Tourney How many BBs should be at a final table? (1 Viewer)

[MC_CPA]

So we all know a tournament 'ends' approximately when there is ~20BBs in play.

With that being said, for an MTT, how do we assess when a final table is likely? The math is simple for average chips at final table, calculated as Total Chips in play / 8 (or 9 or 10) = chips at the final table, but how many BBs on average should each person have at that point?

 

[LotsOfChips]

I've never seen that type of calculation on this forum.

Not sure if it has ever been done. What does Google say? (I'm not going to suggest AI, as any answer I've ever gotten from there has been wrong)

 

[upNdown]

I'd like to say a number well north of 20 would be best, because deep play is far more interesting and generally requires more skill. That said, in my playing an viewing experience, this just doesn't happen. If the stacks are all deep, it will take you forever to get to a final table.
So I'm not sure, but maybe you're asking the wrong question.

 

[Mr Winberg]

That depends on how many players start. If there are like 12 players, the final table will be fairly deep. If there are around 30 (and the tourney is structured to end within reasonable time) then the final table will be fairly shallow.

My tourneys are about 5.5h with 8 max tables. The final 8 have deeper stacks when we start with around 15 players than when we max out at 24.

 

[BGinGA]

So we all know a tournament 'ends' approximately when there is ~20BBs in play.

With that being said, for an MTT, how do we assess when a final table is likely? The math is simple for average chips at final table, calculated as Total Chips in play / 8 (or 9 or 10) = chips at the final table, but how many BBs on average should each person have at that point?

Not quite the answer you are looking for, but on average, you should expect approximately an absolute minimum of 200bb to be in play for a 10-player final table.

It is very dependent upon both starting stack size in bb and the starting number of players, however. For example, a final table of 10 players for a single-table tourney of 10 players will initially have the total number of bb in play (2000bb, if starting stacks are 200bb). Double that with 20 players (or triple with 30), and the math is now further influenced by the blind structure (both blinds increase rate and blind level times).

It's probably possible to estimate if you already know the approximate end-of-event time duration, but trying to build a stand-alone formula to calculate it is beyond my capacity or desire.