Rebuy Tournament Strategy

The first hour of a rebuy tournament requires different strategy than traditional tournaments.  The number of chips in play increases in leaps and bound and the tournament is characterized by wild, loose play.  When playing a rebuy, your whole goal is to build as big a stack as possible during the first hour when rebuys and add-ons are allowed.

Rebuy Tournament Bankroll

When choosing a tournament to play in, remember to set aside four or five buy-ins.  Rebuy tournaments are more expensive than they look, so drop down from your usual tournament buy-in.  Don’t worry, the lower initial cost of a rebuy doesn’t mean a smaller prize pool.  The prize pools for rebuy tournaments get huge quickly.

The five buy-ins can be used pretty quickly if you use one add on and have to rebuy + add on a couple of times after bad beats or whatever.  That’s OK though, because you planned on spending a good five buy-ins so it’s within your bankroll to do so.  Don’t ever play a bigger buy-in rebuy tournament and plan to not rebuy.  It’s a huge disadvantage to play rebuys as if they are freezeouts so don’t do it.

Adding On

As soon as the tournament starts, purchase an add on if they are allowed.  On the first hand of the tournament, you want to have double the starting stack.  That way if you double up through someone else who also has a double stack, your new stack will be four times bigger than the starting stack.  Remember, it’s all about building the biggest stack possible as quickly as possible.

Besides rebuying and adding on, you’re going to build that stack by pushing every edge you can.  If an opponent is getting out of line, don’t be afraid to make a snap call with AQo or whatever hand you have that is ahead of his pushing range.  It’s OK because you planned to spend a few buy-ins; if you happen to get a big stack and cash in a rebuy tournament, the payout is going to be huge.

Playing Hands with Potential

Also get in there and try to see as many flops as you can with decent hands.  Don’t turn into a fish and play all of your starting hands, but also don’t be afraid to see some flops with small pocket pairs and suited connectors if there is enough money in the pot and in your opponents’ stacks.  The goal here is to hit a strong hand and break someone.

Seeing a lot of flops is dangerous to weak players, but if you can outplay the competition, it’s going to benefit you.  You know when to fold and when to stick with the hand, so use those poker skills.  When you do hit a strong hand during the first hour, it’s likely to get paid off because the play is so loose during that time.

Rebuying Decisions

Unfortunately, you’re sometimes going to have to make the decision between rebuying and quitting the tournament.  If it’s late into the rebuy hour and you’ve busted, it sometimes just isn’t worth throwing more money at the tournament.

If a rebuy and add on don’t bring your stack up anywhere near the average stack size, it might be best to just save the money and call it quits.  Sometimes the average stack size has gotten so huge and the chance of a comeback so small that it’s just not worth the additional investment.

That first hour is the most important because after that, people stop rebuying and the tournament returns to normal.  If you’ve managed to build a big stack by then, you’re going to be in great shape for the rest of the tournament.

After 1st Hour

After the first hour, there are no longer tons of chips entering play and the play won’t be nearly as loose as it was during the rebuy period.  At this point it’s safe to revert back to your regular freezeout tournament strategy.  Read our online poker tournament strategy for tips on how to play after the break.

Ready to Play?

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