How to Run a Home Poker Tournament: Starting Stacks, Blinds and Chips
For a home tournament of 6 to 10 players, give each player 10,000 in chips: 8 × 25, 18 × 100, 8 × 500 and 4 × 1,000, or 38 chips. Start the blinds at 25/50, raise them every 15 minutes, and color up the 25s and then the 100s at two short breaks. Most 10-player games finish in about 3 hours. A 500-chip set covers 10 players, and a 1,000-chip set covers two tables of 10 or a game with rebuys.
In this guide
What you need for a home poker tournament
Gather these before game night, and set up one table for every 10 players.
- Poker chips: a set with about 50 chips per player, sized with the table below.
- A case: one of our poker chip cases keeps the chips sorted by value.
- Two decks of cards: deal with one while the other is shuffled. Our poker size playing cards work well.
- A dealer button: marks who deals each hand.
- A timer: a phone timer or a blind clock app runs the levels.
How many poker chips you need for a tournament
Plan on 38 chips per player plus a few spares for the color-ups, which comes to 500 chips for 10 players. Chips come in rolls of 25, one value per roll.
| Players | 25 | 100 | 500 | 1,000 | 5,000 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 rolls | 5 rolls | 3 rolls | 1 roll | 1 roll | 12 rolls (300 chips) |
| 8 | 3 rolls | 7 rolls | 3 rolls | 2 rolls | 1 roll | 16 rolls (400 chips) |
| 10 | 4 rolls | 8 rolls | 4 rolls | 2 rolls | 2 rolls | 20 rolls (500 chips) |
| 20 (two tables of 10, or 10 players plus 10 rebuys) | 7 rolls | 16 rolls | 7 rolls | 4 rolls | 2 rolls | 36 rolls (900 chips) |
Every denominated style we carry has 25, 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 values. In a tournament the dollar signs are just points, so the printed values work as they are. The 5,000s are for trading up big stacks late in the game.
For storage, 300 chips fit a 300 Count case, 400 to 500 chips fit a 500 Count case, and a two-table set fits a 1000 Count case.
Starting stacks for a home poker tournament
Give every player the same 10,000 stack of 38 chips, the same breakdown as the tournament sample in our home game guide. With blinds starting at 25/50, that's 200 big blinds, enough for the first hour without anyone feeling short.
| Chip value | Chips per player | Total value |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 8 | 200 |
| 100 | 18 | 1,800 |
| 500 | 8 | 4,000 |
| 1,000 | 4 | 4,000 |
| Total | 38 | 10,000 |
To make the night shorter or longer, change the length of the blind levels rather than the stack.
Using non-denominated chips? Pick a color for each of the five values, then post the values where everyone can see them. Our poker chip values and colors guide lists the standard colors.
Home poker tournament blind structure
With 15-minute levels and 10,000 stacks, most 10-player games end around level 12, about 3 hours in. The two breaks fall right where the 25s and then the 100s stop being needed. The schedule is built for No-Limit Texas Hold'em, the usual home tournament game.
| Level | Blinds | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25/50 | 0:00 |
| 2 | 50/100 | 0:15 |
| 3 | 75/150 | 0:30 |
| 4 | 100/200 | 0:45 |
| 5 | 150/300 | 1:00 |
| Break, 10 minutes | Color up the 25s | 1:15 |
| 6 | 200/400 | 1:25 |
| 7 | 300/600 | 1:40 |
| 8 | 400/800 | 1:55 |
| 9 | 600/1,200 | 2:10 |
| Break, 10 minutes | Color up the 100s | 2:25 |
| 10 | 1,000/2,000 | 2:35 |
| 11 | 1,500/3,000 | 2:50 |
| 12 | 2,000/4,000 | 3:05 |
| 13 | 3,000/6,000 | 3:20 |
| 14 | 5,000/10,000 | 3:35 |
For a shorter night, use 12-minute levels to finish about half an hour sooner. For a longer one, 20-minute levels add about an hour. This schedule has no antes, which keeps a home game simple.
