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How to run a home game tourney?

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c0rey254

06-19-2005, 07:23 PM Post subject: How to run a home game tourney?

#1 (permalink)

Join Date: Oct 2004

Posts: 5

I am running a $20 buy in tourney with rebuys and addons at my house in a week. There will be 20-30 people. I was just wondering if you guys had any tips on how it should be run.
Like chips to start with, blinds(when they increase and what they should be), amount of people at each table, payout, etc.

Any help on how it should be organized would be great.

Thanks

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chris_1069

06-19-2005, 08:34 PM

#2 (permalink)

Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: At the poker table

Posts: 99

A well organized tourney is key to everyone involved having a good time. Some often overlooked but very important parts are as follows.

You say there is 20-30 people coming?

Well then you need to be ready for them all before they come. Have an area big enough for them all to play cleared of any clutter and have 3 tables set up with 8-10 chairs at each one.

For a group this size I would recomend 3 tables reguardless of how many actually show. 21= 3 tables of 7 any more than that just evenly distribute them to the tables. If you think there might be more than 30 I would set up a 4th table as well.

Next important part. Determine how people will be seated. This is important to keep friends mixed up. This is important for a few reasons, such as posible cheating? Hey ya never know right? Also some people are probably more used to playing with others that will be there and would likely try and sit at a table with them to give themselves an edge.

So 2 diferent ways I find work well is are to lable each seat with a number 1-30 then put 30 numbers in a hat and once everyone is there make them all come pick a number then go find their seat. OR you could do this with 2 decks or cards. Take out the same 30 cards from each deck then randomly place 30 cards in their seat locations on the table and have people come draw cards for their seat.

Also make sure you have enough chips! Can't Stress this enough! If you have 500 chip sets these will usually be plenty for 2 tables, if not I would sugest 1 set of chips per table. Any less than that and there will not be alot of starting chips which will make for a very fast game(unless this is what you want)

Now as for the chips. There are many ways to do this but the one I like the most is this.

If you have a 4 color chip set like white, blue, red, and green You might like to try the following.

Set the chips to:

White: $0.25
Blue: $0.50
Red: $1
Green $2

Then everyone pays $20 and everyone gets $20 in chips.

I like to do:

12x White $3
10x Blue $5
6x Red $6
3x Green $6

or you could do

10x White
9x Blue
5x Red
4x Green

Same thing either way I prefer having more of the smaller chips in there for starting blinds though but either way works.

Then I would sugest Blinds as follows:

Level 1 25/50
Level 2 50/100
Level 3 75/150
Level 4 100/200
Level 5 150/300
Level 6 200/400
Level 7 300/600
Level 8 400/800
Level 9 500/1000
Level 10 600/1200

Etc... as needed.

Then it is up to you to decide when they will increase. BIG thing, How long do you want this to take? When is it starting and when *Should it end* If these don't matter then I would go with a slower blind increase lvl. My Fav is to do about 45min on the first 2 levels. Lets all the maniacs bust out while blinds are still low for you. Then after 2 levels I would make it 30min then by level 8ish mabey make it 20min and finally 15min by level 10. If you follow this then the game would take about 4hrs to get to the lvl 8ish mark and about another 40 to get to 10, 1hr to get to 14 etc... making it a 4hr tourney with about 1-2hrs play at the end that should end it (so 6hrs total most likely start to finish unless they are very loose and fast)

Reason for the larger gaps in blind increase than the 15min online is because live play is extreamly slower then online. In 15min online you might get in 2 orbits, live it is unlikely you will see more than 4-6 hands. (When the table is still full)

Also might want to add an ante in there around lvl 10, but if you plan to do this make sure it is common Knoledge. As the blinds should also be. Plus you need to set the Ante amount. Mabey $0.25 or $0.50 at level 10 and go up by $0.25 or $0.50 from there on.

Best way to handle this is to write down the blind levels and how long between each increase and when/if the ante kicks in on a piece of paper then put a copy of this with each table at the start.

Also make sure all tables increase blinds at the same time.

Hmm what else....

Payouts. Well with this many people it is nice to see top 3 paid. But This part is totally up to you. Personally I would do something like a 65% 25% 10% pay out. IE. 30 people at $20 is $600 So this way 3rd would get $60 2nd would get $150 and 1st would get $390 not bad for a $20 buy in. Or if you only get 20 people $400 3rd $40 2nd $100 1st $260

Main thing is to just set some % for payout and follow that. Rather than picking numbers out of a hat depending on how much money goes into the pot(number of people that show up)

Rebuys and Add-ons. I am not as familiar with these as we avoid them at our home games. Most people prefer the freeze out that I play with so we stick to that for the most part.

