add ons

Until recently poker tournaments in the UK had fairly restrictive rules regarding add-ons and rebuy imposed by the gaming board. These rules have now been relaxed and it is now possible to purchase an add on at the end of the rebuy period. e.g I played a £20 entry tournament tonight which gave me the opportunity to purchase an add on for £20 for which I would have received T500 chips which was the same as the original stack.


In this particular instance I declined the offer as I had T2000 the blinds were level at T50 and I had one of the larger stacks at the table. It was distressing to see my chip advantage narrowed when at least half the table added on. As I had not rebought I felt tempted to add on if only to maintain my relative chip position.


Does anyone have suggestions as to when it is smart to add on and when it is not?


Thanks


Ross

If the addon chips are the same price as the other chips, then it really doesn't matter all that much whether you take them or not. There are some theoretical concerns dealing with stack size and such, but they also aren't that important.


The real key is how good you play. If you're a profitable tourney player, one of the favorites in the field (i.e., you will make a long term profit if you can play this tournament repeatedly), then the chips you buy are worth more in your stack than you paid for them. Contrarily, a losing player, someone who is likely to be playing at a loss, devalues the chips he's holding.


So, if you're a winning tourney player, addon. If you are still learning and not yet a winner, then skip the addon.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)