Poker Blind Structure Generator
Build a printable blind ladder and a starting stack that adds up exactly. Every level rises, every blind is payable with the chips in play.
Starting stack
Blind levels
Getting a structure right
- The chips have to add up exactly. A share-based split rounds down and quietly leaves a stack 25 short, which nobody notices until someone counts.
- Blinds must strictly rise. Multiply by a growth factor and round to the chips in play, and two levels can land on the same number — which stalls the tournament rather than advancing it.
- Give players plenty of the smallest chip. They need it for the first few levels, and once it is no longer needed you colour it up rather than starting with fewer.
- A starting stack of 100 big blinds or more plays like poker. Below about 50 the early levels are already a shoving contest, whatever the level length says.
- Level length matters more than the number of levels. Doubling the minutes per level does not double the tournament, because the blinds still catch the stacks at the same point.
How to use
- Set the starting stack, how many are playing, and how long you want it to run.
- Tick the chip denominations you actually own.
- Print the sheet and put it on the table.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the chip breakdown matter?
Because it has to add up exactly. A share-based split — 8% in the smallest chip, 17% in the next — rounds down and quietly leaves every stack 25 short, which nobody notices until someone counts at the end. Every distribution here is exact by construction and the page says so on the sheet.
Why do the blinds sometimes jump oddly?
Because they have to be payable with the chips on the table and they must always rise. Multiply by a growth factor and round to the nearest chip and two levels can land on the same number, which stalls the tournament rather than advancing it. When that happens the level is pushed up to the next payable amount.
Why does the ladder stop before the time I asked for?
Because a big blind larger than every chip on the table is not a level, it is arithmetic. The ladder stops there. If it runs out early, either the growth factor is too steep or the levels are too short for the stack.
How deep should players start?
A hundred big blinds or more plays like poker. Below about fifty the early levels are already a shoving contest whatever the level length says, and the page tells you which one you have built.
How many of the smallest chip should players get?
Plenty — they are what pays the first few levels. Once the smallest denomination is no longer needed you colour it up and take it off the table, which is much easier than starting people short and finding you cannot make change.
Does level length change how long it runs?
Less than people expect. Doubling the minutes per level does not double the tournament, because the blinds still catch the stacks at the same point in the ladder. The growth factor moves the finish line far more than the clock does.
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