like to sharpen my skills with atleast some insentive instead of playing them for play money. I know the local casino right across the border in canada holds tournaments almost everyday. But the buy in is $50 or $100 which my B.R. will not be able to support. So i think playing the low stakes SNGs , and a few M.T.T. Sngs would probally help me out and eventually when my B.R. get's right from playing limit i can enter the $50-$100 ones at the casino.

Mainly the question was is it a good idea to be studying both games and playing both or should the focus be on one or the other.

My main goal for the future goal is to be a good cash game player. But it just seems the $5 SNGs and M.T.T. is easy money. There's not much time involved.

Do you mean by my return on investment (is that what ROI mean? I do not understand EVERY acynoym used here yet) in Sngs and MTTS would mean i'd be making less money an hour than if that time was spent at a limit table? ....

I don't really wanna spend more than maybe a few days , with a few hours sessions depending on how im running playing live. Which in no way means i don't want to be spending the rest of my time ( a lot of the days) playing more poker. My home game isn't often enough so that's why i was thinking about playing Sng's online. Because i guarentee even if i play 3 or 4 times a week for 3-4 each day live i'll still want to learn and play more when I'm at home , and the days i don't go to the casino.

What about you personally , is your opinion biasied or do you play both online and live?

[Chopper]

dont read a book, then go to the casino to play LIMIT...if youve never played before...the 10% rake will eat you alive.

deposit in a site...with bonus...and play .05/.10 limit, if you must...just to learn...it is different than no limit.

but, if trying to build your roll, play the game you like. if you dont have the roll for live...dont be stupid...play at a level you can afford. otherwise, a couple bad beats, and youre done...and you did nothing wrong, but PLAY OVER YOUR HEAD!!!

use your brain and common sense...the rest will come.

[DetroitHusling101]

Ive played Limit at the casino a few times so i wouldnt say it would be my first time. I've had success with limit. I understand the basics of limit. Just havnt read to in depth about it in any books. Mainly read no limit and tournament strategy books. It's NLHE that i havn't really dabbled with in medium stake (i.e. 1-2 at 100max) , Only play .50/1 blinds at home gomes. I don't think i need to start at Micro-stakes Limit hold em to do well and build a bankroll. I'm looking to play at least 1/3 blinds (3/6) Limit. I've played lots of home cash games and home sit n go tourneys and have had great sucess with that. Just the stakes are so low a majority or the players are bad , but i noticed playing live low stake limit that the players are pretty awful too. I would rather work on Sng's and MTT if i deposit money online.....since i've heard competition on the 1/2 , 2/4 tables online are tougher than live play....

[Chopper]

it isnt that the players are bad......its that you DONT HAVE THE ROLL. period.

i'm not trying to be an ass. i'm trying to preserve your (self-admittedly) anemic bankroll.

what difference does it make how bad the players are? you will get sucked out on, eventually. you need the bankroll to withstand the suckouts.

otherwise, play 5/10 with $300, and take your biggest shot. if you are relying on luck...make it worth it. take all your allotted money to the highest level you can.

and, good luck w/ that.

[SHAKE]

it isnt that the players are bad......its that you DONT HAVE THE ROLL. period.

i'm not trying to be an ass. i'm trying to preserve your (self-admittedly) anemic bankroll.

what difference does it make how bad the players are? you will get sucked out on, eventually. you need the bankroll to withstand the suckouts.

otherwise, play 5/10 with $300, and take your biggest shot. if you are relying on luck...make it worth it. take all your allotted money to the highest level you can.

and, good luck w/ that.

this guy is right you need 300BB plus a few months of bills put away to go pro live, and the rake will kill you, playing 3-6 exclusivly will not get you by. I play that limit,i play 2-4, but i also plau 5-10FL and 2-5NL.

Bad beats happen and losing 150 bets ie (900 at 3-6) isnt that uncommon. Youl get it back but if your roll is 1200 your skrewed.

[SHAKE]

I play 35-40 hours a week live mostly 3-6 limit and 1-2 NL (about 60%) certain days i go on a casnio boat and play 5-10 or 2-5 NL imlucky to drag in 600 a week. In the process though i try to get my roll bigger to play in bigger games, also i play mtt's here and there, shit if i win one thats like 10-80K depending on how big and the buy in. I guess im one of those guys, cash game player who like to gamble in MTT's with the juice.

[Chopper]

see, heres the thing with live vs online...and why you should consider both when you talk about your "roll."

if you beat 5/10 live for 1 BB ($20) per 100 hands, you are pulling in about $8/hr. over a 40 hour week, thats only $320 a week. how is that figured?

you take about an average of 35 hands/hour dealt in a live game. and 100 hands takes about 2.5 hours to see. thats $20 every 2.5 hours...or about $8 an hour.

if you 4-table 1/2 online and beat it for 1 BB ($4) per 100 hands, you are pulling in $12/hr. how do you figure? online, you see about 75 hands per hour in a 6max game, multiply that by 4 tables, and thats 300 hands per hour. $4 an hour multiplied by 3 (number of 100 hands you see per hour), and thats $12. over a 40 hour week, you get $480...without the driving, gas, parking, walking, sitting at a cashier window, going to the bathroom, etc... online, you have none of that extra stuff. you plug in and go.

would you rather make $8/hr, or $12/hr?

now, lets look at the bankroll required for both.

live, if you play 5/10, that equates to a 1000NL table. you need 20+ buy-ins to be even close to correctly "rolled." thats $20,000!!

online, you need the same 20 BI's. at 1/2, that would be $4000.

would you rather make $8/hr with a $20,000 roll, or $12/hr with a $4000 roll? simple enough?

to be honest, 20 BI's is not enough, but for example's sake it shows the difference.

you need to be absolutely CRUSHING a game live to compare to online. i know the competition gets tougher above 1/2 online...but dont you think a "pro" can beat the game for more than 1 BB/100? he should be able to do that.

oh, did i mention that the rake live is DOUBLE?? oh, dont forget tipping.

and did you realize that online gives you rakeback on top of the smaller rake?

does that make up for the tougher competition? it can.

food for thought to a guy (OP) that asked about where to start w/ $350.