About 3 years ago when I started playing at the NWIndiana room that I frequent I would hear other cash game players describe someone as "a tournament player."

At first this confused me but now I know exactly what they mean. It's hard to put it into words though. How would you describe the difference between tournament players vs. cash players?

It seems to me that they take the big blinds notion into cash games and feel like they have to always "get it in" at a certain point rather than just add to their stack as we do. What else to add here? They're certainly looser overall.

Hi Chicago.
My take on it, others, I'm sure will have other viewpoints, because humans are creatures of habit, tournament players do indeed get their money in more lighter and looser.
They're conditioned to rev up their play constantly because of the rising blinds in tournaments.
The ones who've had some success, who've won a few times, become like Pavlovs dog, they've conditioned themselves into thinking that this is the right way to play in general, disregarding all the times they busted.
The few who can make the proper adjustments will go on to become good players.

I had a funny conversation with one of them the other day that made me post this:
Tournament player is down to 26 bucks, says all in, guy calls and he tables Ah3s.
Other guy shows AcKc.
TP wins with a 3 on turn, collects chips and says, "i was down to 26 and had to go with it."
I said, "why don't you add to your stack from your pocket (as i do) or buy chips?"
He looked at me as if I was insane.
True story!

Lol. I played on a regular basis not too recently in a bar open poker league. I've run across people who didn't know what I was talking about when I said cbet. Most aren't familiar with names like Brunson or Negreanu.
I swear, it's crazy in this modern age how people can be so ignorant.
But, they're just folk who want to go out and have a good time, no criticizing that.
And most of these people never played a cash game.
But, I wasn't only alluding to folks like these. Professional players also get stuck in tournament playing mode and don't easily adjust to cash.

LOL i actually just had this conversation with a coworker.
I play cash game, he plays tournaments.

Here was what we concluded:
There is an inherently different mindset.
(again, this is our opinion- none of this is hard data)
In a cash game, the goal is to walk out with more than you bought in for (whether or not your goal is a double up, or just to not lose)- whereas in a tournament, if you dont win everything (or make it to the last table/cutoff) you simply lose. All play style differences are then derived from that (imo). For example, lets look at preflop play: I have noticed cash players are a lot tighter (obv there are LAG and bad players out there) because it is tangible money on the line. But in tournaments, it comes down to pure math and it is easier to be aggro because your thinking in terms of BB's. The preflop play in tournament often gets a lot 3 and 4-betting to steal pots and such, when a lot of cash players will flat call to see the flop.
Post flop the same patterns continue, the tournament players are a lot looser with betting and are never afraid to "get it in" for several reasons (this tying back into the "winner-takes-all" or top table takes all mindset of a tournament).

I could type about this for hours (not like anyone would want to read that) but I will sum it up with this.
Cash players want to leave with more than what they bought in with, but tournament players want ALL the chips.

Jarin, I think you summed it up beautifully.
I'd just add, to the point I was trying to make earlier, most people who play almost exclusively tournaments, don't realize that cash is played different.
They're actually two different games when you think about it.

I was at a table a few weeks ago and a villain got really tilted over a big hand (that he played poorly) talking about "wow youre just lucky, skill never wins" and "beginner's luck" (which i laughed at because the guy he is addressing is at the cardroom literally every hours he's awake), etc..

I told him "Cool it, Hellmuth"

He looked at me straight face and said "who the f*** is Hellmuth?"

Several players almost fell out their seats laughing. I was one of them.

Great comment, Jarin, you really summed it up better than i could have.

Oh Man, that's golden.
That's why I never get upset at people who burst out in such tirades anymore. They're just announcing to everyone how bad they clueless they are.