Introduction
The online poker scene in India has exploded in recent years. Smartphones and stable internet are accessible to most, and the stigma attached to games of skill is slowly fading. Whether you’re in a coffee shop in Bangalore, on the local in Mumbai, or in the comfort of your own home in Delhi, you can log onto an online poker site, deposit and be seated at a real-money table in a matter of minutes.
However, for a first-timer, navigating the online landscape can be daunting. There are two formats to choose from, cash games and tournaments, and each has its own rules, strategies and payouts. Understanding the difference between them is essential to responsible bankroll management and a smooth learning process. In this article, we’ll discuss the difference between cash games and tournaments and provide some valuable beginner tips.
If you’re also exploring other popular casino titles in India, see our guide to blackjack online.
How Do Cash Games Work?
Cash Games is the “Sit and Play” Format
Buy-in and Chips: When you enter a cash game, you exchange your money for chips. You might buy in for ₹2,000 at a ₹2/₹4 No-Limit Hold’em table. Each chip is worth a fixed amount of money and you can cash out at any time.
Flexibility: In the same way as you can walk up to a table in a brick and mortar casino, you can enter or leave a cash game whenever you like. The game will continue indefinitely until you choose to leave.
Blinds: The blinds are fixed and do not increase during a cash game session. In the example above, the blinds will always be ₹2 and ₹4.
What Are The Advantages For Indian Players?
Immediate Cash Flow: The funds in your account are always accessible and you can make withdrawals at any time. Most sites in India offer immediate cashouts to UPI, Paytm or via bank transfer.
Low Entry Costs: Tables with a buy-in as low as ₹1,000 are offered on sites such as Adda52, Spartan Poker and PokerStars India. This low barrier to entry makes the game accessible to students or those earning a part-time income.
Manage Your Bankroll: You can stop playing at any time and even quit immediately if you win a big pot. This helps to avoid the scenario where you make a good profit but then go on to lose it back.
Test Your Skills in Real Time: Every hand is an individual event. You can test a strategy and see the result immediately.
What Are The Disadvantages?
Variance: Each misplayed hand has the potential to cost you a larger percentage of your stack. The blinds are fixed, so every mistake can be costly.
No Guaranteed Prize: The prize in a cash game is not fixed, unlike a tournament. Ultimately, the amount you win depends on your ability and the cards that are dealt.
Rake: Most Indian sites charge rake, a nominal fee deducted from the pot, to operate the game. If you are playing at lower stakes, this can significantly cut into your profit.
Tournaments is the “Race to the Finish” Format
How Do Tournaments Work?
Buy-in and Prizepool: When you register for a tournament, you pay a fixed buy-in which goes into the prizepool. A portion of this buy-in may go towards the site fee. The prizepool is then awarded to players as they progress through the tournament. Usually, around the top 10-15% of players will receive a payout.
What Are The Advantages For Indian Players?
Structured Gameplay: Tournaments have a defined start and end time. You know when you will be playing and approximately how long you will play for.
Bigger Payouts: Although the buy-ins may be low, tournaments can offer huge prizepools. If you run well and make the final table, you can win a big prize with a relatively small investment.
Less Rake: In comparison to cash games, tournaments have less rake as a proportion of the buy-in. You also do not pay rake on each hand, only once at the beginning.
What Are The Disadvantages?
Cannot Leave: Once a tournament begins, you must play until you are eliminated or the tournament is completed.
No Control Over Payout: Until you reach the payout, you will not win any money. Even then, the payout may not be enough to cover your buy-ins.
Higher Bankroll Requirements: Although tournament buy-ins are relatively low, the variance can be huge. You will need a big bankroll to withstand the swings and continue playing.
Tips for Indian Players
Start Low: Regardless of whether you are playing cash games or tournaments, start at a low level and gradually move up. This will help you improve your skills without losing too much money.
Bankroll Management: Make sure you have enough money set aside before playing. A good bankroll is at least 20–30 buy-ins for cash games and 50 buy-ins for tournaments.
Learn The Fundamentals: Before depositing and playing, learn the rules of poker, understand position, the importance of hand selection and basic odds.
Analyze Your Game: Keep a log of your game, recording your wins and losses. Analyze what you are doing well and what you can improve.
Stay Safe Online: Ensure you are playing on a reputable site and that your transactions are secure. Have fun and enjoy the game! Whether you choose to play cash games or tournaments, both have the potential to be enjoyable and profitable. Follow our tips, manage your bankroll and you could be winning consistently in no time.
Why Indian Players Prefer Tournaments
Higher Payouts: You can play a tournament with a buy-in of ₹500 and win as much as ₹5,000 or even more.
Fixed Timings: Tournaments begin at fixed hours; for example, 8 PM IST everyday. This means you can easily play tournaments and work or study at the same time.
Sense of Community: Most websites offer “India only” tournaments, which creates a sense of community amongst the Indian players.
No Rake on Prizes: The rake is charged on the buy-ins, and no rake is deducted from the prize money. This increases the winning prize money, the further you proceed in a tournament.
What Are Some Disadvantages of Tournaments?
