Tournament strategies change with the ability to re-enter game

In the old days of poker, a tournament allowed participants a single chance to win. Pay the buy-in and play, but if you bust out, that’s it. Such tournaments are called “freezeouts.” The landscape has changed, as the vast majority of tournaments now allow for re-entries, be it unlimited or a single re- entry option.

A lot of players, myself included, believe that allowing re- entries takes away from the purity of the game. Players with deep pockets can play looser and take more risks, knowing that if things don’t go their way they can simply re-enter and try again. Think of the best poker player you know and imagine how hard it would be to eliminate him from a tournament. Now imagine that you manage to knock him out, only to see him re-enter and play again.

I recently played a hand that offered evidence of how the re-entry mentality can influence play. It happened at the 2019 World Series of Poker $500 Casino Employees Event, a tournament I won back in 2013.

It was Level 9 of the tournament, which allowed for a single re- entry. Blinds were 500-1,000 with an ante of 1,000. A player in early position opened for 2,300, and I looked down at Jd 10d. I was sitting with 16,500 and had three options: fold, call or raise.

Calling off my short stack seemed like the worst option, so I ruled that out. If the tournament was a freezeout, I’d have simply folded and found a better spot to get it in. However, knowing I had a re-entry option, which I was prepared to exercise by buying in again for another $500, and with late registration closing at the end of the level (meaning re-entry would no longer be allowed), I decided this might be a good spot in which to gamble.

If my opponent folded, I’d increase my stack a bit. If he didn’t fold, I had a hand that played decently against his calling range (i.e., any big ace, middle pair, etc.). Even if he had a big pocket pair, I had flush and straight possibilities, so jam it in I did.

Action folded back to the original raiser, and he tabled Kc Ks without saying a word.

“Are you folding?” I joked, knowing full well he was calling. Indeed, he finally did by dropping in some chips.

It was a bad spot for me, but as I mentioned, I still had outs. The 3c 8d 3d flop kept me very much alive with a diamond flush draw, and the 10c turn gave me a few more outs.

Fortunately for me, the 7d spiked on the river to give me the flush.

I got lucky to double up to 35,500 and cruised past the late registration period, meaning I didn’t have to spend another $500 to re- enter after all. Had the tournament been a freezeout, I’d have played this hand in a different manner.

Be sure you know whether a tournament is a freezeout or allows for re- entries, because it will impact how opponents play.