What Is an Add-On in Online Poker Tournaments?

An Add-On delivers a fixed block of chips for a set price, available to every player still in the event. It is offered once, at the close of the rebuy period, and typically falls on the first scheduled break. No house rake usually attaches to the purchase, so the full amount converts into chips.

The economics are the reason players take it. Most Add-Ons either match the buy-in cost but grant more chips than the starting stack, or hand over the same chips at a lower price. Either way, the cost per chip beats the initial buy-in rate. When the price per chip drops, our team treats the Add-On as a straightforward positive-value move, even for a large stack heading into deeper play.

Timing and eligibility separate these three options. A rebuy is available only when a player’s stack hits zero or falls below a set threshold, and it can be taken several times inside the rebuy window. An Add-On, by contrast, is a single purchase open to all remaining players regardless of stack size. A player who has been eliminated cannot add on directly; they must rebuy first, then add on.

A re-entry works differently again. After busting, the player pays a fresh buy-in, including rake, and returns with a new random seat and a full starting stack. Add-Ons sit at the end of the rebuy phase and mark the last chance to build stack depth before the tournament moves into its middle stages. On regulated Canadian sites, each event’s structure sheet spells out which of these options applies.