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Poker Rebuy Tournaments: a Tactical Guide
Playing in a Poker rebuy tournament is no different from any other game in that you will need to make the necessary fine-tuning to your game plan. While there are a multitude of tourneys, they generally come in two forms: limited and unlimited rebuys.
In an unlimited Poker rebuy tournament, there is no limit imposed upon you for its duration (i.e., one hour). In a limited rebuy, you are usually entitled to three or four for the whole hour, plus an add on at its conclusion. Both these games require that you handle them quite differently.
In a Poker unlimited rebuy, your tactic should be to jump ahead of your opponents. Unless you are holding garbage hands and have to fold, play your hand as aggressively as possible. Here, if you are holding middle pairs or tens pre flop, then you should play them. That is not something you usually do in Poker cash games, but in a rebuy tournament, that is acceptable.
If you are in after the flop, then your Poker strategy would be to play with high pairs, or any face cards that are suitably paired. Of course, if you are holding four to a flush, then bet and raise; let the others know that you hold the potential winning hand.
In a limited rebuy tournament, the emphasis should be on an aggressive playing style early on, and once you have accumulated enough chips (i.e., you have doubled or tripled the initial amount) then you can play at a more usual pace. In particular, if it is down to the final rebuy and the add on, you can play your usual game.
As in unlimited rebuy tournaments, Aces and face cards are very crucial here, and so if you have either paired up with each other, then raise and re raise on the pre flop. However, if there are only limpers, then your Poker strategy would be to raise with any type of pair.
Of course, it is vital that you keep an eye on your chips. In a limited rebuy, always be on the initiative, but if your stacks falls below half of what you came in with, call, and if necessary rebuy later on.
For a first time Poker rebuy tournament player, the atmosphere -with its emphasis on survival- can be quite difficult, and getting used to the playing style may take awhile. But by simply staying calm and playing in the abovementioned manner, you will be able to move on.