The World Series of Poker is such a popular television show, because it is exciting. People like to watch, because it has all the elements of good entertainment. On any given episode, you’ve got a decent dose of suspense, intrigue, drama, happiness, deception, and desperation. River cards are the only thing standing between men and the championship prize.
Yet, without a certain flexibility, the stars that often grace the screen at the World Series of Poker, would be relatively useless in live action play. This is because the two games, while ultimately similar, require different strategies of play.
The major difference between tournaments and live action play is that in a tournament, you’re not able to increase your buy-in when you run out of chips. Therefore, losing a hand can often mean losing your seat at the table, and losing your shot at the first place prize, whatever that might be. That said, a tournament can be seen as a great equalizer between those who would throw an infinite amount of money into the pot and those who are working with more limited resources.
That said, the winning players in a tournament game are often a different type of poker player than their live-action counterparts. That is not to say that a good player cannot attempt to master both. Good tournament players to well in tournaments because they are aggressive against players who try to play a tighter, more timid game to stay in. These same players however, often play poorly in live-action games because their opponents are no longer the meek players they had once been. This works the opposite way for good live-action players who join tournaments.
Being aggressive is more valuable in tournament play than it is in live-action games, but the all-important ability to be flexible and adapt to the game is the skill that will help a good player to succeed in both.