As discussed in part 1 of this series there is no right or wrong way to approach the rebuy period of a tournament, as you can create any image you wish and try to use it to your advantage. Ideally you’ll fool your opponents into thinking you’re playing exactly the opposite way to what you are. It’s amazing how long first impressions last and one tactic I’ve used and seen others employ successfully is the ‘shove it in’ method. Simply put, this ploy involves shipping your stack in for the first couple of hands regardless of holding. If you get called, so be it. If you lose the pot you rebuy and if you win the whole table will think you’re a maniac who just shoved a ton of big blinds in with 7-4o. If you don’t get called, proudly show your holding (unless it happens to be a premium hand).
You can also utilise the chatbox by typing ‘Let’s gamble’ or ‘You guys do know this is a rebuy right?’ This usually loosens the table right up (especially against you). Meanwhile you can smoothly change gears, wait for a good hand and shove it in again. It’s amazing how light you’ll get looked up. Don’t worry about getting called lighter both preflop and postflop if you’re drawing or have a marginal hand as it’s all part of getting a big stack together.
Crazy play?
While this only one way of approaching the rebuy period, as a general rule it pays to get involved in the first few levels. Effective stacks are deep like a cash game, so take flops in position, open wider with a mix of solid hands and hands that can flop big like suited gappers and connectors. If you flop well – for example you hold 4d-5d on a 2-3-J rainbow board – you should be attempting to build a pot and ideally get your chips in. It really pays to put your opponents under pressure in the rebuy period and put them to big decisions whenever possible. Remember that some players will be on a single bullet. This pressure can lead to you taking down more than your fair share of pots and even when called you’ve got outs.
When I play rebuys pot control almost goes out the window in that first hour, as I’m looking to play big pots with anything remotely decent.