Before distributing poker chips, there are various things you need to consider such as if you are running a poker tournament or a cash game, how many poker players are involved, how many chips are required, and what the chip distribution should look like in a tournament.
Distributing Chips in tournament
After determining the buy-in amount, then consider the desired length of the poker tournament, for instance, more poker chips in the starting stacks and longer levels will create longer games. If you intend to run an event that takes seven hours to determine the winner then you will require more chips to the starting stacks and ensure the big blind increase systematically. Here is how to distribute poker chips
- Slow-structure tournament
For slow-structure tournaments or longer tournaments, the chip distribution involves a larger starting stack and a slow structure. The players are given at least 3000 starting chips with a 30 minutes levels or more. The big bling increases in small bits.
- Medium-structure tournament
Medium-structure tournaments take approximately a five-hour duration to determine the champion. There are interval breaks consisting of the same number of minutes at whatever level length but reducing these breaks can cut down on the total time of the tournament. Here, there are fewer players hence the values should be slightly decreased compared to the slow tournament. The rules remain the same just the stakes with be altered and the blind levels will increase fast
- Fast-structure tournament
Fast-structure tournaments take approximately three hours to determine the champion thus requires a fast tournament structure. Here you assign small starting stacks and use shorter levels to reach the end of the tournament.
It is difficult to establish how many poker chips need to be distributed among the players and it becomes tempting to just divide the chips equally among the players. Nevertheless, having a predetermined starting stack allows you to control how long the poker game will last. For instance, the more chips you have the longer it will take for the players to get rid of them and bust out of the tournament. Keeping some chips as spares ensures you have enough chips left for rebuys and add ons and in case you get a new player during the tournament you can easily accommodate them. A sensible starting stack promotes a smooth game since it eliminates the need for change during each hand and keeps the number of chips on the table at a manageable amount.
Why it is important to distribute chips
- It is important to effectively distribute chips to avoid going on for much longer than expected in determining the champion.
- Similarly, inadequate low-value chips will allow people to spend a long time making change at the table and the dealer might end up confused or it can result in too many errors
- Also, poor distribution can lead to difficulties when it comes to the colour-up part of the tournament
