The Question That Haunts Every Poker Player
“Should I grind cash or chase tournaments?”
Phil Galfond knows you’ve asked yourself this. Hell, he’s asked himself the same thing countless times over his career. But in his latest column, the three-time WSOP bracelet winner doesn’t give you the answer you’re expecting. Instead of breaking down hourly rates and variance calculations, Galfond goes somewhere deeper – into the psychology of why we’re asking the wrong question entirely.
The timing couldn’t be better. With the WSOP 2026 schedule dropping 95 bracelet events and online poker hitting record revenues, players everywhere are mapping out their year. Cash or tournaments? Live or online? Mixed games or No Limit Hold’em?
Galfond says we’re looking at it backwards.
The Real Problem Nobody Talks About
Most pros will tell you to pick your format based on win rate. Makes sense, right? Find where you have the biggest edge, grind it out, profit. Simple math.
But Galfond’s been around long enough to see how that story ends. “I’ve watched brilliant tournament players force themselves into cash games because the hourly was better,” he writes. “Six months later, they’re miserable, playing their C-game, and making less than they would’ve crushing MTTs.”
The reverse happens too. Cash game specialists see some kid win millions in a Sunday major and suddenly they’re firing eight bullets a day into tournaments they hate playing.
It’s not about the money, según Galfond. Not really.
What Actually Drives Success
Here’s where the column gets interesting. Galfond argues that your emotional connection to a format matters more than your technical edge. And before you roll your eyes at the touchy-feely stuff, hear him out.
“When you genuinely enjoy what you’re playing, you study more naturally,” he explains. “You think about spots in the shower. You discuss hands with friends over dinner. You’re not forcing yourself to put in volume – you’re pulled toward the tables.”
This isn’t some motivational speaker nonsense. Galfond backs it up with examples from his own career and from coaching high-stakes players. The pattern is clear: Players who love their format outperform those who treat it like a job, even when the second group has more raw talent.
He tells the story of a student who was crushing $25/$50 online but dreaming of live tournament glory. Everyone told him he was crazy to give up a six-figure monthly income. He switched anyway. Within two years, he’d won a WPT title and made more than he ever did grinding cash online.
“Was he lucky? Maybe,” Galfond writes. “Or maybe he finally started playing the game he was meant to play.”
The Format Trap
So why do so many players end up in the wrong games? Galfond identifies three culprits:
Ego. Nobody wants to admit they’re playing $2/$5 because they actually prefer it to $10/$20. So they force themselves up in stakes, playing a format that doesn’t suit them, chasing respect instead of results.
Fear. Tournament players worry they’re not “real” players unless they can beat cash. Cash players think they’re missing out on life-changing scores. Both groups let fear drive them away from their strengths.
Bad advice. The poker world loves to tell you what you should do. Play tighter. Be more aggressive. Grind cash for steady income. Chase tournaments for upside. Most of this advice assumes you’re a robot, not a human with preferences and tendencies.
Galfond’s been guilty of this himself. Early in his career, he pushed himself into live cash games because that’s where the money was. He hated every minute. “I’d sit there for eight hours, bored out of my mind, playing way below my potential because I couldn’t focus.”
Online? Different story. He could play four tables of the biggest games running and feel completely in flow. The format matched his personality – fast decisions, constant action, no physical tells to worry about.
Finding Your Game
Instead of asking “Where can I make the most money?” Galfond suggests different questions:
- Which format gives you energy instead of draining it?
- Where do you find yourself naturally studying and improving?
- What games do you think about when you’re not playing?
- When do you play your A-game most consistently?
The answers might surprise you. That friend who keeps saying you should play tournaments because of your aggressive style? Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe you actually thrive in the patient, positional warfare of deep-stacked cash games.
Or maybe you’ve been grinding online for years, convinced that live poker is too slow, only to discover you love the psychology and table talk of in-person play.
The Bottom Line
Phil Galfond’s latest piece isn’t really about choosing between cash games and tournaments. It’s about choosing yourself – trusting your instincts over conventional wisdom, following energy instead of fighting it.
“The best players in the world aren’t the ones who forced themselves into optimal formats,” he concludes. “They’re the ones who found formats that fit them, then became optimal players.”
Coming from a guy who’s conquered both cash and tournaments at the highest levels, who’s built training sites and coached hundreds of players, that’s consejo worth taking seriously.
Even if it means admitting you actually enjoy playing $1/$2 live more than battling in nosebleed online games. Even if it means giving up steady cash game income to chase tournament dreams.
Find your game first. The money follows.
