Tools / Blind Structure Calculator
Poker blind structure calculator
Say how many are playing and when you want to be done, and get blind levels that fit. Free, no sign-up!
In short
Start about 100 big blinds deep and raise the blinds by a third to a half every 15-20 minutes. For 9 players with 10,000 chips over four hours: 50/100, 75/150, 100/200, 150/300, 200/400, 300/600, 400/800, 500/1000, 750/1500, 1250/2500, 1500/3000, 2500/5000.
12 levels of 20 minutes
From level 10 the average stack is under 15 big blinds, so most hands are shove or fold. See the push/fold charts.
| Level | Starts | Blinds | Ante | Start stack | Avg stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:00 | 50/100 | - | 100 BB | 100 BB |
| 2 | 0:20 | 75/150 | - | 67 BB | 72 BB |
| 3 | 0:40 | 100/200 | - | 50 BB | 58 BB |
| 4 | 1:00 | 150/300 | - | 33 BB | 42 BB |
| 5 | 1:20 | 200/400 | - | 25 BB | 35 BB |
| 6 | 1:40 | 300/600 | - | 17 BB | 26 BB |
| 7 | 2:00 | 400/800 | - | 13 BB | 22 BB |
| 8 | 2:20 | 500/1,000 | - | 10 BB | 20 BB |
| 9 | 2:40 | 750/1,500 | - | 7 BB | 15 BB |
| 10 | 3:00 | 1,250/2,500 | - | 4 BB | 11 BB |
| 11 | 3:20 | 1,500/3,000 | - | 3 BB | 11 BB |
| 12 | 3:40 | 2,500/5,000 | - | 2 BB | 9 BB |
Avg stack assumes players go out at a steady pace until two are left at the end. Highlighted levels are push/fold territory for an average stack; a player who never added chips is there from level 7.
The schedule starts with a big blind of about 1% of the starting stack and climbs on a steady curve to a big blind of about a twentieth of all the chips at the end, rounded to values the smallest chip can pay.
Common questions
- How long should blind levels be in a home game?
- 15 to 20 minutes. Shorter levels turn the game into a shove-fest early; longer ones are fine if you have all night. With 20-minute levels and a 100 big blind stack, 9 players take about four hours.
- How fast should blinds go up?
- By roughly a third to a half each level. Doubling every level is too fast; going up by a small step every time drags. The calculator picks round numbers on a steady curve.
- When does push/fold start?
- Once stacks are under about 15 big blinds, most good decisions are shove or fold. In a 4-hour, 9-player game that's from about level 10 for an average stack, earlier for anyone short.
- Should a home game use antes?
- It's optional. A big blind ante, where the big blind pays one ante for the whole table, is easy to run at home and speeds up the late levels. Set the level it starts at, or leave it at 0 for none.
Running a home game? The rest of the kit
- Chip distributionHow many chips of each colour per player.
- PayoutsSplit the prize pool, rounded to real money.
- ICM dealWhat each stack is worth if you chop.
Need a timer on the night? BlindClock is a free blind clock for iPhone and iPad.