For the episode of Justified, see Cash Game (Justified)
Cash game
Cash games, also
sometimes referred to as ring games or live 1️⃣ action games, are poker games played with
"real" chips and money at stake, often with no predetermined end time, with 1️⃣ players
able to enter and leave as they see fit. In contrast, a poker tournament is played with
tournament chips 1️⃣ worth nothing outside the tournament, with a definite end condition
(usually, only one player left), and a specific roster of 1️⃣ competitors.
Rules [ edit
]
Players may freely buy into or cash out of a cash game between hands.[1] However, it
is 1️⃣ normally prohibited for a player to remove a portion of his or her chips from the
table. This is known 1️⃣ as "going south".[2] For example, if a player buys in forR$100,
then winsR$100 (for a total stack ofR$200), the player 1️⃣ may not remove the originalR$100
buy-in while remaining seated. He would have to forfeit his seat, possibly wait to
rejoin 1️⃣ the game, and buy in again forR$100; however, many cardrooms prohibit the
practice of buying in again unless a certain 1️⃣ time period has elapsed before the player
rejoins. Similarly, cash games are played for table stakes. If a player attempts 1️⃣ to put
additional money onto the table (from his/her wallet) in the middle of a hand, he may
not do 1️⃣ so until the conclusion of said hand.
In "no limit" poker cash games, some
cardrooms have a maximum buy-in for cash 1️⃣ games. In limit poker games, there is seldom a
maximum buy-in because betting limits already limit the amount a player 1️⃣ can wager on
each hand.
In a casino, a rake is usually taken from a pot if a flop is shown 1️⃣ and the
pot reaches certain values.[3] Some games take a time rake instead of a pot rake. In
these games 1️⃣ players pay a seat charge every half-hour.
Ring games [ edit ]
While the
terms "ring game" and "cash game" are often 1️⃣ considered synonymous in common usage,
opinion differs on the true definition of "ring game". For example, in the glossary of
1️⃣ Doyle Brunson's Super System 2, a ring game is defined as "A game with a player in
every seat, that 1️⃣ is, a full game—as opposed to a shorthanded game".[4] As such, the
term "cash game" may be considered a more 1️⃣ precise depiction of the kind of game
commonly found in most casinos or home venues; that is, a non-tournament game 1️⃣ played
for actual money (or chips representing actual money), without regard for the number of
players seated at the table 1️⃣ at any given time.
Comparison with tournament games [ edit
]
Tournaments and cash games have different basic strategies. One difference between
1️⃣ tournaments and cash games is that the blind/ante structure of tournaments increases
periodically over the course of the tournament, whereas 1️⃣ the blind/ante structure of
cash games remains constant. Another difference between the tournaments and cash games
is that a tournament 1️⃣ sticks with a predetermined style of poker, and cash game players,
depending on house rules, may have the option of 1️⃣ playing other types of card games.
Some online cash games offer a variety of choices limited only by the game
1️⃣ software.
Other differences between cash games and tournament poker are that, in cash
games sometimes straddles and chops are allowed. A 1️⃣ live straddle is a dark bet of two
big blinds by the player first to act, who is then entitled 1️⃣ to bet again if the bet is
not raised. A chop is an agreement between the players in the blinds 1️⃣ to retract their
blind bets if no one else has bet. A chop prevents the casino from taking a rake 1️⃣ from
the pot. Also, cash games sometimes allow players to reduce the element of luck (often
called "variance", especially by 1️⃣ professional players) by splitting large all-in pots.
Since online platforms can instantly calculate each player's pot equity at the time
1️⃣ they go all-in, some online cash games allow such pots to be split based on this
equity. Players who opt 1️⃣ for such an arrangement will receive a share of the pot based
on his or her odds of winning (from 1️⃣ the time all players still in the pot exposed their
cards) once all of the cards have been dealt. An 1️⃣ alternative method of reducing
variance, used both online and in live games, is to run the board multiple times to
1️⃣ ensure that the person with the best odds of winning gets the largest share of the pot
more often.
Examples [ 1️⃣ edit ]
An example of a cash game is broadcast on the United
States subscription-based streaming service PokerGO as High Stakes 1️⃣ Poker. The Bellagio
casino's "Big Game" is a high-stakes permanent cash game, featuring a wide variety of
rotating poker games 1️⃣ with and without limits.[5]
