When online poker tournaments first began to gain popularity, it was freeze-out tournaments that ruled the day. It seemed poker players were not interested in the uncertainty and strategy elements of re-buy play. Since that time, things sure have changed!

A re-buy is the transaction of giving a set number of poker chips given to a player should they wish to add more money to the prize pool. Most tournaments require that a player run out of chips before he can re-buy and they all limit the number of rounds when a re-buy may be made.

These days certain card rooms like Fair Poker and Poker World offer more re-buy tournaments than any other kind. These tournaments often have some wild action in the opening rounds, which can be very rewarding, however at times can take a good players chips away through unexpected draw outs. It seems important to remember in these early rounds that the tournament cannot be won in the first hour alone. Often players are quoted as saying that the tournament 'doesn't really begin until the re-buys are over'.

One of the promotional elements to poker tournaments that have encouraged the re-buy format is the 'guaranteed' tournament, where a card room promises that the total tournament prize pool of a particular tournament will reach a certain size. Paradise Poker runs a nightly $30+3 No-Limit Holdem Re-buy and Add-on Tournament that guarantees $50,000 in prize money. These big guaranteed prize pools keeps players adding more money in re-buys and wild play for their chance to win chips for their best shot at a big payday.

Good poker tournament play combines patience and well timed aggression, so in early re-buy rounds consider sitting back and waiting for those golden opportunities to double up, instead of creatively making those opportunities happen like you will be doing in the following rounds. You can learn more about proper tournament strategy at Poker School Online or the PokerRoom's online poker school.

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