Ring Game Strategies

Playing cash/ring games

It is very common for a new poker player to have a good idea of how poker tournaments work but this is quite different from the structure of cash games. Cash games are also referred to as ring games and they are very popular online. There are many strategies to how to succeed in these games and it is well worth to read up on it a bit before going in with real money. Once you get the hang of it, ring games could be much more entertaining than tournaments and you should be prepared to be spending much more time on them.

Where the cash is

Ring games are appropriately called cash games since they are always played with real chips, meaning real money. This means that the money you see in the game is worth the same also outside of the game and you need to be careful to enter a game that matches the size of your bankroll. You can leave a cash game anytime you like but if you want to make it to the money you'll have to have patience and make sure to know the rules well.

Leaving a table

If you are playing in a ring game and you are doing well you might feel ready to take some of your earnings and stash them away. After all, you are sitting with your growing stack of chips and you see that you will manage fine with just part of it. This is a big no-no in ring and cash games. If you want to get your money you'll have to leave the table. To get into the same game again you'll have to make the buy-in again.

Pot size

There are two things that are important to take note of before joining a ring game and those are the amount of players active by the table and the size of the pot. If the average pot size is very big it could indicate that the game has some rather wild action going on. For a beginner player this is not the best choice and looking for a game with low limit and a smaller average pot is to be advised.

Tools for ring games

It is very good to make use of software tools in ring games as you are bound to see the same players over and over again by the same table. By taking notes you can improve your gaming by recognizing your opponents and know their style of gaming just by knowing their nick name. You should also make use of statistics tools which will give you an overview of your own gaming. Also learn to read the lobby information for ring games as it will give away just what kind of table will suit your needs the best.