How to Run a Poker Tournament

A tournament plays differently from a regular cash game. Everyone buys in once, the blinds rise on a schedule, and the game ends when one player has every chip. In the standard format, called a freezeout, there's no cashing out early and no buying back in after you bust.

That's what makes a tournament great for a group night. Everyone starts even, everyone knows roughly when it will end, and the rising blinds keep everyone playing instead of waiting for perfect cards. Running one well mostly comes down to two choices: a starting stack and a blind structure that fit how long you want to play. Then you stick to the timer.

This guide covers everything for your first home poker tournament, from starting stacks to paying the winners.

Every player gets the same starting stack. Aim for 100 to 150 big blinds at the first level. With the schedule below, which starts at 25/50:

The more chips players start with relative to the blinds, the longer the tournament runs.

Not sure your set can cover it? The free poker chip calculator takes the chips you own and works out each color's value and a short, standard, or deep starting stack for your player count.

How many players: Four to ten fits one table. With fewer than four, it's over almost as soon as it starts. With more than ten, split into two tables. As players bust, move people so the tables stay roughly even, then combine into one final table once enough are out.

Rising blinds are what push a tournament to a finish. Without them, players could wait forever for a premium hand. Twenty-minute levels suit a 2 to 3 hour night.

After the first couple of levels, the blinds rise by about a third to a half each time. That keeps the pressure steady without sudden jumps.

Antes. Starting at level 4, add a big blind ante. The player in the big blind posts one extra big blind for the whole table, so one person pays it instead of everyone chipping in a little. Antes make every pot bigger before the cards are dealt, which gives players more reason to fight and speeds up eliminations.

Pay the top finishers by percentage, not flat amounts, so the split works however many players show up.

Round to $5. Percentages rarely land on even amounts, so round each payout to the nearest $5 and give any difference to the winner. Everyone gets paid in fives and twenties, with no digging for singles. For example, seven players at $20 make a $140 pool. A 50/30/20 split works out to $70, $42, and $28, which rounds to $70, $40, and $30.

The free tournament clock does this rounding for you as players enter, rebuy, and add on.

A home game doesn't need a complicated payout structure. It just needs a split everyone agrees on before the first hand.

Before Players Arrive

• Set up the table and seating.
• Sort chips by denomination and count out each starting stack. The chip calculator tells you how many of each color every player gets.
• Print or display the blind schedule.
• Set a timer for each level, or put the free tournament clock on a laptop or TV where everyone can see it.

During Play

• Announce each new blind level.
• Move the button one seat clockwise after every hand.
• When players bust, keep the button moving in order so nobody skips their turn in the blinds.
• Take a short break every 60 to 90 minutes. Breaks are a good time to color up.

Heads-Up

When two players remain, the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then acts last after the flop. The button still moves every hand, so the two players alternate blinds.

• Blinds that rise too slowly. If the average stack is still over 50 big blinds after 90 minutes, the structure is too slow. Blind pressure is what drives the tournament to a finish.
• No level timer. Without a timer, levels drift and the night drags. Twenty minutes is a good default. For a faster game, use 10- or 15-minute levels. A tournament clock keeps the time for you and chimes when the blinds go up.
• Not coloring up. Once the smallest chips no longer matter against the blinds, trade them in for larger ones. This speeds up counting and clears the table. If someone's small chips don't add up to a full larger chip, round up in their favor.
• Tip for players: don't forget position. Acting last matters even more as stacks get short, and stealing blinds becomes a real weapon in the later levels. See Chips, cards, and position for more.

Running a tournament by hand works fine, and RbPkr's table settings let you raise the blinds as each level comes due. If you'd rather not manage it at all, RbPkr's public games include heads-up and 6-max sit-and-go tournaments. The blinds rise automatically on a clock, and play continues until one player holds every chip, with no level tracking on your end.

Playing with real chips around a real table? Put the free poker tournament clock on a laptop or TV. It counts down each level, shows the current and next blinds, and keeps track of players and payouts. A stack from the chip calculator opens in the clock with its blinds already set.

• How to play Texas Hold'em
• Chips, cards, and position: poker strategy basics
• Poker chip setup for home games
• Poker setup guide
• House rules for your next home game
• Running a home poker cash game
• Texas Hold'em rules