Published 2026-04-21 by PokerSquad
A poker tournament is a completely different experience from a cash game. Everyone starts with the same number of chips, blinds escalate on a schedule, and when you're out, you're out. The stakes feel higher, the strategy changes, and there's a clear winner at the end.
Running one at home sounds complicated, but it's not — you just need the right structure. Here's a step-by-step guide that covers everything from chip counts to payout splits.
Decide on a fixed buy-in that everyone pays. Common amounts for home tournaments:
All buy-ins go into the prize pool. With 8 players at $20 each, that's a $160 pool. Decide upfront whether you'll allow rebuys (buying back in after busting out) — and if so, for how long. Most home tournaments allow rebuys for the first hour only.
Every player starts with the same chip stack. The actual dollar value of chips doesn't matter in a tournament — they're just units. A common starting stack:
| Chip Color | Value | Per Player |
|---|---|---|
| White | 25 | 8 chips (200) |
| Red | 100 | 8 chips (800) |
| Green | 500 | 4 chips (2,000) |
| Black | 1,000 | 2 chips (2,000) |
Total starting stack: 5,000 chips per player. With 8 players, that's 40,000 chips in play. The blinds schedule should be designed so the tournament ends in 2-3 hours with this stack size.
Blinds increase at regular intervals to force action. Faster blind increases = shorter tournament. Here's a proven schedule for a 2-3 hour home game:
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | 15 min |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | 15 min |
| 3 | 100 | 200 | 15 min |
| 4 | 150 | 300 | 15 min |
| 5 | 200 | 400 | 15 min |
| 6 | 300 | 600 | 15 min |
| 7 | 500 | 1,000 | 15 min |
| 8 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 15 min |
Use a phone timer or a poker app like PokerSquad to track blind levels. Announce each level change clearly so nobody is surprised.
How you split the prize pool depends on how many players you have. Standard payout structures:
Write the payout structure on a whiteboard or piece of paper before the tournament starts. Everyone needs to agree before the first hand.
For a fair tournament, randomize seating. Have everyone draw a card — highest card picks their seat first. Assign a dealer button that rotates clockwise each hand.
If nobody wants to be a permanent dealer, each player deals when the button is in front of them. This is standard for home games and works fine. Just make sure everyone knows how to deal (shuffle properly, burn a card before the flop/turn/river).
When a player loses all their chips, they're eliminated. Keep a list of elimination order — this determines payouts if there's a dispute. If you started with two tables, merge to one table when you're down to 6-7 players remaining.
The game gets more intense as players drop. With 3 players left and money on the line, every decision matters. This is where poker gets really fun.
When it's down to two players, the game switches to heads-up play. In heads-up, the dealer posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then last after the flop. This confuses people every time — print this rule or look it up in advance.
Once someone wins all the chips, the tournament is over. Pay out the prizes immediately — cash, Venmo, whatever. Don't let debts linger.
| Feature | Tournament | Cash Game |
|---|---|---|
| Buy-in | Fixed, one-time | Flexible, rebuy anytime |
| Blinds | Increase over time | Stay the same |
| Eliminated? | You're out | Buy more chips |
| Duration | 2-4 hours (defined end) | Open-ended |
| Strategy | Survival + aggression | Steady grind |
| Winner | Last one standing | Whoever's up most |
Ready to run your first tournament? Download PokerSquad free on the App Store — track buy-ins, auto-settle debts, live leaderboard, and blind timer built in.