A good way to do this might be to make them level 1 only or mabey level 1 and 2 (Blind structure) IE after the first 45min, or 1.5hrs there is no more re-buys. Then at the end of that 45min or 1.5hrs they go do a final add-on as they choose.

Personally I would just do it as $20 for all re-buys same chips as the start. Then do whatever you want for the add-on not too sure how to do this as I have never played in one. Normally it is after the re-buy period and I think less than the amount they pay. IE $15 in chips for $20? Might be totally wrong here though. And Ultamatley it is up to you. You could make it a $20 for 20 add on, or even a 25 for 25 whatever.

But before you decide on the re-buy/add-on part I would wait till someone else coments on it, or check out that home game poker site... never looked at it but seen alot of people mention it in posts shouldn't be too hard to find.

So hopefully this helps ya get started though! Personally I love it when I go to a tourney where the person setting it up is prepared and knows what is going on. Nothing worse than wasting 1-2 hrs arguing over rules before the game can start.

Establish rules before hand and stick to them.

Hope this helped,
Chris

FyrFytr998

06-20-2005, 02:16 AM

#3 (permalink)

Full House

Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: Milford,Ct.

Posts: 1,412

Well if you read the sticky's at the top. Then you would already know to visit Home Poker Tourney.Com for everything you need to set up and run a home tournament. That site is the definitive source for all your home game needs.

Big Lick

chris_1069

06-20-2005, 03:21 PM

#4 (permalink)

Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: At the poker table

Posts: 99

Ya that is the site I ment when I said I had seen it mentioned in other posts on here before. Check that out as well am sure there will be lots of helpfull info.

thepokerdude

06-21-2005, 02:53 AM

#5 (permalink)

Straight

Join Date: Oct 2004

Location: The Dude Abides

Posts: 170

one thing that might help play go smoother is how you shuffle the decks on the table. i usually play in a home game with nine other guys, on a table that fits us all. the way we keep the game moving is to have the player behind the dealer shuffle the cards for the next hand. that means that each table must have two decks as well though. if you do this, then be sure that the decks are easily distinguishable from one another so that there are no mixups. i use a red deck and a blue deck, everything else about them is the same. just thought i might give you another tip, and it does make the ball roller a little faster.

"But they were suited?!?! You idiot!!"

chris_1069

06-21-2005, 03:36 PM

#6 (permalink)

Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: At the poker table

Posts: 99

Yes good call. In a home game where half the dealing time is used on shuffling cards might as well have a 2nd deck out there getting ready while the hand is being played.

We have done this a few times and find it helpfull. Speeds it up for sure.

If you choose to use a 2nd deck just make sure you are strict on cutting etc... it all seems too easy to stack a deck when there is money involved, a 2nd deck of cards, and a full table wraped up in the on going hand.

thepokerdude

06-22-2005, 12:08 AM

#7 (permalink)

Straight

Join Date: Oct 2004

Location: The Dude Abides

Posts: 170

we don't have much of that kind of problem in our home game, we're all good friends and pretty honest, but that is a good idea and we always have the person who just dealt one deck, cut the next deck. it keeps it flowing and the person who shuffled is never the one to cut the deck about to be dealt.

"But they were suited?!?! You idiot!!"

chris_1069

06-22-2005, 03:39 PM

#8 (permalink)

Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: At the poker table

Posts: 99

Ya I can't say we have ever had problems with cheating as well. It's more if it is common knoledge that the deck will be cut every time anyways it keeps people honest. But it certainly helps to speed up the game. As soon as one hand is done the next hand can be delt and no need to wait on the shuffle.

FyrFytr998

06-23-2005, 01:26 AM

#9 (permalink)

Full House

Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: Milford,Ct.

Posts: 1,412

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris_1069

Another way to avoid stacking the deck in addition to cutting is when the player behind passes to the dealer. The new dealer does one more riffle shuffle and the small blind cuts the deck.

Big Lick

Dunk

06-23-2005, 12:33 PM

#10 (permalink)

Straight

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: Metrowest Massachusetts

Posts: 131

When you get to a home game that big (20+ people) does the host play, or just act as game host and arbiter?

Note: new guy and very open to constructive criticism, so go ahead and weigh in! I'm here to learn.

Jes_Gru

06-23-2005, 02:31 PM

#11 (permalink)

Straight

Join Date: Jul 2004

Posts: 209

I have played in all of my tournaments, but I also have 2 or 3 friends that act as co-hosts (ie will get to the computer to bust someone out).

I have not had to arbitrate that much, string betting is usually that thing I mostly crack down on. Example: player sets his chips out that match the BB, and then says 'All-in'. His first action was to call, so the 'All-in' is not allowed.

Just make sure you have a document with all the rules and that it is availiable to everyone that plays.

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