Increased Variance: You are likely to face higher variance in tournaments, and sometimes a bad session can result in losing a month’s bankroll. For instance, if you play Sit-&-Go’s or MTTs, you can lose a month’s bankroll in a single bad session.
Longer Duration: While some tournaments may end quickly, others can take as long as 6 hours. This can be a problem if you have work or classes the next day or if you have other family commitments.
Difficulty Level: Tournaments can be more challenging to master, especially with increasing blinds and stacks. This may take some time to get used to.
If poker variance feels too intense at first, you may prefer simpler table games like online baccarat.
Cash Games vs Tournaments
Cash Game
Stack Size: 100 BB or more, and you can top-up anytime you bust.
Risk: You can always fold and not risk your tournament life. Whatever be your stack size, you can only lose the money on your table.
Aggression: With deep stacks, you can play aggression to earn pots.
Decision Making: Every hand is a fresh start, and you do not need to consider the long-term effect of your decisions. You play every hand for immediate results.
Tournament
Stack Size: Initial stack size is mostly set (say 50 or 100 BB), and keeps reducing with every blind.
Risk: If you lose a hand, you are likely to be out of the tournament. Hence, there is a need to be conservative and protect your stack especially around the bubble.
Aggression: You need to balance aggression according to the blind. At a later stage, most hands are played with a shove or fold strategy.
Decision Making: Every decision you make keeps in mind the upcoming blinds, and long-term sustainability in the tournament.
Online Poker Tips for Beginners
Fundamentals
Hand Rankings: You must remember the hierarchy of hand rankings without any confusion. This will save you from losing a pot with an invalid hand.
Position: You must understand what position is and how important it is to play from a position of strength (i.e. button and cut-off positions). Playing from a late position allows you to play a wider range of hands.
Finding a Poker Site
Find a poker site that allows you to deposit and withdraw in INR, and provides you the option to use secure UPI and Paytm payment gateways. Some of the popular poker sites in India include Adda52, Spartan Poker, and PokerStars India.
Ensure that you sign-up on a licensed poker website (with a license from Malta Gaming Authority) that follows SSL encrypted secure payment gateways.
Bankroll Management
Cash Game Bankroll: It is a good idea to have a bankroll of 20–30 buy-ins at the stake level you play at. For example, if you play cash games with a buy-in of ₹2,000, you must have a bankroll of ₹40,000–₹60,000.
As said earlier, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to bankroll management. However, a good thumb rule to follow is that you should have at least 50 buy-ins for MTTs (In case of 500 buy-in MTT, you should have a minimum bankroll of 25000). Keep in mind, you need to have a bankroll for cash games too. This will help you sail through the downside of variance.
Start with Low-Stakes Tables
Start with tables which have buy-ins of 1-2 NLH or Sit-n-gos having buy-ins of 100-250. This will help you in getting comfortable with the software, time, and the basic strategies of the game.
Play on Free-Play or Demo Tables
Almost all the Indian sites have an option of free-play or demo tables. These will help you play the hands which you are willing to play, test your bluffs and get comfortable with the interface before playing with real money.
Join Indian Communities
Join Indian poker communities like forums, discord channels, or telegram groups to discuss strategies, talk about hands, get updates on upcoming tournaments, etc. You can also follow Indian YouTubers like Raghav Bansal, Rohit Sambo Choudhary, etc. to watch their free tutorials. These will help you in learning the strategies which Indians use to play.
Learn the Basic Pre-Flop Strategies
Cash Game: Always try to play tight in the early position. You can play with AA-KK, AK, AQ, etc. While you can play with more open hands in the later position.
Tournament: While playing a tournament, you can play more tight hands in the initial levels and more aggressive when you have more blinds in front of you.
Tilt Control
Indian players usually go on tilt after a bad beat. When you feel like that, always take a 5 min break from the game, stretch or have a cup of tea before you join the tables again. A bad session does not make you a bad player. This is how variance works in poker.
Secure Your Account
Always use strong passwords and enable 2 factor authentication whenever possible. Also, never share your UPI/Paytm credentials with your poker account credentials.
Keep a Track of Your Results
Try to maintain a very simple excel where you can fill in the date, format (cash or tournament), stakes, buy-in amount, profit/loss, and some notes about the key hands played. Try to review this excel weekly to check the leaks (like playing too many hands from out of position, etc.)
Which Format Should Indian Beginners Choose?
If you like to have the option to play whenever you want and liquidity is not a concern for you, you can start with low stakes cash games. It will help you to take more decisions and will help you to keep yourself away from the pressure of busting out.
If you like the idea of going up the leaderboard and have the chance to win big, you can start with the small buy-in tournaments (100-250 Sit-n-gos).
This is good if you have already learned the basic concepts of the game. Many of the Indian pros usually play on both the formats. They warm up by playing cash and then play tournaments to have more fun.
Conclusion
Online poker is a booming industry in India. Learning the difference between cash games and tournaments will help you to choose the right option for you.
By following all the above-mentioned tips for the Indian beginners, you can have a fun and healthy experience in the online Indian poker industry.
Whether you want to earn some extra money or want to have fun and earn some money, online poker in India is the best way for you to start with. All the best and may lady luck shine upon you.
Next, explore more casino games online and choose what best fits your time, budget, and risk tolerance.