Tools / Payout Calculator
Poker tournament payout calculator
Work out who gets what before the first hand, so nobody argues about it after the last one. Free, no sign-up!
In short
Pay about one player in six or seven. With 3 places paid the usual split is 50/30/20; with 2 it's 65/35. A 10-player, $20 game has a $200 pool and pays $100, $60 and $40.
Prize pool $200, 3 places paid
| Place | Prize | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100 | 50.0% |
| 2 | $60 | 30.0% |
| 3 | $40 | 20.0% |
Prizes are rounded down to $5; what's left over goes to first place.
The percentages
Up to 10 places, the split follows the table below. Past 10, prizes follow a smooth curve where each place gets a little less than the one above.
| Places paid | Split (%) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 100 |
| 2 | 65 / 35 |
| 3 | 50 / 30 / 20 |
| 4 | 45 / 27 / 18 / 10 |
| 5 | 40 / 25 / 16 / 11 / 8 |
| 6 | 38 / 22 / 15 / 11 / 8 / 6 |
| 7 | 35 / 21 / 15 / 11 / 8 / 6 / 4 |
| 8 | 33 / 20 / 14 / 10 / 8 / 6 / 5 / 4 |
| 9 | 31 / 19 / 13 / 10 / 8 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 4 |
| 10 | 30 / 18 / 12 / 9 / 8 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 4 / 4 |
Common questions
- How many places should a poker tournament pay?
- About one in six or seven players. Our suggestion pays 1 place up to 4 players, 2 up to 7, 3 up to 12, 4 up to 18 and 5 up to 24, then about 15% of the field.
- What's the usual payout for 3 places?
- 50% for first, 30% for second and 20% for third. With 2 places paid it's 65% and 35%.
- Is this split fair?
- It's a common convention, not a rule. Any split everyone agrees to before the game starts is fine. The table here is a suggestion to start from.
- We want to make a deal at the final table. What now?
- Open the payouts in the ICM calculator with the button under the table, enter the chip counts, and it suggests what each stack is worth. The players still decide what to agree.
Running a home game? The rest of the kit
- Chip distributionHow many chips of each colour per player.
- Blind structureLevels that finish when you want them to.
- 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.