How to run a home poker tournament
A complete walkthrough — from setting the buy-in to paying the winners.
1. Set the money terms before anyone sits down
Decide the buy-in, and whether you allow rebuys (buying back in after busting) and an add-on (an optional top-up at a set point, usually the first break). Fix these amounts before the first hand — changing them mid-game is how arguments start. In Potsplitr these are locked in when the game is created, so everyone can see the same terms.
2. Choose chip stacks that match the night
A common home setup is 10,000 chips per buy-in with blinds starting at 25/50. If you allow late entries, decide whether latecomers get the same stack or a smaller one — Potsplitr lets you record separate stacks for on-time buy-ins, late buy-ins, rebuys and add-ons, and shows the total chips in play and the average stack live.
3. Plan the blind levels
Blinds that rise every 15–20 minutes suit most home games; faster levels finish sooner but reward luck over skill. Potsplitr's blind clock runs the levels for you, announces changes out loud, and can be mirrored to a TV or tablet so the whole room can see the countdown, the players still in and the projected payouts.
4. Draw seats randomly
With more than one table, draw seats at random so no one picks their neighbours. Potsplitr's optional seat draw shuffles the players still in into balanced tables — the host chooses the maximum table size each time — and shows the draw to everyone in the game.
5. Agree the payout structure up front
Winner-takes-all is simplest; paying the top two or three keeps more of the table interested. A typical three-way split is 50/30/20 of the pot. Set it before play begins — Potsplitr shows the projected payout for each place live as the pot grows, so there are no surprises at the end.
6. Record everything as it happens
Every buy-in, rebuy, add-on and knock-out goes in the ledger the moment it happens. When the last player is knocked out, the pot split is already calculated — Potsplitr works out the fewest person-to-person payments to settle everyone, and each player confirms when they've received their money. Potsplitr never holds or moves the money itself; it's the record everyone trusts.