Home Poker Tournament
	Home poker tournaments require advanced thought, careful planning and organization. Here are tips and advice on organizing, managing and playing your home poker tournament, as well as some variations in poker tournment formats such as time limit tournaments and "free-buy" tournaments.

Home poker tournaments are great fun and provide an enjoyable addition to your home poker game experience. They can also be used for a special purpose, like an unofficial satellite to a higher buy-in tournament or for a gaming trip. A $50 buy-in tournament with 10 players could enter the winner in a $500 buy-in tournament, send them on a weekend poker trip to a nearby casino or purchase airline tickets to Las Vegas or some other poker destination.

Poker Tournament Director

Any poker tournament, including home poker tournaments, needs a "Poker Tournament Director". The tournament director will collect buy-ins and re-buys and make payouts. They will announce when the re-buy period is over, when the blinds or antes increase and when it is time for a break. They oversee table and seat assignments and determine when and how to breakdown tables and move players from one table to another. They will inform players of rules and enforce them. Basically, the poker tournament director is overseeing the entire operation and making sure things run smoothly. It is not an easy task and, since in most home poker tournamanets, the director will also want to be a player, it can be very distracting. The director-player is likely to have his game suffer.

You will probably need to find and invite more than your usual number of players to your home poker tournament to ensure you fill the seats. This is especially true if you want to hold a multi-table event. Send e-mails to your basic player group and substitutes (see our Home Poker page for more information on that). It is also a good idea to draw from a larger group of people to invite. You can do that by "networking" with the players you know and asking that they forward information about your tournament to other players they may know. Start sending your notices well in advance of the tournament date. If there is a limit on the number of players say so in your announcement and make entry based on the first X number of players responding.

Write it Down & Plan Ahead

One of the most important things to do when holding a home poker tournament is to have your basic structure and rules in writing. You want to avoid situations or misunderstandings that may lead to arguments or bad feelings. Having things in writing will help immensely. To assist with that you can download a poker tournament structure form from our download page. It is also imperative that you plan and announce in advance how you will handle each task. For example, the order to breakdown tables or keep tables balanced in a multi-table tournament. Advanced planning is crucial. You cannot make organizational decisions on the spur of the moment.

Announce the Plan
	Before the tournament starts the Tournament Director should verbally announce the rules of play, blinds, length of levels, break times, re-buys, number of places paid, etc. Include an opportunity to ask questions or for clarifications. Since this information should also be in writing, distribute a copy at least to every table and preferably to every player.

Basics
	Set the date and start time of the tournament. Encourage all the players to arrive on time. Designate the game to be played. Determine if it will be single table (8-10 players) or multi-table.

Limit or No Limit?

Select either limit or no limit poker. Although pot-limit is also an option it is probably best avoided as you will spend too much time trying to keep tract of how large the bets can be. Limit will usually allow for longer play before players start busting out. In no-limit a player can be out in one hand. Since no one wants to leave after 5 minutes of play you will likely want to offer re-buys in a no limit tournament. You can also combine both limit and no-limit. Typically, you would play a limit game for the first few levels, then switch to no-limit for the rest of the tournament.

Blinds & Levels

Set the amount of time each level will be played. Designate the starting blinds or antes and create a step-wise increase for each level. The length of the levels and how rapidly you increase the blinds and betting limits will have a major impact on how long the tournament lasts. Although the time period of each level are often equal, this does not necessarily have to be the case. You could, for example, start with two 30 minute levels in which you allow re-buys. Once completed, you could then shorten the remaining levels to 20-25 minutes each to move the game at a slightly faster pace. Determine when there will be breaks and how long the breaks will be. Make sure this information is provided to all the players.

Buy-in, Re-buys & Starting Chips

Set the cost of the initial buy-in. If you allow them, set the cost and number of re-buys or add-ons allowed and the cut off time for making re-buys. Allowing re-buys will increase the prize pool but will also lengthen the time it takes to complete the tournament. Use high denomination chips for re-buys so that you will have fewer low denomination chips to trade out later. A "rebuyer" can make change with another player.

