Cash Game vs Tournament: Same Cards, Different Value
Cash game vs tournament comes down to what a chip is worth. In a cash game, chips are money, the blinds stay the same and you can leave at any time or add chips between hands. In a tournament, you pay an entry, the blinds rise on a schedule and prizes go by finishing place, so a chip is not worth its face value. The same stack also shrinks in big blinds as the levels rise.
Check what chips are worth in a tournament
Three players left, 50/30/20 payout. Change the stacks to see the shares move:
| Player | Share of the chips | Share of the prize pool (ICM) |
|---|---|---|
| 6,000 chips | 60% | 41.2% |
| 3,000 chips | 30% | 33.8% |
| 1,000 chips | 10% | 24.9% |
In a cash game, each row would read the same in both columns.
The same stack as the blinds rise
| Blinds | 10,000 chips, in big blinds |
|---|---|
| 50/100 | 100 |
| 100/200 | 50 |
| 200/400 | 25 |
| 500/1,000 | 10 |
In a cash game the blinds stay the same, so a stack only changes with the pots it wins or loses.
The two formats side by side
| Cash game | Tournament | |
|---|---|---|
| A chip is worth | its face value | a share of the prize pool (ICM) |
| Blinds | stay the same | rise on a schedule |
| Leaving | at any time | when eliminated or when it ends |
| Paid by | each pot won | mostly finishing place |
Keep going
- How chips become prize money: ICM explained.
- The call that changes near the money: the tournament bubble.
- The last table of a tournament: final table strategy.
- A 6‑max cash game spot: the 6‑max cash game trainer.
- Results that swing in both formats: poker variance.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- When every seat pays the same: satellite poker strategy.
Sources
- Every prize share is computed with the app's ICM module, checked on October 11, 2026; the blind levels and the 50/30/20 payout are examples.