Bloody Marvelous
3 of a Kind
I'm in full agreement with abby99 that you should cater to your group's specific needs and wants. You're hosting for them after all.
However, you said that in your opinion 50%/30%/20% and 40%/25%/20%/15% are the perfect examples of how NOT to do it. That sets up your structure as the PREFERED way to do it, and I couldn't agree less.
You're basing your structure on the principle that the jump from finishing in the money to the first paybump should be more than the difference between not cashing and making the money, which I feel is flawed reasoning. If you carry that design philosphy to large tournaments (like the WSOP), making the money could mean you make $100 back from your initial $10,000 buy-in.
When I (and I'm assuming most people) play in a tournament it's to outlast other players to win money, not to make a loss. By playing I accept that the buy-in is my investment to have a chance at a payday. If that payday is less than or equal to my initial investment I'd be just as disappointed as if I didn't make the money. That's why I recommend a payout structure where you make at the very least a profit of 50% on your initial buy-in when you make the money, and preferably around a 100% profit. I agree that there should be a curve in the payout structure, so that the paybumps become larger as you finish higher. Which is why I don't use a 40%/30%/20%/10% payout structure, but 42%/27%/18%/13%.
However, you said that in your opinion 50%/30%/20% and 40%/25%/20%/15% are the perfect examples of how NOT to do it. That sets up your structure as the PREFERED way to do it, and I couldn't agree less.
You're basing your structure on the principle that the jump from finishing in the money to the first paybump should be more than the difference between not cashing and making the money, which I feel is flawed reasoning. If you carry that design philosphy to large tournaments (like the WSOP), making the money could mean you make $100 back from your initial $10,000 buy-in.
When I (and I'm assuming most people) play in a tournament it's to outlast other players to win money, not to make a loss. By playing I accept that the buy-in is my investment to have a chance at a payday. If that payday is less than or equal to my initial investment I'd be just as disappointed as if I didn't make the money. That's why I recommend a payout structure where you make at the very least a profit of 50% on your initial buy-in when you make the money, and preferably around a 100% profit. I agree that there should be a curve in the payout structure, so that the paybumps become larger as you finish higher. Which is why I don't use a 40%/30%/20%/10% payout structure, but 42%/27%/18%/13%.