How the planner builds the schedule
Five rules, applied in order. Nothing is hidden; this is exactly what the calculator does.
- Number of levels = hours × 60 ÷ level length, rounded, never fewer than 3.
- Starting big blind = starting stack ÷ the depth you chose (100, 75, 50 or 25 BB), rounded to a “nice” chip value.
- Ending big blind ≈ total chips in play ÷ 20, where total chips = starting stack × players. It's never less than double the starting big blind.
- Levels in between grow geometrically — each one is the same percentage bigger than the last — then each is rounded to a nice value (1, 1.2, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and their tens, hundreds…). If rounding would repeat a level, it steps up instead.
- Small blind is half the big blind (rounded down if odd). With the ante option on, a big-blind ante equal to the big blind starts at level 4.
The last column, Stack in BB, is the starting stack divided by that level's big blind: how deep a player is who has neither won nor lost a chip. When it drops under 10, most hands become all-in-or-fold decisions.
Worked example: the default settings
10,000 chips, 18 players, 3 hours, 10-minute levels, 100 BB start, ante on.
- Levels: 3 × 60 ÷ 10 = 18.
- Starting big blind: 10,000 ÷ 100 = 100, so level 1 is 50/100.
- Chips in play: 10,000 × 18 = 180,000. End target: 180,000 ÷ 20 = 9,000.
- Growth: (9,000 ÷ 100) spread over 17 steps ≈ 30% per level.
- Rounded big blinds: 100, 120, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 10,000.
The last level shows 5,000/10,000 rather than 9,000, because 9,000 isn't a “nice” value and 10,000 is the closest one. At that point all 180,000 chips add up to 18 big blinds, so even heads-up the average stack is about 9 BB — the finish arrives at the three-hour mark.
Tuning it for your club
| If… | Change |
|---|---|
| Last week's game finished early | Raise the hours, or start at 100 BB instead of 50 |
| It ran late | Lower the hours by the overrun; the planner steepens the curve |
| Players want more play per level | Longer levels: 15 or 20 minutes for the same hours gives fewer, bigger steps |
| You want a turbo | 25 BB start with 5–6 minute levels |
| You allow re-entries | Enter total expected entries as “players” |
| Your game doesn't use antes | Choose “No ante”; expect slightly tighter play |
| You take breaks | Add them on top of the target hours |
Same three hours, two feels. Switch the example to 15-minute levels and a 50 BB start and you get 12 levels: 100/200 up to 5,000/10,000, with a big-blind ante from 300/600. Fewer, bigger jumps suit casual groups who chat between hands; the 10-minute version suits players who like more decisions.
Putting it into ClubGG
ClubGG's tournament settings (help article “MTT Settings Breakdown (NLH, PLO, 6+)”) aren't publicly readable, so field names may differ from ours. Enter the levels as closely as the form allows, keep the table for your Club Notice so players know the schedule, and see running club tournaments for multi-day, PKO and satellite options. When the final table wants to stop early, the ICM calculator handles the split. No club yet? The hosting playbook starts from zero.
Questions people ask
How many levels will my tournament have?
Why does the last big blind equal total chips divided by 20?
Does the schedule include breaks?
What should I enter if my tournament has re-entries?
Is this ClubGG's own blind structure?
Read next
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