Poker Rebuy Strategy – Using Rebuy Strategy in Poker Tournaments

Use poker rebuy strategy to maximise your stack in poker tournament situations that allow it.

Extra chips agogo

What is the purpose of rebuys in the context of a poker tournament? Well, in situations that allow it, it's two fold. One, it seriously swells the total prize pool, meaning the final table payouts are going to be that much more snazzy – oh, and don't forget that the house usually charges a small fee for the rebuy as well, so they're happy too.

Point two, it means you have a bigger stack to play with, or, if you've been knocked out already, you have a chance to get back in on the action.

We should make the distinction here between rebuys and add-ons. Most people think of them as one and the same thing, but there's a small difference.

A rebuy is when you've played like an idiot, lost all your chips and been kicked to the curb. You buy back into the game, usually for more or less the same fee that it cost to buy in in the first place, and start over with a fresh stack of chips.

An add-on is similar in that it (usually) costs the same as a rebuy, but the distinction is that you don't have to be knocked out yet to have one. It's just extra chips. Makes your stack look bigger. Size being *ahem* all important.

To rebuy or not to rebuy

Well, clearly, if you have been knocked out of the tournament, and the option to rebuy is there, you should probably take it. I say “probably” because there are situations where it might be smarter to sit it out.

The prime candidate situation for NOT buying back into a poker game is when you're spitting mad. The fact is, it hurts your ego to be knocked out early, particularly if it's by someone who you know you should be able to beat. Worse yet, if they're taunting you as you go, which just gets you right on tilt.

Never play when you're on tilt. Take a time out.

But, provided you're calm, and you know where you went wrong, and you're not about to do the same extremely stupid thing again that got you kicked out in the first place, then by all means, rebuy, rebuy, rebuy.

Timing is everything

Now, often tournaments have a time limit on when you can exercise your poker rebuy strategy. Often, the option is only available for the first hour – and the same goes for add-ons.

While I did say “go ahead and rebuy” in the previous paragraph, there's a caveat I want to add. How many times are you having to rebuy? More than once? In the first hour? Consider the possibility that you might be outclassed and go home before you lose your car.

But, if you're still in the game and it's simply about acquiring an add-on, then I would advise you to acquire as many as you can afford. The persuasive power of a massive, threatening stack is well documented, and why go through all the trouble of earning a club to beat people with when you can just buy one?