I played and studied nlh and plo to 25 and 50 level, depending on site. Dont think i have anything to learn from books anymore. Dont have strong enough confidence for success at these games higher, though economically i should have, but now i have studied and study and play mixed games and tournaments and like them and will stick to them.
If i get enough action on this path, unclear, eg the mixed games tournaments are rather lacking, though they exist, but likely need to be mixed with mixed cash, that also are rather lacking and no fish games, though no mass multitabling, and harder to do, and nlh tournaments, that i dont necessarily like all much, just one form or the rake sets in.
I know one can have long run success at tournaments, in spite of some thinking it should be a hobby and cash games the main. There is an ev in tournaments also, though one does not score as often. One needs to play more, so paradoxically maybe not for hobby players, or one table tourneys maybe, if wanting a more likely long run, but seems rec players like to hope instead, not being so for money possibly, but it can get costly if more serious.
At this time i feel fine with this path, the late study and play having been successful, learned many things and i understand the tournament mentality also, so i picked it as my main path and can always focus still more on nlh tournaments later if i have to, as might be likely.
I expect tournaments to partly get tougher, and often they already are, but less heavy multitabling and many satellites should keep them beatable for a reg player in the future also. That i cant say about cash games, so i picked this path instead, that has also outs.
What i like about this sort all inclusive choise of mine, though costing time, is that i have less to worry about what the future of poker might look like, and what my odds of success here and there might be. Plus i enjoy my time more.
The cash game path was no waste either, being a part of my path to learn cash games of nlh before the tournaments, and luckily i got the knowledge, as i missed a chapter earlier but ran into it later elsewhere, and understood the theory of tournament play, and soon after, the mentality, together with the theory.
So, i became a tournament player, and i know the ev exists realistically enough there, though not at the bigger tournaments as so much money it at the first spot. But there are smaller tournaments also, one just needing to play enough of them.
There is also some cash overlap, just that many decisions are based more on survival as there is no reload, later, and stacks are usually smaller, and there is no long run for tiny edges, and the opponent considerations are more acute.
I like my pick and have many outs, the main out being nlh tournaments, the second though unsure out being mixed cash games, that might lead to one or more form play later, and then i can play many games in tournaments and have some small possibility to turn back in nlh and plo cash games, but i am not going to until i better do so, all other outs needing to fail first, and i might well pick some other cash games instead, any or all of the 8g and omaha games, even some other related ones, rather than nlh, plo.
But this is just my choise, there being more to recommend to focus only to nlh cash and tournaments, because of possibilities, that is the amount of action, and often the rake considerations, multitabling as a good and bad, good up to a point.