Set the starting amount of chips. The starting amount really doesn't matter except with respect to the ratio of starting stack and starting blinds. An approximately 100:1 starting ratio works pretty well. (eg. $2500 in chips with an starting $25 big blind.) A high starting chip to starting blind ratio will lengthen the time it takes to play the tournament. A lower ratio will shorten it. Click here to view the usual values assigned to the different colors of chips.

Seat Assignments & Button Position

Seat assignment for a poker tournament should be made by random draw. For a single table tournament take 1 card of each rank from a deck for the total number of players. For example, for 10 players use the ace to 10. Designate the table place of seat #1. Count around the table clockwise from there for seats 2-10. Mix and place the cards face down on the table. Each player selects a card. The card rank designates the seat number. Ace is seat #1, the other assignments are obvious.

In a multi-table tournament write down the table number and seat assignments on individual pieces of paper. Players select a paper which gives them their assignment. Alternatively, use slips of paper just to make table assignments, then use the card drawing method to determine each player's seat. When the tournament gets down to a single table take a break and re-draw for seats.

After seat assignments are made the position of the dealer button needs to be selected. The selection process must have been determined and announced beforehand. The easiest method is to place the button at seat number 1. This makes seats 2 and 3 the small blind and big blind, respectively. Alternatively, the tournament director can select the starting button position by drawing a card randomly from the cards used to make seat selections.

Coloring Up & Chip Races

As tournament betting limits increase you will eventually reach the point where the lowest denomination chips are no longer needed. When this occurs they are exchanged at equal value for higher denomination chips, something that is often refered to as "coloring up". It is virtually certain that some players will have an odd amount of chips that are not able to be evenly exchanged. When this occurs an exchange is made by means of a chip race. All affected players place their odd chips in front of them. A single card is dealt to each player for every chip they have. The highest card (suits break ties in this order-highest to lowest: spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) receives one higher value chip, and this goes on to 2nd highest, 3rd, etc until all the low value chips have been exchanged for an equal value of higher denomination chips. Once a player wins a chip he/she is not eligible to win another. A player is not allowed to be "busted" by the chip race. Such a player automatically receives first priority for a higher value chip. Use break time for chip exchanges and races.

If you don't want to bother with a chip race, here is an alternative method of replacing lower denomination chips when a player has an odd number of chips. Just give a higher denomination chip for every player who has half or more of the value of that chip. For example, if "coloring up" from $100 to $1000 chips any player who has 5 to 9 $100 chips will get one $1000 chip. Any player with 1 to 4 chips will receive nothing. As noted in the description of chip races, the exception to this method would be any player that would be eliminated by the exchange. They must be given a higher value chip.

Breaks

The only breaks in a poker tournament are at the designated times and for the specified length of time. The game goes on with or without a player at all other times. Blinds are taken from the appropriate positions even if the player is absent from the table. There should be no waiting for a player to return. If a player is not sitting in his/her seat when it is his/her turn to act their hand is dead.

If your tournament allows for re-buys or add-ons, take a break at the end of the re-buy period. Use this time to count the final prize pool and determine the payouts. Write it all down, and inform the remaining players.

Payout
	Payouts can be anything you want as long as it is stipulated ahead of time and everyone knows. Here are some options:

Winner take all. Useful if you wish to award one large prize like a buy-in to a larger tournament or if there are just a few players. However, most people dislike playing down to 2nd place and getting nothing for it. If you still want to award a large 1st place prize consider increasing the buy-in. You can then still pay out the large prize to 1st but have something left for 2nd place.

Multiple payouts. For 9 or 10 players it is common to pay the top 3 places a portion of the prize pool. Often it is 50% for 1st, 30% for 2nd and 20% for 3rd. For 5 to 8 players perhaps just pay 2 places, with something like 1st = 2/3 and 2nd = 1/3. For more than 10 players consider adding one more payout spot for every 5 additional players.

