Pros and Cons of Rebuy Tournaments

The rebuy tournament: It’s part cash game and part poker tournament. You are playing for a prize pool earned by eliminating opponents, but an opponent is not necessarily out of action if you take all his chips. If you’re not sure where you fall on the subject of rebuy poker tournaments, consider the pros and cons.

Pro: No Bad Beats

Well, you can still take a bad beat, but unlike a traditional poker tournament, it may not be the end of you. All the skill in the world won’t save you if your pocket kings happen to run into pocket aces in the first round. However, in a rebuy tournament you are not nearly as much at the mercy of such vagaries of luck. If you get knocked out by an unlucky match up or suck out, you can get right back in action and give your skills a chance to pull you ahead.

Pro: Huge Prize Pools

Since so many players are rebuying and adding-on, the prize pools for rebuy tournaments tend to dwarf those of non rebuy tournaments. If you happen to be a player who is rebuying less than the average, this is a great overlay for you. Even if you’re not, the rewards for placing high in a rebuy tournament can be much more lucrative than a non-rebuy tournament.

Pro: Better Action

Since players need not fear early elimination there are more big pots. Players are making moves and other players are willing to pay to see if the others are trying to bluff them. This means a lot of action and many opportunities to build a giant stack.

Con: Wallet as Skill

In a cash game, players with deeper pockets have an advantage in that they can keep taking the worst of it and buying more chips until they get you all in and get lucky. Similarly, a rebuy tournament allows players with thicker wallets to overcome their lack of skill (at least temporarily), by taking the worst of it and rebuying until a lucky double up comes their way. It can be very frustrating to outplay someone for a few hours and then watch as they buy enough chips to have you covered.

Con: Time Issues

Since few players are eliminated during the rebuy period and more chips are on the table, it takes longer to get down to the money in a rebuy tournament than in a non-rebuy tournament. Since many tournaments already take hours to complete, a rebuy tournament can make your experience a real marathon.

Con: Reading Difficulties

Usually, you use the first few rounds of a poker tournament to develop a read on your opponents. However, a player’s strategy may change radically once the rebuy period is over, making any assessments you make during the rebuy period inconsequential.