BrainBrain The slot machine known as rebuy tournaments

I had the urge again to play a tournament online. I was sitting at a cash table with a depleted stack and an ad came up for a $1.5K guarantee for only $2. So I thought I'd put my remaining stack there instead of losing it to the table bully.

I somehow didn't notice the tournament was an infinite rebuy tournament. I don't like playing these things. But oh well, my money was in, I couldn't do much about it anymore.

Within two hands I'm reminded of why I hate this. It simply isn't poker anymore. Every second hand (no exaggeration) somebody goes all in pre-flop. There is always at least one caller, and quite often 2 or 3, and in not quite rare situations 4 or 5.

Even with pocket aces your chances of winning with 2-5 callers is not so good. So some people lose and they simply rebuy and try again. This happens again and again. Nobody in particular is the leading player as those big stacks just keep switching hands.

After about 20 hands you look at your stack, still about the size of the original buy-in, and realize you have no chance anymore. The chip leader now has 10 times that amount and 50th place, of 200, is double that amount. If you want to have a chance you need to rebuy and go all in.

This isn't poker. This is just a game of luck. It belongs in the casino rooms, not the poker rooms.