Making Money

5 tips for playing re-buy tournaments at your local poker room

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The poker boom is alive and well in Houston, as legal rooms have opened up all over the city. My personal favorite is Lions Poker Palace, but there are rooms everywhere now. Most have generous tournament schedules, and the most popular structure is the unlimited re-buy tournament, because it helps build the pots. Most allow unlimited rebuys until the break, then an add-on. By using these simple strategies, you can maximize your chances to win.

1) Know the bottomless pits

One strategy in these tournaments is to plan on buying in as many times as you need to. If you employ this strategy, you are playing aggressively and shoving with marginal hands to either double up or take chips. While this can work, more often than not you wind up buying in too many times to get a positive R.O.I. Take some time early in the tournament to see who is doing this, because these are the players you want to target.

2) Employ a 1 plus 1 strategy

In these tournaments, I always plan on adding on, and bring enough for one rebuy. The plan is simple; if you are playing well and get unlucky, (aces cracked by 5-7 offsuit or some such nonsense) you rebuy. If you are short before the break, you shove planning to rebuy. If you get unlucky twice, it's not your night. Go grab a beer at the local bar.

3) Target the bottomless pits

Even though you aren't planning on unlimited rebuys, it does not mean you won't try to stack chips early. Play small ball and try to catch hidden flops, and you can get paid off when the unlimited guys hit top pair. Pick your spots and you can easily build a nice stack heading to the break.

4) Decisions, decisions

If you get close to the end of the re-buy period and you are under the re-buy stack, don't be afraid to shove with marginal hands. If you win, great. If not, rebuy at the break and add on and start over.

5) Everything changes

Hopefully you can build a nice stack picking off the aggressive players. After the break, the game will change. Players who were reckless when they can rebuy will tighten up. Now is the time to turn up the pressure, increase your aggression and go for the win. Remember, because of all the rebuys, there is a lot of dead money in the pool, and you can cash with a minimal investment.

Obviously, you will have to employ solid poker strategies throughout, but if you approach these tournaments with this strategy, you will find yourself pulling a nice R.O.I. more often than not.

Good cards and enjoy the game!

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The Astros beat the Orioles, 7-2. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images.

Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz homered, Jesús Sánchez ended a lengthy slump with five hits and the Houston Astros beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 Thursday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

The Astros scored early and often against Baltimore rookie Brandon Young, who six days earlier in Houston had a perfect game ruined with two outs in the eighth inning. In the rematch, the AL West leaders built a 7-1 lead in the third and coasted.

Walker hit a two-run homer in the first, Carlos Correa singled in two runs in the second and Diaz connected in the third with a runner on after Sánchez delivered an RBI single.

Sánchez broke an 0-for-29 skid with a first-inning single and finished 5 for 5, his most productive day with Houston since being acquired from Miami in a July 31 trade. The five hits tied a career high.

Young (1-7) gave up seven runs and nine hits before leaving with one out in the sixth after hurting his left hamstring while covering first base on a grounder.

Jason Alexander (4-1) allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings for Houston. Since being claimed off waivers from the Athletics on May 18, the right-hander is 4-1 with a save in eight appearances.

Dylan Beavers hit his first major league homer for Baltimore in the second inning and added a run-scoring groundout in the sixth.

The Orioles had won three straight and six of seven.

Key moment

Walker’s 17th home run with two outs in the first got the Astros rolling against Young, who yielded only one hit in Houston on Aug. 15.

Key stat

Not only did Sánchez end his slump, but Houston C Victor Caratini broke an 0-for-17 run with a second-inning single.

Up next

Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (2-4, 6.90 ERA) faces Baltimore lefty Cade Povich (2-6, 4.98) on Friday.

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