Re-Buy Tournament Tips
Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournaments require a fee to enter, and from these fees the prize pool is created. Most poker online tournaments have a fixed fee to enter, and each player gets the same amount of chips as a starting stack. However, some tournaments offer what is known as “rebuys” beyond the initial entry fee. In these tournaments, the players all pay the same to enter, and typically that is a low price. Then once entered into the tournament, players can rebuy more chips, up to a certain amount. This rebuy period usually lasts up until the first break and then stops.
In rebuy poker tournaments the starting stacks are small and the blinds structured so that a player’s chip stack is easily depleted, forcing players to rebuy if they want to continue. The rebuys contribute to the prize pool, and the more rebuys made, the bigger the prize at the end.
Some rebuys limit the amount players can buy, perhaps to one “add-on” and other rebuys offer a wide variety of options. When there are many rebuy opportunities at various levels, such as 3x the original entry fee gets 5x the starter stack for up to five rebuys per player, then the playing field becomes skewered. Some players will rebuy the maximum so they have big stacks while other players do not.
If you are going to play in a rebuy tournament, be sure you understand the blind structure and what the rebuy amounts are. It is easy to get caught up in the contest and throw your money away on rebuys. Set a limit on what you are willing to invest in the tournament, and then compare what your maximum buy-in may have to go up against.
