Poker Re-Buy Strategy - How to play Re-Buy Poker Tournaments

Poker re-buy strategy includes understanding how to build a stack to stay in the game. Re-buy tournaments are excellent practise for the higher poker stakes.

Different Types of Re-Buy Tournaments

There are all sorts of re-buy tournaments available in online poker rooms. The re-buy game will let you add to your chips stack by buying more chips and this could be a great tool for reaching the final table. In both freerolls and regular tournaments there is usually a set time to when you can re-buy. It is common that the first hour lets players add to their stacks and you need to be aware of when to use this feature. Many players avoid making re-buys in freerolls but it is actually recommended to make them. The buy-in is what could ensure you a place around the final table.

There are also tournaments that are called un-limited re-buy tournaments because players can re-buy as much as they want during the games. In these tournaments it is common to see players re-buy and you need to consider well what hands you will play with. With pairs (even smaller ones) and suited hands with higher cards you could play pretty strongly. Once you move post flop play you need to be able to back up betting with a good hand. The whole issue is that you can always re-buy so don’t be afraid to try to get the limpers out good and well!

Re-buying and Money Management

It is easy to get excited about being able to stay in the games but you need to understand how the re-buy relates to your bankroll management. If you spend more money on re-buying than what you would win by the final table you are not being very effective with building a steady bankroll. This doesn’t mean that you can’t make re-buys this way and still gain something. There are plenty of players who are willing to loose a bit just for the practise. This is OK as long as you understand just how much you will loose and how it will affect your general poker money management.

How to Play Re-Buy Games

Since you can build on your stack even after entering the re-buy tournament you should consider playing loose and aggressively. Of course not to the extent of folly! But the idea is that you can afford advancing your play and still be in the game for the final. If you have an hour of building on your stack you should make the most of it. However, if you get busted during this hour you might be better off not patching it up. This all depends on how much you can afford to loose on re-buys.

Since you can re-buy you should call if you drop below the starting level of your chips but only when you evaluate your hands to be worth it. Remember to look at your opponents. If you are already in a good position with the chips you have you don’t need to re-buy for the sake of re-buying. Use some common sense and make sure to record your moves so that you can evaluate the impact your re-buys had on your final result in the tournament.