Optimal Strategy for MTTs with add-ons/freebuys

[bigredwolf]

Hi there,

I am returning to playing online poker after many years of not playing so these "freebuy" tournaments are new to me. I have been playing freeroll tournaments this week on 888 and pokerstars before deciding which to deposit with.

I have noticed that many people purchase add-ons on the 888 freebuys. My instinct at first was to say this was a stupid idea. Then I stared to do some maths. I noticed that max stacks before add-on were much lower than add-on stacks, making them almost irrelevant. So decided to remove them from my calculations. I then came to the opposite conclusion:
Doing max addons is the optimal strategy for these tournaments when the number of players doing addons in the tournament is low. The lower the better.

This led me to a second conclusion:
playing freebuy tournaments is pointless unless you use add-ons.

So this led to my final conclusion:
The optimal strategy for these tournaments is to late register just before add-on, hopefully play zero hands so as to guarantee survival till add-on time, then do max add-ons.

The only thing missing here is what constitutes a low number of add-ons. This can be roughly calculated for satellite tournaments as the places always pay the same, 1 ticket. Roughly speaking, you want the number players with add-on size stacks less than the number of tickets available multiplied by the ticket value and divided by the add-on cost.


Does this make sense or am I missing something here?

TLDR: Don't play freebuys if you don't use add-ons

 

[fundiver199]

You are absolutely correct. To be honest those "freebuy" tournaments are just there to get people playing on the fake promise, its "free". But while it is in theory possible to cash for free, you are wasting your time, if you dont purchase the add-on.

888 Poker also have many regular R+A tournaments by the way, and these are some of the better values on the site. In the 2,2 and 5,5$ R+As, only the initial buyin is raked, which mean, you are effectively only paying something like 4% rake instead on the normal 10%. They also tend to be softer than normal tournaments with the same price pool.

For these tournaments I find it best to be there from the beginning, because I often have a huge skill edge on the field especially in the 2,2$ or 1,5$. But it is acceptable also to register in the very last moment, fold a hand or two, and then purchase the add-on. And even if you play from the beginning and manage to build a huge stack, before rebuy end, you should still purchase the add-on.

The only pitfall in these tournaments is to not be properly bankrolled. The 2,2$ R+As are more like 5$ tournaments, and the 5,5$ R+As are more like 12$ tournaments, and this must be factored into your bankroll management.

 

[bigredwolf]

You are absolutely correct....

well that is the kind of reply I like

Thanks for the extra information on the R+As. I mainly like to play tournaments and any edge I can get is welcome.

 

[RagNar87]

if u reffering to 888 big fish freebuy , yes i agreee , without add-on u have no chance . survive till add on and ure ok.

 

[bigredwolf]

if u reffering to 888 big fish freebuy , yes i agreee , without add-on u have no chance . survive till add on and ure ok.

OK so we were both wrong I did it!!!!

 

[terryk]

Nice Bink! :ridinghor $$$

 

[pjokay]

Even freebuys I think it is better to play from the start and not late registering, at least on Stars. This is because of the 15 min gap between registering ending and the addon. Because the blinds will be so high at this point you will end up burning through loads of rebuys to hand on to the add on period. I tend to think the opposite, if you cannot build a stack by then end of registration to carry you through this gap it is not worth it.

 

[nuttea]

Hi there,

I am returning to playing online poker after many years of not playing so these "freebuy" tournaments are new to me. I have been playing freeroll tournaments this week on 888 and pokerstars before deciding which to deposit with.

I have noticed that many people purchase add-ons on the 888 freebuys. My instinct at first was to say this was a stupid idea. Then I stared to do some maths. I noticed that max stacks before add-on were much lower than add-on stacks, making them almost irrelevant. So decided to remove them from my calculations. I then came to the opposite conclusion:
Doing max addons is the optimal strategy for these tournaments when the number of players doing addons in the tournament is low. The lower the better.

This led me to a second conclusion:
playing freebuy tournaments is pointless unless you use add-ons.

So this led to my final conclusion:
The optimal strategy for these tournaments is to late register just before add-on, hopefully play zero hands so as to guarantee survival till add-on time, then do max add-ons.

The only thing missing here is what constitutes a low number of add-ons. This can be roughly calculated for satellite tournaments as the places always pay the same, 1 ticket. Roughly speaking, you want the number players with add-on size stacks less than the number of tickets available multiplied by the ticket value and divided by the add-on cost.


Does this make sense or am I missing something here?

TLDR: Don't play freebuys if you don't use add-ons

by and large, the strategy in them is not much different from ordinary tournamentsAccording to the rules of bankroll management, you need to choose only such tournaments that will not bring ruin in the future with several losses in a row. You should always take into account the amount of investments in the tournament and the current state of your cash reserve. If you play in a tournament with rebuys and add-ons, they must be added to the cost of participation. However, before starting the game, we do not know how many times the purchase will occur, so professionals advise initially adding one rebuy and one addon to the starting price for the tournament. Then you will be able to understand whether you should take part in this game or whether you need to choose the rates below.