Tourney Help with running a two table tournament (14 Viewers)

[PokerShark]

I’ve hosted a few single table poker tournaments with much success. There’s a stag do coming up with potentially 18 players and two tables and I want to know what, if anything, I need to adjust from my existing set-up.

My chip set is as follows:

200 x T5
215 x T25
141 x T100
100 x T500

I’ve historically given out starting stacks of T1500:

10 x 5
10 x 25
7 x 100
1 x 500

My tournament structure is like this:

The tournament usually runs to around level 13 to 16 with each level running for 15 or 20 mins.

Ideally I would like the two table game to last about 5 hours. Any advice?

Also here’s a pic of my chipset:

 

[HiveKueen]

Check out the Resources section to see if there is a spreadsheet to help you plan your larger tournaments. With more chips in play (i.e. more BB at every stage of the game) you will need to estimate how long the game will last based on BB in play as the levels progress. My MTT games usually go until there are ~15-20 BB in play. Hope this helps.

 

[Jaxen]

Your structure looks a lot like a T2000 we do that lasts about 5 hours, so you shouldn't need much tweaking.
Wow, you play 140 minutes before a break? That's a long time. I think you can get rid of the 5/15 level ("don't ever double blinds" ... yeah yeah, it's just the 2nd level), your slow progression the rest of the way keeps it a skill-fest over luck.
At 18+ players, with your set you're going to be tight on chips, particularly a number of rebuys (unless you're just giving out big chips) and color ups.

 

[PokerShark]

Your structure looks a lot like a T2000 we do that lasts about 5 hours, so you shouldn't need much tweaking.
Wow, you play 140 minutes before a break? That's a long time. I think you can get rid of the 5/15 level ("don't ever double blinds" ... yeah yeah, it's just the 2nd level), your slow progression the rest of the way keeps it a skill-fest over luck.
At 18+ players, with your set you're going to be tight on chips, particularly a number of rebuys (unless you're just giving out big chips) and color ups.

Actually I tend to shove in an extra break after level 4 as a lot of the time we have older gentlemen playing!

Level 2 is for the benefit of novices so they can get into the groove of the game but I will consider eliminating it. We can do a practice round for the newbies beforehand if necessary.

I recognise the chipset will be a bit tight. I’m thinking of limiting rebuys to 4 or so for the tournament. I have plenty of T500s but they aren’t that useful until quite deep in the tournament.

 

[Jaxen]

You're starting from great spot. I'd play in it if I wasn't stateside.
Extra thing to keep in mind for >1 table is balancing tables as knockouts occur. Everyone does it different, but have a plan. When we have 3+ tables, I don't play, it's impossible to focus on cards while having to move players.
Re-entering players are supposed to draw a new seat. If there's seats available, I suggest sending the 2nd re-entry from a table to the other table if no one there has done so, to keep the total chips at each table balanced.

 

[Santa123]

If you want to get rid of the T5 chips earlier you can tweak the blind schedule as follows:

5 / 10
5 / 15
10 / 20
15 / 30
20 / 40

color - up

25 / 50 instead of 30/60
25 / 75 instead of 40 / 80
50 / 100
...

 

[PokerShark]

You're starting from great spot. I'd play in it if I wasn't stateside.
Extra thing to keep in mind for >1 table is balancing tables as knockouts occur. Everyone does it different, but have a plan. When we have 3+ tables, I don't play, it's impossible to focus on cards while having to move players.
Re-entering players are supposed to draw a new seat. If there's seats available, I suggest sending the 2nd re-entry from a table to the other table if no one there has done so, to keep the total chips at each table balanced.

I saw a video on YouTube that suggests when balancing tables to take the next big blind from the bigger table and sit them in the worst vacant seat on the little table. So I’m going to try and use that system.

 

[ekricket]

I saw a video on YouTube that suggests when balancing tables to take the next big blind from the bigger table and sit them in the worst vacant seat on the little table. So I’m going to try and use that system.

If I’m hosting and rushed I’ll just take the person sitting behind the current button and move them. No blinds stuff affecting them

 

[emunster18]

If you want to get rid of the T5 chips earlier you can tweak the blind schedule as follows:

5 / 10
5 / 15
10 / 20
15 / 30
20 / 40

color - up

25 / 50 instead of 30/60
25 / 75 instead of 40 / 80
50 / 100
...

I run a T100 tournament and do exactly this. My T100s get colored at the first break, T500s at the second break, and T1000s at the final break. It gives a clear progression to the next phase of the tournament.

 

[BleedingChips]

Jumping on this thread to ask for opinions on balancing tables. I am hosting a 2 table 16 player tournament soon and may have an extra player to make it 17. It’s not a big deal to me to have an extra person for a bit at one table before I can properly balance tables. Thoughts?

 

[BKisback]

9 and 8 to start. Player gets eliminated, you either have 8 and 8 or 9 and 7. If the latter, replace the eliminated player with the same seat from the other table.

 

[Jaxen]

Jumping on this thread to ask for opinions on balancing tables. I am hosting a 2 table 16 player tournament soon and may have an extra player to make it 17. It’s not a big deal to me to have an extra person for a bit at one table before I can properly balance tables. Thoughts?

9 and 8 is fine, we do it all the time. Start with 8 on the one you want to be the final table. When you balance you want to be sending players TO that one instead of FROM that one.

 

[ef28]

Do most combine the final table at 10 or 9 players?

 

[GamingWithChips]

Do most combine the final table at 10 or 9 players?

I'm guessing most are done at 10 players since many have 10 seater tables.

But I think it would be better to combine at 9 remaining players for the following reasons:
1) This would mean you have two balanced tables of 5 beforehand and once the 10th person is out you would combine.
2) Having a final table of 9 gives more arm/leg room for comfort rather than squeezing in 10.

 

[BKisback]

^this exactly, especially for number two. Unless you have an absolutely massive table, nine is way more comfortable.

 

[BleedingChips]

9 and 8 is fine, we do it all the time. Start with 8 on the one you want to be the final table. When you balance you want to be sending players TO that one instead of FROM that one.

Thank you! I have a 10 seater and 8 seater that I recently bought and haven’t used yet but know it will be tight at 8. The 10 seater will end up being final table, so I may end up sending people to smaller table, but figure it should balance out after 1 or 2 moves?