Re-buy Tournament Pointers

In January, the 2009 World Series of Poker schedule was revealed and included in this year’s changes was the elimination of re-buy events. The change is believed to have been made largely because some top poker pros, including Daniel Negreanu, felt that re-buy tournaments give an unfair advantage to those players with deep pockets. After all, they can just keep dropping money on the table to make up for mistakes, while the “Joe Six-Packs” of the world have to hope to run hot. I won’t comment on the merits of this argument, but I concede that it is easy to be intimidated the first time you decide to give re-buys a try, even if you do have cash to burn. This is why I have put together a few basic pointers for those of you who want to test your skills in re-buy tournaments.

It’s Called a Re-Buy Tournament

First and foremost, understand that you are playing in a re-buy tournament, not a freeze-out. This means that you need to be prepared to re-buy. Sure, I have played in some re-buy tourneys with plans to not re-buy (I actually turned a $100 buy-in into a third place finish and $2,500 once without re-buying or adding on), but I did not seriously expect to have much success. If you treat a re-buy tournament like a freeze-out, you will be doing yourself a great disservice and will have an inherent disadvantage versus your opponents.

Some people recommend simply being willing to re-buy as many times as necessary during the re-buy period, but for many people, that is not necessarily realistic. If you are willing to try your hand at a re-buy tourney, but don’t necessarily have a bottomless wallet, just give yourself a maximum number of re-buys. Then, before you register, think of the tournament as costing your original buy-in plus your budgeted number of re-buys and add-on. For example, if it is a $10 buy-in tourney with unlimited $10 re-buys and one $10 add-on, you may decide that you can swing five re-buys and the add-on. Thus, before you start, think of it as a $70 tournament, rather than a $10 one. This way, you understand going in how much you could potentially be on the hook for and your bankroll won’t be taken by surprise.

Insta-Re-buy (Now With More Hyphens!)

Many, but not all, re-buy tournaments allow you to re-buy when you are at or below your starting stack (as opposed to only below your starting stack). If this is the case, re-buy immediately, before the cards are even in the air, in order to give yourself a double stack. Some people figure it is silly to re-buy when they haven’t even lost any chips. After all, if they double up quickly, that’s like getting a re-buy for free. The problem with that way of thinking is that you aren’t giving yourself a chance to maximize your big pots. Chances are, other people at the table will re-buy right away, so if you do the same and are able to double up off of one of them, now you have quadrupled your starting stack.

Loosen Up, Not Stupid Up

Because you have the opportunity to take a mulligan and reset your starting stack if you lose all your chips (albeit for a price), the proper strategy during the re-buy period is to loosen up. Play more speculative hands, take some risks on draws that you might not necessarily play. These are the types of hands that can pay off big time when they hit, so it is worth taking a chance on them. Besides, if you bust and re-buy, odds are that most of the other players will be playing looser, as well, so you very well may have a few shots at winning your chips back.

This does not mean to play stupidly, though. I have seen players push every hand until they double up, which is silly, in my opinion. Those re-buys still cost money, so you don’t want to just be flinging around chips with any old hand. Loosen up your hand requirements, but still evaluate each hand and use some discrimination when it comes to making big moves.

Top it Off

Once the re-buy period is over, you will have the opportunity to purchase an add-on, typically for the same price as the re-buys. The add-on is usually for the same number of chips, as well, but can be for more. Take it. Lay out the cash. Most solid players will, so you will be lagging behind if you don’t. And like the immediate re-buy, not adding-on will limit your double up possibilities.

There are some instances where you might want to decline the add-on. If your stack is so massive to the point where the add-on would only be a drop in the bucket (common wisdom says less than ten percent of your stack, but this is not a hard and fast rule), you may not need the add-on. On the flip side, if your stack is so short that you will still be in really bad shape with the add-on, especially if the blinds are relatively high, you might not want to waste your money. And, of course, if you just get the feeling you are outclassed on that day, you may want to cut your losses and just see how things go without the extra chips.

Now remember, after the re-buy period is over, the tournament reverts to a freeze-out, so you will need to change gears and play your normal tournament game. Your opponents will, as well, so that guy next to you who seemed like a maniac is probably not one at all.

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