Exploiting Party Rebuys

[Jason Strasser]

If they aren't going to fix this bug where you can go all in and rebuy, and ignoring any possible bankroll considerations, whats the optimal strategy for this? I feel like just going all in and rebuying like mad is OK, especially if you are at like table 1 and those chips will be around. But do you ever stop exploiting the bug at some point? IE, do you get to a point where the extra buy in is not worth the extra 1k chips?

The structure, for those who don't know, is you start with 1k, and you can rebuy 1k whenever you are at 1k or less. Turns out you can rebuy whenever all your chips are all in.

Recently I've been settling down in the 8-l3k range which is always among the chip leaders, but it usually costs me a bunch.

-Jason

[Sam T.]

Are you saying that you can shove all-in for t5,000 rebuy immediately, and if your bet is not called, get your t5,000 back? That is a wee bit of a bug.

I suppose there is a mathematical answer to this, but since I'm not a math guy, I'd say that the answer is that when you have enough to take a bad beat (or double up the average stack at the table) and STILL dominate the table, you should stop.

Just my thoughts.

Sam

[Jman28]

I've thought about this too.

According to what's commonly accepted, each rebuy is worth less than the last (although Gigabet has some interesting thoughts on tourney strategy and stack sizes ).

Putting Gig's assumptions aside, it is more +EV to buy into 10 non-rebuy tourneys than to buy into one rebuy tourney and rebuy 9 times (I'm talking about rebuying when you still have many chips).

However, rebuying is still profitable if you're a winning player, up to a point. So, let's say your first $100 is really worth about $200 in EV because of your edge. Now the 2nd $100 is worth, say (complete unsupported estimate) $175. So it's +EV to rebuy up to the point that the next $100 is worth $100. This is still compatible with the common model in TPFAP.

What's not included is the edge you have when playing the big stack. In rebuys, the stacks-BB ratio gets much higher than it does in non-rebuys. Now you play a deep stack NL game that you are probably even more of a favorite in against the average opponent.

Then, of course, having a big stack on the bubble gives me a boner.

I don't know if people realize how profitable it is to be able to bully the shorter stacks; Profitable enough to take what are normally -EV gambles to get there, which I think is part of what Gigabet was saying.

In conclusion, my official answer: Rebuy up to the point that your last rebuy is greater than or equal to it's value in EV. I think this reasonably easy to get a very rough estimate on.

My unofficial answer: Rebuy even more. But I can't prove it. (Edit: But yes, there is definitely a limit. Don't rebuy forever.)

[EverettKings]

Is there anything actually unfair about this bug? Intuitively it seems like you shouldn't be able to do this, but why not? Who gets put at an unfair advantage/disadvantage assuming everyone knows about this?

[Jman28]

It's not unfair; just not what rebuy's are supposed to be and have been in the past.

[Paluka]

How are you getting your chips into the pot so often? Are you just making big bluffs or overbetting pots or what?

[fnord_too]

I think coming out of the rebuy with more than 20 BB does not do a lot for you. So, if I had to make a guess, I would say make your goal 20BB for the first level out of the rebuy, try to get there normally (1 immediate rebuy + 1 add on) but if you look like you arent going to be shy of say 15BB try to sneak a rebuy or two in.

[adanthar]

Is there as much of a benefit to rebuying (especially more than once) as there normally would be on a site like Stars, given that the total number of rebuys/addons only adds up to the original field?

I'm talking about the Empire R/A's but I suppose Party is the same way.

[Double Eagle]

Here is a RGP thread that discusses this very issue. You might recognize a poster or two....

[Jason Strasser]

All in preflop baby.