How long will the tournament take?
The length isn't a guess - it follows from the chips. Add up the chips in play: every player's starting stack. Rebuys and add-ons aren't counted, because nobody knows before the night how many there will be - if you allow them, expect the game to run a little longer. A tournament is effectively over once the last two players average about 10 big blinds each: from there every hand is an all-in. So the game ends around the level where the big blind reaches chips in play ÷ 2 ÷ 10.
How many levels that takes depends on where the blinds start and how fast they climb. Starting at a big blind of starting stack ÷ starting depth and rising by the same percentage every level, the number of levels is ln(end big blind ÷ starting big blind) ÷ ln(1 + increase) + 1. Multiply by the level length, add the breaks, and that's your night. More players or deeper stacks mean more levels; a steeper increase or shorter levels mean fewer.
Every blind is then rounded to a value people actually use (75/150, 400/800, 1,500/3,000) that is a multiple of your smallest chip, so the real schedule can take a level more or less than the formula. The schedule adds about 30% more levels as spares, because a clock that runs out of levels ends the game. Change any level, add or remove one, and the expected length is worked out again from your version.
Choosing your settings
- Starting depth: 100-150 big blinds suits a club or home game, 200 or more is a deepstack, and under 50 is a turbo. Deeper stacks give the early levels room for real poker - and make the night longer.
- Blind increase: 25-50% a level is the usual range. Doubling every level turns the game into a lottery; much under 25% and it drags.
- Level length: 15 minutes for a turbo, 20-30 for a club game, 30-45 for a deepstack.
- Antes: they join at level 4. Classic antes have every player put in a small amount each hand. A big blind ante - the big blind pays one ante, the size of the big blind, for the whole table - is quicker to collect.
- Breaks: 5-10 minutes every 90-120 minutes of play keeps everyone fresh. It's also the moment to colour up - trade in the smallest chips once the blinds no longer need them.
- Smallest chip: use the lowest value in your set. Not sure how to split the stack into chips? The chip calculator works it out.