Rebuy Tournament Strategy

Rebuy tournaments are commonplace now. Everywhere you go, whether online or brick-and-mortar casinos, it is hard to find a place that does not offer rebuy events somewhere in its tournament schedule. Yet, there was a time when there was no such thing as a rebuy event. There are several reasons why rebuy events were introduced and became popular:



1. To allow a player to get more play for his money: It is no fun to drive – or even fly – to play in a tournament and have to hit the door early. For me, as long as there are cash games available, busting out early is not a problem. For a player who sticks to tournament play only, it is a disaster. The rebuy feature enables him to stay in action, as long as he is willing to pay for it.



2. To sweeten the prize pool: Allowing rebuys typically doubles the prize pool. That makes the rebuy feature more attractive to a lot of people who prefer a low buy-in amount but want to "run a toothpick into a lumber factory," as the saying goes. So, the house can sort of strike a balance between players who want to keep their outlay to a minimum and players who are more willing to gamble. Hopefully, both groups will be able to achieve their goals by the way they manage their budgets.



3. To appeal to that breed of player who wants to win no matter what it takes: This differs from trying to maximize your monetary situation, as it can cost a lot more money, going all-out for the roses.



Someone who plays in a rebuy event for the first time is liable to wonder if free alcoholic drinks had been offered to all of the players at registration, or if imbibing was a condition of play. There is no question that people play a very different brand of poker when they do not have to fear elimination when they blow all of their chips. This is particularly noticeable when the buy-in amount is low. In fact, many of the entrants will play with the objective of giving themselves the best chance to win or cash – no matter how much it costs. Such players embrace any situation in which they have an even-money chance to either double up or go broke. There are a number of gamblers in the field who welcome any chance to get ahold of some chips, and do not seem to mind having way the worst of it for this "opportunity." For people who play largely for entertainment, and are playing well within their means, this is an understandable and reasonable emotion. However, such an attitude would not be commendable in someone like myself, who is relying on poker winnings for his livelihood.



I like playing in rebuy tournaments. If your goal is to get a substantial overlay for your money, the rebuy tournament is a good place to get it. Those players who shy away from rebuy tournaments because those events are "too wild" are not looking to get value for their money. Rather, they are simply looking to enjoy themselves and find it uncomfortable to play in wild games. Obviously, this is a legitimate point of view, but not one that a professional player would be adopting. I will be writing the strategy part of this column for the player who shares my attitude of trying to maximize equity.



During the rebuy phase, bluffing is not going to work against anyone who has a semblance of a hand. And you can forget about betting big, trying to run the opponent out. Remember that a big bet carries the message that there is the opportunity to play a big pot. This may well be more likely to get someone in than keep him out. So, you are restricted to playing solid poker. However, I like open-raising with hands like A-J suited during the rebuy phase, as I do not need to worry about driving everyone out except the person who has me beat. You do not need to go into a shell when people are flying around.



If you lose all of your chips, should you rebuy? That depends on a number of factors. (When the rebuy period expires, I use these same factors in deciding whether to add on.)



The first thing to look at is whether the rebuy chips are discounted or at face value. Some rebuy events give you a chance to rebuy at a cheaper price than the original buy-in, or give you more chips for the rebuy than for the original buy-in. If the house runs a tournament with this rebuy structure, you are committed to rebuying, and should not enter such an event in the first place unless you are comfortable with that commitment.



The second thing to consider is whether or not you will be getting enough chips to have some flexibility in your play. My suggestion is, if you are not able to have 40 times the big blind, call it a day (unless the chips are discounted, as above). This is an appropriate time for me to rant about cardrooms that deliberately do not give you enough chips at the start of rebuy events, in order to bust out lots of people and pump up the prize fund. I avoid playing in such establishments.



The third thing to look at is table composition. Most of the time, this is not a factor, but on occasion, you get an all-gar lineup, or nearly so. Feel free to call it a day if that's the case.



I used to put a lot of emphasis on avoiding tobacco smoke, and in the old days, I was often driven away from rebuying by having to sit next to a chain-smoker. (I would even go out of my way to play a big pot with such a person, in my lust for clean air.) Mercifully, smoking is no longer a factor in polite society, though there are still a few places where tobacco use is still allowed in their poker tournaments.



When rebuys have ended, the most important thing is to mentally adjust right away. That wild child may well transform into a solid citizen, so assume that is the case unless you have an indication that the person does not seem to understand that rebuys are now over. A lot of money gets dumped to players who gamble like lunatics when they can rebuy, but get serious when rebuys are over.



Bob Ciaffone has authored four poker books, Middle Limit Holdem Poker, Pot-limit and No-limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Omaha Poker. All can be ordered from Card Player. Ciaffone is available for poker lessons: e-mail [email protected]. His website is www.pokercoach.us, where you can get his rulebook, Robert's Rules of Poker, for free. Bob also has a website called www.fairlawsonpoker.org.