Blind structures for 2, 3 and 4-hour tournaments
Three worked-out templates with starting stacks, level times, breaks and colour-ups, plus how to adjust them on the night.
On this page
A blind structure decides how long a tournament lasts. Blinds that rise too slowly drag on past midnight; too fast, and it turns into an all-in lottery. Each template below is built so that around the target time a full table of 8–9 players is down to its last two or three, with about 35–45 big blinds in play between them.
How to choose
| Template | Best for |
|---|---|
| About 2 hours | Weeknights, or a tournament before a cash game |
| About 3 hours | A first tournament night — the safe default |
| About 4 hours | Groups who want deep stacks and lots of play |
Quick night · about 2 hours
5,000 chips each, 15-minute levels, one break. Fast but still leaves room to play after the flop early on.
Starting stack 5,000 (8 × 25, 8 × 100, 4 × 500, 2 × 1000) · 4–9 players
| Level | Small blind | Big blind | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | 15 |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | 15 |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | 15 |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 15 |
| Break | 10 (colour up 25) | ||
| 5 | 200 | 400 | 15 |
| 6 | 300 | 600 | 15 |
| 7 | 400 | 800 | 15 |
| 8 | 600 | 1200 | 15 |
| 9 | 1000 | 2000 | 15 |
| 10 | 1500 | 3000 | 15 |
| 11 | 2000 | 4000 | 15 |
| 12 | 3000 | 6000 | 15 |
Classic night · about 3 hours
10,000 chips each, 20-minute levels, two breaks. The best fit for a first tournament night.
Starting stack 10,000 (8 × 25, 8 × 100, 6 × 500, 6 × 1000) · 4–9 players
| Level | Small blind | Big blind | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | 20 |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | 20 |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | 20 |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 20 |
| Break | 10 (colour up 25) | ||
| 5 | 200 | 400 | 20 |
| 6 | 300 | 600 | 20 |
| 7 | 500 | 1000 | 20 |
| Break | 10 | ||
| 8 | 800 | 1600 | 20 |
| 9 | 1200 | 2400 | 20 |
| 10 | 2000 | 4000 | 20 |
| 11 | 3000 | 6000 | 20 |
| 12 | 5000 | 10000 | 20 |
Deep night · about 4 hours
15,000 chips each, 20-minute levels, big blind ante from level 9. For groups who want plenty of play.
Starting stack 15,000 (8 × 25, 8 × 100, 8 × 500, 10 × 1000) · 4–9 players
| Level | Small blind | Big blind | Ante | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | – | 20 |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | – | 20 |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | – | 20 |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | – | 20 |
| Break | 10 (colour up 25) | |||
| 5 | 200 | 400 | – | 20 |
| 6 | 300 | 600 | – | 20 |
| 7 | 400 | 800 | – | 20 |
| 8 | 500 | 1000 | – | 20 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 9 | 600 | 1200 | 1200 | 20 |
| 10 | 800 | 1600 | 1600 | 20 |
| 11 | 1000 | 2000 | 2000 | 20 |
| 12 | 1500 | 3000 | 3000 | 20 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 13 | 2000 | 4000 | 4000 | 20 |
| 14 | 3000 | 6000 | 6000 | 20 |
| 15 | 4000 | 8000 | 8000 | 20 |
| 16 | 6000 | 12000 | 12000 | 20 |
From level 9 the big blind also posts a big blind ante equal to one big blind, for the whole table. It keeps the late levels moving without everyone having to ante.
Adjusting on the night
Running late? At a break, skip one level. Don’t shorten levels in the middle of a level.
Running early? Add 5 minutes to each level from the next break on.
Colour up at the break listed in the table: swap 25s for 100s, and race off the leftovers.
Announce every level change and keep the clock where everyone can see it.
New level, new blinds from the next hand, not the hand in progress.
Read next
How Poker Night settles up
From buy-ins to “who pays whom”: chip value, how the net is calculated, what the balance check means, Direct vs Banker mode, charges, paying each other, and how to read the summary you share.
Home game settlementCash game night or tournament night?
The two ways to run a poker night, side by side — and how to pick the right one for your group.
Chip denominations and starting stacks
How many chips you need, what each colour could be worth, and ready-made stacks for cash games and tournaments.
Chip distributionPoker etiquette at a home game
String bets, acting out of turn, slow-rolling and the other habits that make a game fun — or ruin it.