Poker blinds calculator
Type in how many players you have, the starting stack, how long a level should be and when you want to finish. The calculator builds a blind structure on the standard ladder, adds breaks, antes and colour-ups, and tells you how long the tournament will take. Copy it to your clock, or run it on Poker League's TV clock for free.
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How the blinds calculator works
A tournament ends when the blinds become big compared with the chips in play, so the calculator starts from the end and works backwards.
- Chips in play = players × starting stack, plus half as much again if some players rebuy, or double if most do.
- The last level is where the big blind is about one twentieth of the chips in play: the final two players then hold around ten big blinds each, and the game ends within a level or two.
- The first level is about 200 big blinds deep, the standard start for a home game (25/50 with a 10,000 stack).
- Between the two, the levels follow the standard ladder — 25/50, 50/100, 75/150, 100/200, 150/300, 200/400 … — so every blind can be posted with the chips on the table. The first four levels are always kept tight; if there are more rungs than time, later rungs are skipped.
- A break after every few levels, antes from about a third of the way in (one eighth of the big blind), and a note when the smallest chips can be coloured up.
- The length of the night is the number of levels times the level length, plus breaks. Change the level length and watch the finishing time move.
Example: a four-hour home game
8 players with 10,000 chips each, 20-minute levels, a few rebuys and no antes. The structure below is what the calculator produces with the default settings.
| Level | Small blind | Big blind | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | 20 |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | 20 |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | 20 |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 20 |
| 5 | 150 | 300 | 20 |
| Break | Rebuys close, add-on, Colour up the 25s | 10 | |
| 6 | 300 | 600 | 20 |
| 7 | 500 | 1,000 | 20 |
| 8 | 800 | 1,600 | 20 |
| Break | Colour up the 100s | ||
| 9 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 20 |
| 10 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 20 |
| Break | Break | 10 | |
| 11 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 20 |
Estimated length: about 4 h including breaks. The same structure with 15-minute levels finishes about an hour earlier.
Example: a two-hour turbo
Short on time? 10-minute levels with antes from the middle of the structure finish the same 8-player game in about 1 h 50 min.
| Level | Small blind | Big blind | Ante | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | – | 10 |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | – | 10 |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | – | 10 |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 25 | 10 |
| 5 | 150 | 300 | 25 | 10 |
| Break | Break | 10 | ||
| 6 | 300 | 600 | 75 | 10 |
| 7 | 500 | 1,000 | 125 | 10 |
| 8 | 600 | 1,200 | 150 | 10 |
| 9 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 250 | 10 |
| Break | Colour up the 25s, Colour up the 100s | |||
| 10 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 500 | 10 |
Rules of thumb for a good blind structure
- Level length decides the length of the night more than anything else: 20 minutes for a relaxed home game, 15 to finish before midnight, 10 for a turbo.
- Never double the blinds early. 25/50 → 50/100 is fine; 100/200 → 200/400 already hurts. Keep the steps at 1.5× or less while stacks are deep.
- Rebuys and add-ons add chips, so the structure must climb higher or run longer. Close them at the first break so the end of the night is predictable.
- Antes speed the game up and reward aggression. Add them from the middle of the structure, not from level one.
- Colour up the smallest chips at a break, once every later blind can be posted without them.
- Expect the real finishing time to be within about half an hour of the estimate. A cautious table runs long; a table with rebuys and loose play runs short.
How many chips do you need?
A 10,000 starting stack works with four colours — 25, 100, 500 and 1,000 — and a standard 500-chip set covers ten players with chips to spare for rebuys. The home game guide has the exact chip counts per player.
Put the structure on a tournament clock
A structure on paper still needs someone to watch the time. Poker League's clock runs it on the TV: every level, ante and break, with the time to the next level and a warning beep before the blinds go up, run from your phone. The clock is in the free package.
Frequently asked questions
How long should blind levels be?
15–20 minutes is the sweet spot for a home game of 6–10 players. 10-minute levels make a turbo that finishes in about two hours; 30-minute levels suit deep-stack games that run all evening.
How do I know when the tournament will end?
The game is effectively over when the big blind reaches about one twentieth of all the chips in play. Count the levels until then, multiply by the level length and add the breaks. The calculator does exactly this.
Should a home game use antes?
Optional. Antes from the middle of the structure speed up the end of the night and discourage waiting for premium hands. If you use them, one eighth of the big blind per player is standard, or a single big-blind ante paid by the big blind.
What starting stack should I use?
100–200 big blinds: 10,000 chips with 25/50 blinds is the most common home-game start. A deeper stack with the same level length makes the night longer.
Why does the calculator skip some blind levels?
Because there is not enough time for all of them. With 20-minute levels and a four-hour target there is room for about eleven levels, so the calculator keeps the first four tight and spreads the rest up to the final blind.
Can I use this structure in Poker League?
Yes. Every league has a blind structure you can edit level by level: small blind, big blind, ante, minutes and breaks. Type in the levels from the calculator and the TV clock runs them.