Tournament Game Structure
A tournament game differs from a normal or 'cash' poker
game
because the blinds increase throughout the game. The blinds
are a
forced bet that the two players to the left of the dealer have to place
before any cards are dealt. Usually in tournaments the blinds
will
double after a fixed period of play, until eventually the blind size
might even exceed the chips each player started with. The
period
and amount the binds increase is called the 'structure'.
The game structure determines fairly precisely how long the game will
go for and also how much action (how frequently players bet) there is
in the game.
Since it is likely there will be many people who have either never
played or are very new to Texas Hold'em, this game structure has been
designed to give new players plenty of time to get used to the game.
It may vary slightly on the day, but this is close to how the game will
be structured with starting chips of 5,000:
| Level |
Duration |
Blinds
(Small/Big) |
| 1 |
30 mins |
25/50 |
| 2 |
30 mins |
50/100 |
| break |
|
|
| 3 |
20 mins |
75/150 |
| 4 |
20 mins |
100/200 |
| 5 |
20 mins |
150/300 |
| break |
|
|
| 6 |
15 mins |
200/400 |
| 7 |
15 mins |
500/1000 |
| 8 |
15 mins |
1000/2000 |
| 9 |
15 mins |
2000/4000 |
| break |
|
|
| 10 |
15 mins |
4000/8000 |
| 11 |
15 mins |
8000/16000 |
With eight people starting the game, there
is 40,000 chip value in
play. You can see that if the games goes to level 11, then on
each hand, just about all the chips are used for the blinds on every
hand.
It is impossible for the game to go longer than about three
and a
half hours with this structure, and most likely it will end around
level eight or nine.
Relatively long early levels and a large starting chip stack means
players can get a feel of the game and play conservatively without much
pressure. Most players should still be in the game at level 6.
Level 7 however is the point where the game accelerates. The
blinds become very large in relation to stack sizes, and no one can
afford to sit around and wait for premium hands. At this
stage the
game becomes very exciting for players and spectators alike.
Large bets or all-ins are made on often marginal hands, and
the
fate of players is decided on the fall of the cards. Chip
leads
can change in one or two hands as a 'lucky river' card can turn the
table underdog into the dominating chip leader.
For those who unluckily are already out for the game, the accelerating
structure means the game remains interesting to watch as you barrack
for
a remaining favorite to win. But also, there is not too much
time to wait until the game reaches an ultimate conclusion.