How many chips should each player start with?

Aim for 50 to 100 big blinds at the first level, and more if you want a slower game. With blinds of 50/100, a stack of 5,000 gives everyone 50 big blinds. A deeper stack gives more room to play after the flop, and a shallow one gets to all-in poker faster.

How fast should the blinds go up?

A common rule is 20 to 30 percent per level, so blinds roughly double every three or four levels. Games that need to finish on time often climb faster, and the table tells you how fast yours is going.

How long should each level last?

Fifteen to twenty minutes suits a home game that should finish in a few hours. Twenty to thirty minutes gives deeper play. Anything under ten minutes turns it into a lottery.

Why do the blinds jump around the smallest chip?

Every small blind has to be made of chips you own. If the smallest chip is 25, the small blind must be a multiple of 25, so the schedule only uses blinds you can pay. Smaller chips give a smoother climb.

What happens when the schedule runs out?

The last level is sized so the whole table holds only about 15 big blinds in total, which means most players are all-in or gone. If you are still playing, keep the final blinds going or raise them a notch each level until someone has everything.

Poker tool

Poker Tournament Blind Calculator

Tell it how many players you have, how many chips each gets and how long you want to play. You get a blind schedule that finishes on time, and the chips to hand out.

Players

Starting stack (chips)

Target length (hours)

Level length (minutes)

Smallest chip value

The lowest chip everyone will have, such as 25.

12 levels of 20 minutes, about 36 percent up each level. Players start with 5,000 chips, which is 50 big blinds, and 45,000 chips are in play. By the last level the whole table holds about 15 big blinds.

Blind schedule: 9 players, 5,000 chips each

Blind levels with small blind, big blind and start time
Level	Starts at	Small blind	Big blind	Stack in big blinds
1	0:00	50	100	50
2	0:20	75	150	33
3	0:40	100	200	25
4	1:00	125	250	20
5	1:20	150	300	17
6	1:40	200	400	13
7	2:00	300	600	8.3
8	2:20	400	800	6.3
9	2:40	500	1,000	5.0
10	3:00	750	1,500	3.3
11	3:20	1,000	2,000	2.5
12	3:40	1,500	3,000	1.7

Times leave out breaks. Add each break to the clock when you take it.

Chips for each player

Suggested chip split for one starting stack
Chip value	Per player	Worth	For the whole table
1,000	2	2,000	18
500	3	1,500	27
100	10	1,000	90
25	20	500	180
Total	35	5,000	315

How it works

The rule of thumb behind the table

Two numbers shape every blind structure. The first is the starting stack, which should be about 50 to 100 big blinds, or more for a relaxed game. The second is how fast the blinds rise. About 20 to 30 percent each level is gentle enough that players can still make moves, and fast enough that the chips end up in fewer hands.

The table starts from your stack, works out the blind level at the finish and spreads the climb across your levels. Each big blind is then moved to a tidy number that your smallest chip can pay. The last level is set so the whole table holds only about 15 big blinds, which is roughly the point where one player holds most of the chips.

Chips

Splitting the stack

The chip split gives each player the same stack in a handful of colours. Most of the value sits in bigger chips, with enough small ones to pay the early blinds and make change. Check the whole-table column to see how many of each chip you need before the night.

If you are short on a colour, change the chip value you enter, or hand out a little less than the suggested number and keep a few spares in the middle for changing up.

On the night

Running the clock

Set a timer for each level and announce the new blinds out loud as it goes off. Many hosts add a short break every few levels, which is where players change up their smallest chips. The times in the table do not include breaks.

Hosting for the first time? The home game guide covers chips, blinds, dealing and house rules. To learn the betting itself, start with Texas Hold'em rules.

Questions

Quick answers

How many chips should each player start with?: Aim for 50 to 100 big blinds at the first level, and more if you want a slower game. With blinds of 50/100, a stack of 5,000 gives everyone 50 big blinds. A deeper stack gives more room to play after the flop, and a shallow one gets to all-in poker faster.
How fast should the blinds go up?: A common rule is 20 to 30 percent per level, so blinds roughly double every three or four levels. Games that need to finish on time often climb faster, and the table tells you how fast yours is going.
How long should each level last?: Fifteen to twenty minutes suits a home game that should finish in a few hours. Twenty to thirty minutes gives deeper play. Anything under ten minutes turns it into a lottery.
Why do the blinds jump around the smallest chip?: Every small blind has to be made of chips you own. If the smallest chip is 25, the small blind must be a multiple of 25, so the schedule only uses blinds you can pay. Smaller chips give a smoother climb.
What happens when the schedule runs out?: The last level is sized so the whole table holds only about 15 big blinds in total, which means most players are all-in or gone. If you are still playing, keep the final blinds going or raise them a notch each level until someone has everything.

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