Running a poker tournament is fun, but doing the math at the end of the night can be a headache. How much should 1st place get? Did we cover the Guarantee? How many people should be paid?
Stop guessing and avoid arguments. Our free Poker Tournament Payout Calculator instantly generates a professional prize structure based on standard industry models (like those used in WSOP or online poker). It handles everything from small home games to large multi-table tournaments (MTTs).
| Pos | Prize | % |
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How to Use the Payout Calculator
- Enter Entrants: The total number of players who registered.
- Enter Buy-in: The portion of the entry fee that goes into the prize pool (exclude the “rake” or house fee).
- Optional Fields:
- Add-ons/Rebuys: If you had rebuys, enter the total cash collected from them here.
- GTD (Guarantee): If you promised a $1,000 prize pool but only collected $800, the tool will automatically calculate the overlay and use $1,000 as the pool.
- Select Percent Paid:
- 10%: Old school standard. Top heavy.
- 15%: Modern standard. Flatter structure, pays more players (min-cash).
- 20%: Good for friendly home games where you want more people to leave happy.
Understanding Payout Structures
A good tournament structure follows a “Power Curve.” It shouldn’t be a straight line.
The Golden Rules:
- The Min-Cash: The last paid spot (e.g., 10th place) should typically receive between 1.5x and 2x the buy-in. It should never be less than the buy-in.
- First Place: In a standard MTT, the winner usually takes home 20% to 30% of the total pool. In small sit-and-gos (SNG), it can be up to 50%.
- Top 3: The top 3 players usually share about 50% of the entire prize pool combined.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens if the buy-ins don’t meet the Guarantee (GTD)?
This is called an “Overlay.” The organizer (or the house) must pay the difference out of pocket to meet the promised prize pool. Our calculator automatically detects this and uses the GTD value if it is higher than the collected buy-ins.
How many people should get paid in a 20-player tournament?
For 20 players, paying the Top 3 or Top 4 is standard (15-20% of the field). Paying more than 4 makes the first-place prize too small to be exciting.
How do I handle “odd change”?
The calculator rounds payouts to the nearest dollar. In a real cash game, you usually round to the nearest $5 or small chip denomination to make payouts easier, adjusting the top prize slightly to balance the difference.