Making Money
5 tips for playing re-buy tournaments at your local poker room
Mar 27, 2019, 6:55 am
Making Money
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz homered to help the Houston Astros beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Tuesday night.
Jeremy Peña drove in two runs as AL West-leading Houston won its second straight game. AJ Blubaugh (1-1) pitched five innings of two-run ball in his first career win.
Altuve hit a two-run drive off Cal Quantrill in the first for his 19th homer.
Making history with that one!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/K2S8IdiPmG
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 5, 2025
Peña made it 4-1 with a two-run triple in the fourth, and Diaz hit a three-run shot in the fifth for his 16th homer.
Do yourself a favor and watch this Yainer bomb.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/xqSDoTl70n
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 6, 2025
Quantrill (4-9) permitted seven runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Jakob Marsee hit his first career homer for Miami, and Eric Wagaman also went deep. The Marlins had won five in a row before Monday’s 8-2 loss in the series opener.
Marsee singled home Heriberto Hernandez in the second. He connected for a solo shot in the fifth and walked in the seventh. He also made a rangy catch in center in the eighth.
Astros outfielder Jesús Sánchez had two hits against his former team. He was acquired in a trade with Miami last week.
He caught up with Julia Morales after the big win!
Another 2 hits tonight for Jesús Sánchez in the #Astros 7-3 win over the Marlins
He talked with @JuliaMorales after the WIN@astros I #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/l9kvDfYBei
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) August 6, 2025
Diaz broke it open with his 405-foot drive to left-center in the fifth, lifting Houston to a 7-1 lead.
Marsee is 6 for 12 with three RBIs and five walks in his first five major league games.
Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (1-1, 5.59 ERA) starts for Houston on Wednesday, and right-hander Janson Junk (5-2, 3.86 ERA) goes for Miami in the series finale.