rebuy tournaments

[Xhad]

Question 1: B.

Quesiton 2: Same as in a cash game; the better you are compared to your opponents and the easier they are to read, the more chips you should want in front of you. The tougher the opponents and the more difficult they are to read, the fewer chips you should want in front of you.

First i will say i have done very well in multiple rebuy events. This format is my favorite. Several first places including one live event, but no huge payouts. Im not someone you'll see on TV [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
To your first question, i believe my edge in these is about the best i can get.

in a very small tournament where your rebuy takes you above average chips (you can allow for a short period after your buyin), instant rebuying isn't always profitable. Chips have a diminishing marginal value or as skalnsky's book puts it, winning a chip helps you less than losing a chip hurts you. (each additional chip is worth less than the one before it). Put that theory to rebuys and you are profitable to rebuy as long as you are short stacked, but not if you are near average.

can this be overcome by skill? I believe so but its not necessary if you are a good player, why take a disadvantage you don't have to?

That being said, in most rebuy structures. I sit, rebuy, and rebuy at every opportunity. I also take marginal gambles very early to have a big enough stack to pick up every chip in a big advantage.
In other words i take unnecessary gambles just to get enough chips to where i can play morons for their whole stack when i am a big favorite. (I am less likely to take marginal gambles once i have a stack established that i cannot rebuy to.)

In the 2004 WSOP Negranu rebought into the $1000 Omaha event 27 times....think about that. He put in $27,000 to this one tourney. That seems a bit excssive.

I allow my self an immdediate rebuy which will double my chip stack before the first hand is dealt. I then allot my self three more buyins; two for another double-rebuy and one for the addon.

This brings me to 5 buyins per rebuy tourney. In my experiences if you have to take a 3rd double-rebuy then at that point (usually 40 min into tourney) you would be at such a big disadvantage compared to the average chip stack with just your 3000 chips that it is not worth re-upping.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

The reason you have to be willing to rebuy so often is the minimal fold equity you'll have on normal +EV plays, plus the fact that you'll occaisionally be getting close to 3:1 to call all-in on the flop with big draws. In addition, if you push early with a mediocre hand, you'll often get called more liberally later in the rebuy period when you have a big hand.

In a normal rebuy tourney (like on 'Stars), 3 buy-ins is basically the minimum (initial buy-in, initial immediate rebuy, add-on). So 5 buy-ins indicates busting once, and 7 means you busted twice, since rebuying to the max number of chips is the only option that makes sense.

[odellthurman]

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In my experiences if you have to take a 3rd double-rebuy then at that point (usually 40 min into tourney) you would be at such a big disadvantage compared to the average chip stack with just your 3000 chips that it is not worth re-upping.

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You should quit focusing on the average chip stack and start focusing on your stack relative to the big blind. It will improve your play in tornaments.

I completely agree with XHAD

[odellthurman]

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I completely agree with XHAD

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You completely agree? OK. Thanks.

[TomHimself]

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I wouldn't say unlimited rebuy tournaments are "not real tournaments," but they are not as good a test of poker skill as no-rebuy tournaments. The option to rebuy helps bad players more than good ones. However, as you say, they are often looser so you might be able to make more money.

It's almost always advantageous to rebuy as much as allowed.

[/ QUOTE ]rebuy tournies are better for better players because it is deepstacked
just because you are loose in rebuy period doesnt mean you are going to be throughout the tourney

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are you guys serious? seven rebuys? wouldn't that make me one of the drunken sailers? even allowing that they come in pairs if you use that strategy, I would have to bust out three times for this to happen. The most I have ever done is two rebuys, plus the add-on. maybe i am playing too conservative before the break, but don't you think the way to crack the loose money in this situation is to play solid poker, and only go all in when your very comfortable that you have a decisive advantage?

Having said that, i realize it is almost impossible to resist making a '60%' call when you know you have the option to rebuy. Also since this is lowstakes such as $10 a pop online, my capacity to rebuy if i need to is pretty much infinite, i just don't know if it is wise . . .

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Last rebuy I played in the player to my left rebought 44 times before the break, now that was a drunken sailor, he was all in every hand and gave up before the first break. 7 is a very reasonable number of times to expect to buy in.

[Xhad]

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are you guys serious? seven rebuys? wouldn't that make me one of the drunken sailers? even allowing that they come in pairs if you use that strategy, I would have to bust out three times for this to happen. The most I have ever done is two rebuys, plus the add-on. maybe i am playing too conservative before the break, but don't you think the way to crack the loose money in this situation is to play solid poker, and only go all in when your very comfortable that you have a decisive advantage?

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I don't know how I didn't notice this post last time. This is weak-tight nonsense. If you still have a stack that can mostly be replaced by rebuys, there is no rational reason to refuse ANY edge. Only after you double up at least once or the rebuy period ends can you start to consider stack preservation at all.

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Having said that, i realize it is almost impossible to resist making a '60%' call when you know you have the option to rebuy.

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That is because there is no reason not to, unless you are so underbankrolled you don't belong in the tournament to begin with.