Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
My problem with rebuys is that it favors the deep-pocked pros. The whole appeal to tournaments was that the amateurs had a shot at besting "the greats". But now "the greats" not only have their skill edge, but also the deep pocketed edge to fire 5 bullets when the amateur can only afford 1.
I had a maniac in the Hard Rock Little Slick 100K guaranteed on my left rebuy four freaking times (and they kept sitting him back in the exact same seat on my left) and he min-raised UTG from 300 to 600, the button cold-called and I shoved the SB with for 8K and then this kid RESHOVES over the top and I'm thinking "oh, maybe he has a legit hand this time" and he flips over
And you know the flop was so I had to sweat the bust. Wound up doubling up. But the point is that the deep pocketed players can afford to take more risks in tournaments to stack up and win than the amateurs who are only firing one bullet, who won their seat via satellite, etc.
It's more rake for the poker room and another edge for players who already have an edge.
I'm with you 100%
I don't have a card room I can just go to. They're all a long drive (3-4 hours, one way). This, combined with my work schedule means that if I want to play poker, I need to use one of my vacation days.
I don't roll out to vacation with an endless bankroll. I go to have fun. Tournaments are nice and slow, and extremely predictable in cost and time. But when you are sitting down with Shovey McShoverson, you have to dodge an endless barrage of bullets, or be eliminated in the first level. Sure, I can duck and cover until I pull , but that's not poker, is it?
I too prefer no ante tournaments, but I can play either one. For me the ante is just below the 50/100 100/200 200/400 400/800 blind structure tournament - which I also do not "like" but I will play in it, because I like versatility. What I don't like is constant making of change. It makes me feel like the casino (or home game host) is just cheap as shit. If you know a player needs to use certain chips a lot, GIVE THEM A LOT OF THOSE CHIPS. It's like giving a marathon runner a shot glass of water.
So yeah, cut out the antes, and limit or prohibit rebuys. They are bad for bringing new players into the game.