4/2/2022

Rebuy Poker Tournament Strategy

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Rebuy tournaments are very popular at online poker rooms and they can be very profitable if you use the structure to your advantage and get in on the crazy action of the first hour. The optimal strategy is loose aggressive during the early stages to build your stack, followed by a tight aggressive style in the freeze out portion of the tourney.
The strategy here is to play the first hand that is not raised before you make your play and add-on right after that hand. This will give you the chip lead at your table or will put you near the chip leader board at your table right away. Second, anytime you fall below the starting chips, do an add-on.
3 Strategy Tips for Rebuy Tournaments Prepare for looser play from your opponents. Many years ago, Daniel Negreanu said the best player in the tournament should be ok rebuying as many times as they want. No one likes rebuying as much as this guy.
As others have already posted, the rebuy hour is basically its own separate tournament. Just a couple of months ago I thought it was an ok strategy to buy in once and just hope for the best. Although this can work occasionally, it is a really really bad strategy.

Many online poker rooms run a lot of rebuy and add-on tournaments because they attract players with small bankrolls as well as players with large bankrolls. Players with small bankrolls can just buy-in once for the buy-in price and play the tourney like a freeze out, while the bigger bankroll players can rebuy many times and try to build their stack to put themselves in a position to win the tournament. Rebuy tournaments usually allot the first hour as a rebuy tournament and then after this hour there is an optional add-on available. After this hour rebuys are no longer allowed and the real poker tournament begins. If you make it to the add-on period you should always purchase the add-on because it is usually the same price as the original buy-in was, but you receive double the amount of chips. If you are looking to win the rebuy tournament you should play loose and aggressive in the first hour to try to build your stack. If you bust out you can just rebuy and get right back at it.

In the first hour of the tournament you should play extremely aggressive. Everyone will be playing looser so when you do get a big hand you can bet big and you will still usually be called. For example, if you are dealt pocket aces or kings in the rebuy stage of the tournament you can make a raise of four times the big blind. Then if you are reraised you can move all-in. Often time’s players are happy to get their chips in for a coin flip or even slightly behind at this stage because they are trying to build their stack. You should use this fact to your advantage and double up when you have a strong hand.

In unlimited rebuy tournaments one strategy is to play almost every hand very aggressively during the rebuy period in an effort to accumulate as many chips as possible so you'll have a nice sized.

Coin flips in the early stages

Players like coin flips in the early stages of a rebuy tournament because they are actually positive expected value. Your goal is to build your chips at this stage so as long as you aren’t behind when you go all in it’s the right play. You are hoping to win a few coin flips in a row and build a stack for the freeze out portion of the tourney. That being said it is possible to go too far with this strategy and get your chips in with by far the worst hand. For example, if you have pocket 2’s the best thing you can hope for is a coin flip, but if you are up against a higher pocket pair you are crushed. You still have to be smart about when you get your money into the pot. Low pairs aren’t really what you are looking for. Mid to high pairs or big cards like (A,K) are what you want to move in with pre-flop. If you start moving in with almost anything you will quickly find yourself down a lot of rebuys.

The add-on stage

If you are able to make it to the add-on stage you should always purchase the add-on. It will be the cost of the buy-in, but you will receive double the chips, which is obviously great value. Every player who wants to give themselves the best possible chance at winning the tournament will purchase the add-on. Remember, the more chips you have the more chips you can win in a double up situation. So don’t look at the add-on as just 3,000 chips or however much it is. Look at the chips as a way to help you continue to build your stack.

Once the rebuy stage of the tournament has finished you should apply your regular tournament strategy. You should tighten up and try to get your chips in with the best hand, not just when you think you may be in a coin flip situation. Some of your opponents won’t be able to change gears and you can take advantage of these loose players later in the tournament once you spot who they are.

Rebuy tournaments are very popular at online poker rooms and they can be very profitable if you use the structure to your advantage and get in on the crazy action of the first hour. The optimal strategy is loose aggressive during the early stages to build your stack, followed by a tight aggressive style in the freeze out portion of the tourney. Remember to change gears after you purchase the add-on and you will be on your way to success.

Players in a rebuy tournament have the option to purchase additional chips according to a set of rules. Let’s use the $1,000 WSOP No Limit Hold’em rebuy tournament as an example.

For the $1,000 entry fee, players receive 2,000 chips. Anytime within the first two hours of play, a player having 2,000 or fewer chips on the felt has the option to rebuy. In fact, players can even rebuy before the first hand is dealt.

At the conclusion of the rebuy period, there’s another opportunity to purchase chips. Players have the option to buy one or two add-ons (or none at all) at the end of level two, regardless of their chip stack size. So, if you bought chips at every time permitted, you’d be in for $4,000: the initial buy-in, the immediate rebuy, and a double add-on.

Now, some players simply aren’t prepared to risk that much money in a poker tournament. Fortunately, playing in this type of event with the intention of not rebuying can actually be a very profitable strategy.

You see, during the rebuy period, there will always be players who gamble wildly in the hopes of building a big stack. It’s not uncommon for some crazy players to move all-in without even looking at their cards.

While it’s certainly more difficult to win a rebuy tournament without rebuying, it is possible to get a nice pay day if you choose to limit your buy-in amount. That’s because all of the maniacs who repeatedly rebuy can easily invest more than $10,000 in an event where a budget-minded player is in for just $1,000. That substantially increases the payout pool and creates a great opportunity to cash in.

If you plan to use the single buy-in strategy, you’ll likely be a decent favorite when you play against one of those loose, serial rebuyers who constantly moves all-in. The best strategy is to wait patiently for a strong hand, like A-K or even pocket nines. Then, get your chips in the middle. Just hope your pocket pair holds up against his J-3, A-4, or whatever trash hand he may have.

Now, if you aren’t budget constrained and your goal is to increase the odds of winning the tournament, you might choose to become a rebuy maniac yourself. Perhaps you’ll try to break my own WSOP record of 49 rebuys in a single tournament!

Okay, so putting up $50,000 in a $1,000 rebuy tournament may seem a bit extreme. Instead, say you’re willing to invest $12,000. Here’s how to do it.

Immediately rebuy for a 4,000 chip stack right off the bat. Then, over bet the pot and gamble wildly. With the blinds starting at 25-50, bet 500 with any hand. If you’re raised, reraise all-in and hope to get a lucky draw. If you outdraw your opponent, you’ll be up to more than 8,000 chips. If not, it’s time to rebuy.

While it’s perfectly acceptable to gamble wildly with that 4,000 chip stack, be a bit more selective when you reach 8,000 chips – but not much. With 8,000 chips, be prepared to move all-in with a flush draw or straight draw. A win in this situation will bring you nearer to your goal of amassing 20,000 chips.

Nlhe Poker Tournament Strategy

But don’t stop there. You can still buy a double add-on to increase your chip stack even further.

The important element of this strategy is stop the wild and crazy gambling once you get over about 12,000 chips. With that kind of chip stack, it’s time to tighten up your play considerably. Now it’s time to shift gears and play fundamentally sound poker.

Visit www.cardsharkmedia.com/books.htm for information about Daniel Negreanu’s new book, Power Hold’em Strategy..