Many tournaments are freezeout tournaments in which you’re eliminated once your stack is gone.  However there are rebuy tournaments.  These are tournaments in which you can buy your way back in if your stack runs out. 

 

Buying More Chips

Usually there are regulations for this, such as a specific time period in which you can buy back in, usually in the first hour of the tournament which is called the “rebuy period”.  Most rebuy tournaments only allow one rebuy opportunity, and you don’t have to be out of chips to use this option.  You can pay the price and buy more chips if your stack is equal to or less than what you started out with during the time allotted for buying back in.

In this type of tournament what’s known as add ons are also possible.  This option allows anyone to pay to add chips to their stack at the end of the rebuy period for a short period of time.  The amount that you can add on varies from tournament to tournament based on the decision of the house. 

Anytime that you can afford to rebuy or add on, especially if you’re short stacked, it’s advisable to do so as long as the pot odds of the game are right. 

The odds usually will be because as things progress you’ll have more money going in the prize pool with the same amount or less players competing.  This often leads to fairly good prizes with rebuy tournaments because you’ll have people throwing in this additional money.  Better prizes means the skill level of a number of players will also be better.

 

Players and Playing Style

Because of this you’re more likely to see people playing aggressively in the beginning to build their stack since their risk is minimized by the rebuy.  Before you buy in to a rebuy tournament be fully aware of the betting rules for structure so you can make the most of it and keep your stack as high as possible.  If your bankroll supports it you may want to use your buy in option right away.  This is especially true if a few others have done so at your table. 

You want to keep a large stack so you aren’t bullied out of a small one by other players who have used the buy in to double up.  And when the buy ins are cheap you’re going to see many more players loading up on chips to do just that.  Also keep in mind that with many rebuys you need to have an equal or lesser amount of chips than you started with to rebuy. 

If you’re getting close to the rebuy cut off and find yourself just over you’re starting amount you might want to actually consider losing a little bit of them.  Forfeiting 200 in chips can definitely be worth buying a 1000 more. 

You’ll need to take advantage of the buy ins, add ons and the loose, aggressive play it creates.  It won’t be surprising to see a lot of all in betting to win big stacks in the early period.  You’ll have the opportunity to play more hands and test you luck, but how much you alter your game will depend on the other players at your table.  By being a little more conservative you can gain a multitude of chips off those who plan to go all in and just rebuy if the attempt fails. 

As the tournament progresses and the option for rebuys is gone players will then begin to tighten their game.  That is when rebuy tournaments begin to resemble a regular game of poker and the size of your stack will make the most difference.

 

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