Rebuy `strategy`

Hi all.

I had a conversation recently with a guy who makes a good living playing poker live and online (He is from the North East of England and is on TV on a regular basis. I don`t want to say his name in case I get into trouble )

He suggested something to me that I thought I would share, as I feel it was an interesting comment.

I probably won`t get it correct word for word, so stay with me.

He suggested that when playing a rebuy he plays tighter than he would normally preflop and then plays pot odds for the other streets during the rebuy period.

He said the reason is basic poker. If everyone is playing LAG he tightens up, if they are playing TAG he loosens up.

He also said after the rebuy period he is comfortable if he has 4 times the starting stack + 1 add on. (1500 starting chips + 1 rebuy + 1 double up + 1 add on = 7500 chips)

He said that even if the chip leader had 5 times his chip stack he was comfortable enough in his ability to fight back.

He did also say that playing this way means that he does, from time to time, either go out because he plays so tight early on, but also he will scoop some massive pots with the nuts when everyone else is playing so aggressivley. He scoops the big pots in the rebuy period by slow playing.

Interesting stuff?

I think it is quite interesting... i play a lot of rebuy tourny's in my local cardroom, and iv found that playing tight is necessary during the rebuy period, i have often seen players calling raises with nothing in order to hit a big flop and bust the original raiser. i have taken to making preflop raises with hands that are solid, ie AA/KK/QQ anything else and i will limp in and attempt to get TPTK or hit a set and then let others bet into me.
The other important reason for playing tight is the amount of money u save by not going all-in everyhand.

Yes, this is a by product of playing this way. But the guy did say this was not a reason at his level.

I do know the reverse of this is Daniel Negrano, who will be happy to play any slight edge then just continue to rebuy.

I never rebuy in a tourny unless I really think I could play well in it. If I lose the first 1500 or so chips then I give up. Always get the add ons tho.

Take this with a grain of salt guys. The guy's referring to rebuys that are probably MUCH bigger than what we play online.

I think it's pretty obvious that the same tag game applies to low limits, but slowplaying is just ridiculous in say the $3+R. I open shove most of my monsters for value

As I said chuck, I would not get it exactly right!!!

What he ment was that if first to act and he held the nuts (almost) he would check raise.

I think the point he was making to me was don`t be taken in by the guy pushing with any holding and `seeming` to hit everytime.

You are right also, the guy plays anything from $400 + buy in events, and it is a big +

He is a regular at the same casino as me, nice guy actually. I`ll ask him if its ok to post his name

Better yet ask him to come by and post himself

This:

is exactly the way I play rebuys. Although I adjust to suit the table, my usual goal in the rebuy period is to pick my spot and win one really big pot so that (following exactly the logic you state) at the end of the first hour I have spent 3 buyins and accumulated a 5x stack.

After the first hour, a rebuy becomes in effect a deepstack tourney. Rebuy tournies typically attract lagfish who crave the first-hour action and don`t adjust well to the mid-game. As long as I have a good playable stack, I feel I have the edge on that kind of opposition.