Click the printable schedule below to open a full-size copy you can print or share.
How to color up poker chips
A color-up swaps the smallest chips for larger ones once the blinds no longer need them. It keeps stacks easy to count and frees up chips for later levels.
- Trade in full sets. At the first break, each player swaps every four 25s for one 100.
- Race the leftovers. Players with one to three 25s left over get one card each per leftover chip, dealt face up. Add up all the leftover 25s and turn them into 100s; the highest card wins the first 100, the next highest the second, and so on. No one wins more than one chip, and no one is knocked out in a chip race.
- Repeat with the 100s. At the second break, trade the 100s up for 500s and 1,000s, and race any leftover 100s for a 500 the same way.
For a quicker home rule, round leftovers instead: 50 or 75 in 25s becomes a 100, and a single 25 is removed.
Running the tournament
Settle the rules before the first hand, post the blind schedule, and let a timer run the levels so no one has to argue about when the blinds go up.
- Agree on the rules first. Decide on rebuys and late entry before anyone sits down.
- Draw for seats and the button. Players draw cards for their seats, then the high card dealt face up gets the dealer button. The button moves one seat to the left after every hand.
- Let a timer run the levels. A phone timer or a blind clock app works, with the schedule posted where everyone can see it.
- Keep rebuys early. Allow rebuys and late entry only during the first five levels, before the 25s are colored up, so every new stack matches the starting stack.
- Balance two tables. Start the tables as even as you can. As players are knocked out, move players from the bigger table, and combine into one final table when 10 are left.
- Keep a second deck ready. One deck can be shuffled while the other is dealt, and a spare covers a bent or marked card.
- Stay on schedule. If the night runs long, cut the remaining levels to 10 minutes.
Best poker chips for a home tournament
Every denominated style we carry covers the 25 to 5,000 values in this schedule. For bigger stacks or a longer structure, choose a style with values up to $25,000: Claysmith Gaming's Poker Knights, Showdown and Monaco Club, or Ace Casino. Jupiter Club goes up to $100,000 in an oversized 43mm chip.
A 500 Count case holds a 10-player set, and the 1000 Count Rolling Case holds a two-table set, with room for 3 decks of cards and 10 dice.
The poker chip set builder asks whether you play cash games or tournaments and how many players sit down, then suggests the rolls of each value and a case. For cash games, see our home game guide.
Home poker tournament FAQ
How many chips does each player get in a home poker tournament?
A 10,000 stack of 38 chips works for most home games: 8 × 25, 18 × 100, 8 × 500 and 4 × 1,000. That's 200 big blinds when the blinds start at 25/50.
How long does a home poker tournament take?
About 3 hours for 10 players with 10,000 stacks and 15-minute levels. Use 12-minute levels to finish sooner, or 20-minute levels for a longer night.
What should the blinds be in a home tournament?
Start at 25/50 with 10,000 stacks, then roughly double the blinds every two levels, as in the schedule above.
What does color up mean in poker?
It means trading the smallest chips for larger ones at a break, once the blinds no longer need them. Leftover small chips are settled with a chip race.
Can I use non-denominated chips for a tournament?
Yes. Give each of five colors a value from 25 to 5,000, and post the values at the table so everyone counts the same way.
How many chips do I need for two tables?
A 1,000-chip set covers two tables of 10 with 10,000 stacks, with a few rolls to spare.
Should a home tournament have rebuys?
That's up to the host. If you allow them, keep them to the first five levels, before the 25s are colored up. Plan on 600 chips for a 10-player game with a few rebuys, or 1,000 for more.
How should a home poker tournament pay out?
Most home games pay the top 2 to 4 places. A common split is 65% and 35% for 6 players or fewer; 50%, 30% and 20% for 7 to 10 players; and 45%, 27%, 18% and 10% for two tables.