Taking a Pre-Start Add On

[lwestatbus]

In another post I commented on my first live MTT tourny. The tournament offered an add-on which had to be purchased with the tourny entry and there were no additional add ons or rebuys offered. The tourny cost $35 and players started with 1,500 chips. The add-on was $5 for an additional 1,000 chips.

On the face of it, this is a good deal but I'm wondering. The main tourny entry cost is a little more than 2 cents/chip while the add-on is half a cent/chip. If we were talking beer or potato chips this would be a no brainer decision but I'm not sure of it in this context. I could absolutely see the value of this add-on if the play was very small-ball oriented. The cheap add-on would give you the depth to play and lose additional pots in the early rounds. But my tourny experience (in very limited and low cost formats) tends to not be small ball at show down.

If you don't survive your first all in you're screwed whether or not you bought the add-on unless your opponent did not. If you do prevail you have almost trippled your stack but so will each of the opponents you face as the tourny progresses. If you don't buy the add-on and can win two showdowns you are essentially a little better off than if you did buy the add-on and won one all in showdown.

What are your strategies when faced with this opportunity?

[HalfSugar]

It costs 5 bucks, get it.

In a wider context, do what the table does. If you are in a rebuy and everyone rebuys immediately, do the same. The last thing you want to do is pick up a big hand and get less chips than you could in the middle against an oppo who has rebought.

[BeerWench13]

I would look at this as a $40 tournament where you start off with 2,500 in chips. It's not really a rebuy or add-on if you have to purchase it prior to the tournament. I'm pretty sure that everyone is going to fork over that extra $5.

[lwestatbus]

I just played my second one of these tournys yesterday and paid attention to what the others did. EVERYONE at my initial table had the add on. Also, 100% of the additional $5 did go into a tip pool for the dealers and I've got no trouble with that.

[HalfSugar]

Looks like Wenchy is right and this should be considered a $40 tourney. It's good that the dealers get the $5, now you don't have to tip them when you win

[crack]

You should always maximum rebuy or add on whatever if you know your going to be one of the better players in the tournament. The more chips you have, the more ammunition you have.

Obv don't do it if it's ridiculous like another $40 for 20 chips or something but those things never happen.

[lwestatbus]

...if you know your going to be one of the better players in the tournament...

Well I don't meet THAT criteria.

[crack]

Well from experience, it's mostly twats that win tournies, so if you're shit you should prolly rebuy and add on anyway.