Lat rebuy period play

I regularly play in a tournament with a $120 buyin for $500 in chips. Rebuys are $100 for $500 in chips and an Addon at the one hour mark gives you $1000 in chips for $100. Usually this tournament has about 30 players and pays top 5 with 1st worth about $3000.


My question is that with the addon giving you twice as many chips as a rebuy, do you want get involved in a marginal hand near the end of the rebuy period and risk having to first rebuy then take the addon to continue in this tournament. My judgement is that you need something over $1000 after the break to have a legitimate shot at winning the tournament.


An example is that with the rebuy period ending in less than a round. I have 99 in the BB blind with $400 in chips. An aggressive player on the button raises and I go all in. I lose when AKQ board hits his A4.


My point is that I turned this into a $320 tournament. I would have taken the addon rather I won or lost the hand. I did go on to split 5th, but the payout didn't cover the entry fee.

Lose the hand $200 buys T1500

Fold the hand $100 buys T1400

Win the hand $100 buys T1800 plus whatever the blinds account for. If T1000 is enough to play after the rebuy period, I would assume the blinds are not very large and add little to your stack.


I would fold and wait for the add-on. I would make the play if my winning means I don't need to make the add-on.

I would spend the first hour avoiding the rebuy. Let the aggressive players subsidise the prize pool. Of course, I would play some hands, but only with a big enough edge (or maybe something else thrown in for deception). I'm not saying I'd avoid busting at all costs, just that I'd be quite selective. Some players will be loosely trying to build their stacks. Most of them will pump up the prize pool, and if a few of them build big stacks, so be it. Get the oversized add-on at half-time, and start after the break with about an average stack, and a below average contribution to the prize pool.


Dirk