Bounty Payouts

To spark additional competition, consider adding a "bounty" payment. Designate a portion of each buy in to the bounty prize pool. For example, with a $25 buy-in $20 could go to the main prize pool and $5 to the bounty prize pool. Every time one player eliminates another a bounty is paid to the winning player. In this example it would be $5. The one bounty prize that is always left at the conclusion of the tournament is awarded to the winner.

Making Deals

Once a tournament gets down to a few players it is common for a deal to be discussed by the remaining players to split the remaining payouts. As tournament director, you should not have any rule interfering with this. How they make a split is entirely up to them, but the important point is that each player must agree to whatever deal is made. As a player in this situation, you should expect that someone is going to bring up the idea. Prepare yourself in advance to understand the difference between a fair and unfair deal so that you can make a good decision. See David Skalansky's book Tournament Poker for Advanced Players for his take on how a fair deal might be calculated.

Multiple Game Poker Tournaments
	While the typical home poker tournament consists of playing just one poker variation, that is by no means the only possiblity. As an alternative you could play a multiple-game tournament format such as HORSE.

HORSE stands for: Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud (7 card), Eight or better 7 card stud (high-low). A HORSE tournament is made up of each of these games. Each is played for one tournament level and the games are continually rotated in that order.

I am not a big fan of Razz at anytime and I don't care for split-pot games in a tournament, so I like a modification that I call SHO: Stud, Holdem, Omaha. Of course, you can create what ever variation of multiple-game tournament you prefer.

Time Limit Poker Tournament

You can squeeze several single table poker tournaments into one evening of play by means of time limit tournaments. For example, you might try 3 tournaments each lasting 75-90 minutes or 2 each lasting 90-120 minutes. With 2 or 3 there will be more opportunity for players to make it to the money. You will have to adjust the format to quicken the pace of the game, so re-buys would not be allowed. You also may need to shorten the time for each level, make steeper increases in the blinds, especially toward the end, and perhaps reduce the starting chips. Since the speed of play is accelerated expect luck to play a larger factor in the outcome. You will need to have an arrangement to determine finishing places if 2 or more players are still alive at the end of the time limit. The easiest way is to award places based on the number of chips each player has, with the largest chip amount obviously being the winner. Also, as you get closer to the end keep an eye on your chip stack and that of the other players. You or some other player may have to make unorthodox or despiration plays, so be alert. Try to think about the various scenarios ahead of time and formulate a basic plan of response.

Double or Nothing Tournament

Best suited for a single table, no re-buy format, a double or nothing tournament plays down to half of the original participants. For example, 10 starting players would play down to 5. Each of the surviving players split the prize pool evenly. All that counts is that a player makes it to the cut off point, regardless of how many or few chips they have. They all win the same amount, which will be double their buy-in.

Free-Buy Tournament

A “free-buy” tournament is a clever merging of a free tournament with add-on and re-buy features. Players can enter the tournament at no cost, but during the course of the tournament they also have the opportunity to make optional cash purchases of additional chips. It is these additional chip purchases that establish and build the prize pool. If everyone played just free poker you wouldn’t have a prize pool, therefore, you want to include several opportunities and incentives for your players to make additional chip purchases. Here is how to do that:

Give only a modest amount of free chips. For example no more than $1000 at starting blinds of 25/50. Along with a no-limit format this will introduce the chance to bust out fairly soon unless an add-on is made.

Allow for an immediate add-on purchase before the start of the tournament. For example, you could offer players the chance to purchase an additional $1000 in chips for a set fee. You could even give a bonus for making a double purchase, for example $2500 in chips if they pay twice the fee.

Allow unlimited re-buys during the first few rounds of the tournament. Give players the opportunity of making an unlimited number of re-buys whenever their chips fall to or below a pre-determined level. Set the level fairly low, but don’t let players have to wait until they are totally out of chips before they can make a re-buy.

At the end of the re-buy period allow for a final add-on purchase. Again, consider giving additional chips for a double fee.