I am far more aggressive early, and I always take the rebuy immediately. I haven't played it enough to know my expected win, but I don't think you are going to win many tourneys playing as conservatively as you do.

Interesting. A few thoughts.

First, where I like to take risks is after the rebuy period is over. For one thing, the players are better, and you have fold equity against reasonable players. For another, I think (or have been thinking) that's the time to try to get deep at the price of some risks (e.g., re-raising AA or such).

As to the first hour, some random ideas. After the first hour, blinds to to 75/150. I've really been getting there almost always with just the bare minimum of T5,000, which is basically breaking even. A deep stack at that point is usually T10,000. Well, T5k still seems to me like enough to play (more than 30 BB), but you're indeed under pressure to expand fast. I kind of think this might be the time to open up more than I have been (and I've been trying to do so within reason).

Also, without taking the rebuy immediately, I think with a little luck I should be able to get to at least something like T7k, although luck is likely also to mean that I just have my T5k for 2/3 price (only $20 rather than $30, having doubled up once).

Here's my thinking on percentages that result just from how to deal with the rebuy:

1) Do what I'm doing.

Bust out early: 5% (maybe even lower)
Have T2,500 or less: 10%
Have T2,500-T4,000: 15%
T4,000-6,000: 60%
6,000+: 10%

Here, I also get a 33% discount some of the time.

2) Rebuy immediately, play fairly cautiously.

Bust out early: 10%+
T2,500 or less: 10% (one bad big pot and then staying alive to add on)
T2,500-T4,000: 10% (downward stagnation)
T4,000-6,000: 30%
T6,000+: 40%

3) Rebuy immediately, play aggressively.

Bust out early: 25%
T2,500 or less: 5% (this should very rarely happen)
2,500-4,000: 10%
4,000-6,000: 20%
6k+: 40%

I dunno, I still like 1) pretty well, but my NLHE tourney strategy (where I do get a good ROI but very rarely 1st) is very much oriented around short-stack play, because that's just where I end up playing cautiously early. In HE, I feel like I'm a damned good s-s player (due to enormous experience!! lol) and suck in big stack (due to completely inexperience). In PLO, I feel like I'm at least starting to get the hang of it--it's just that you can expect a call a LOT on an attempted blind steal if you're truly short-stacked.

Here's another important thing that I'm unsure about--basically, the definition of "risk" in PLO. Here are some risks that I consider:

1) Raising as usual. I've been avoid this in early tourney pretty much always but would tend to do it as soon as I'm fairly deep.

2) Pushing ds junk.

3) Re-raising AA

4) Re-raising premium hands--let's say ss wrap 89TJ or bigger as example.

5) Playing junky suited A with position.

5a) Pushing nut flush draw with little else.

6) Playing junky pairs <AA to raises.

7) Playing junky JJ/QQ in EP.

8) This I haven't tried and doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something: Playing (not raising) ds junk in LP with the intention of trying to steal on the flop.

Early on, at least in this tourney anyway, the table is typically full of imbeciles. If you can get a big hand, you will get action because they're calling down with JJ overpair and nothing else all the time. After the break, that changes.

Anyhow, I'd be interested to hear others' opinions on good and bad ways to take risks.

imo: You're playing too tight in an early part of the tournament, where you can see flops for cheap but easily stack someone on a hand.

1) Raising as usual. I've been avoid this in early tourney pretty much always but would tend to do it as soon as I'm fairly deep.
= good in late position tournament style

2) Pushing ds junk.
= bad

3) Re-raising AA
= bad unless isolating

4) Re-raising premium hands--let's say ss wrap 89TJ or bigger as example.
= good. i'm surprised you were hesitant. i think you're even a favorite over many AAxx hands if it gets repopped.

5) Playing junky suited A with position.
= good for a limp

5a) Pushing nut flush draw with little else.
= good depending only on stack considerations ... especially multiway

6) Playing junky pairs <AA to raises.
= not certain ... 2 good connected pair maybe? I never seem to hit anyway with them.

7) Playing junky JJ/QQ in EP.
= limp good

8) This I haven't tried and doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something: Playing (not raising) ds junk in LP with the intention of trying to steal on the flop.
= bad

Early on, at least in this tourney anyway, the table is typically full of imbeciles. If you can get a big hand, you will get action because they're calling down with JJ overpair and nothing else all the time. After the break, that changes.

Anyhow, I'd be interested to hear others' opinions on good and bad ways to take risks.[/quote]

tourney starts in 9 mins. on Stars. Anyone else wanna try and share experiences?

Comments that may get interrupted:

4) There's no wrap that's favorite over the worst possible AA (maybe AAA, not sure). But AA72r is favorite PF over anything except a superior AA--not huge but still.

5) Junky suited A I consider pretty blasted loose, like A227 or something ss is really a pretty bad hand. I'd tend to do it only quite deep and with position.

6) 2 connected pair ss I'm seeing a flop with regardless (one advantage also of not taking the rebuy immediately). The problem with KK and QQ fairly junky in EP is if you get raised to like 1/4 of a short-stack. This is particularly problematic with QQ, I think. If you're wanting to double up, it's at least possible to push KK, I think, at least if AA isn't going to be prominent in the raising range. But at 30 BB, I'm really tempted to limp pretty much any KK or QQ except trips (?).

Ais I'm going to play in tonight's tournament ... can you front me $10.00 on Stars so I have enough for the full rebuys and addons? I can get it back to you tomorrow or the day after.

(I just keep enough on stars to play the weekly btp tourney.)

... we looked for you but didn't see you there obv.

Godlikeroy and his luckbox busted me with a pair of ducks. Serious.