The blind structure is the backbone of any poker game. Get it wrong and you either end up with a 6-hour tournament that should've taken 3, or a cash game where nobody can play real poker. This guide covers how to set blinds for cash games and how to build a blind schedule for home tournaments — with charts you can print and use tonight.
In a cash game, blinds stay fixed for the entire session. Unlike tournaments, there's no pressure to eliminate players — people can rebuy, leave, and join freely. The goal is to set blinds that create real decisions without putting anyone's whole stack at risk every hand.
The universal starting point: buy-in should equal at least 100 big blinds. This is the minimum for "deep-stack" poker where hand selection, position, and post-flop play matter. With fewer than 50 big blinds, the game degenerates into push-or-fold territory.
| Buy-In | Recommended Blinds | Big Blinds at Start | Game Feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $0.10 / $0.20 | 100 BB | Micro-stakes, casual |
| $50 | $0.25 / $0.50 | 100 BB | Standard home game |
| $100 | $0.50 / $1 | 100 BB | Regular players, real poker |
| $200 | $1 / $2 | 100 BB | Higher stakes, experienced players |
| $500 | $2 / $5 | 100 BB | Serious home game |
Buy-ins between 100–200 BB give the most interesting play. Less than 50 BB limits strategy.
If you want a faster, more action-packed cash game, allow short-stack rebuys (20–50 BB). This creates more all-in situations and faster decisions. If you prefer strategic, deep play, enforce a minimum buy-in of 100 BB and let players add on freely.
Most home cash games use a $50 buy-in at $0.25/$0.50 — it's the sweet spot. Stakes feel real enough to create tension without anyone going broke over one bad night.
♠ Free resource
Blind structures, chip denominations, and settlement rules for your next game. Download it in 30 seconds.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tournaments are different. Blinds increase on a schedule, stacks shrink relative to the blinds, and eventually someone gets eliminated. Your blind schedule determines the pace and total length of the game.
Most home tournaments start players with 5,000–10,000 in chips. This is purely notional — the chips just represent fractions of your buy-in. More chips = deeper starting stacks = more play per level = longer tournament.
This schedule works well for 5–9 player home tournaments with a target length of 2.5–3.5 hours:
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Duration | BB Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | 20 min | — |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | 20 min | 2× |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | 20 min | 1.5× |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 20 min | 1.3× |
| 5 | 150 | 300 | 20 min | 1.5× |
| 6 | 200 | 400 | 20 min | 1.3× |
| 7 | 300 | 600 | 20 min | 1.5× |
| 8 | 400 | 800 | 20 min | 1.3× |
| 9 | 600 | 1200 | 20 min | 1.5× |
| 10 | 800 | 1600 | 20 min | 1.3× |
| 11 | 1000 | 2000 | Until end | 1.25× |
Starting stack: 10,000 chips. Starting M-ratio at level 1: 133 (very deep). Designed for 2.5–3.5 hours.
The key is the multiplier between levels — never more than 2× the previous big blind. Doubling is aggressive. A 1.3–1.5× increase is smoother and allows players to adjust gradually.
Level duration is the biggest lever for controlling game length. Longer levels = more hands per level = more play per level = longer tournament.
| Level Duration | Approx. Hands/Level | Game Feel | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 min | 8–12 hands | Very fast, push-or-fold quickly | Turbo, 1–2 hour games |
| 15 min | 12–18 hands | Fast-paced, some real play | 2–3 hour games |
| 20 min | 16–22 hands | Standard, good balance | 3–4 hour games |
| 25–30 min | 20–30 hands | Deep, strategic play | 4–5+ hour games |
For most home games, 20-minute levels hit the sweet spot. Long enough to play real poker at early levels, fast enough to push to a conclusion in 3–4 hours.
Built-in blind timer with alerts. Track buy-ins and rebuys simultaneously. Settlement calculated automatically when the tournament ends.
Start a Free Game →An ante is a forced bet posted by all players (or just the dealer in a "button ante" format) before the cards are dealt. Antes dramatically increase the size of pots and incentivize action.
Most home tournaments introduce antes at Level 3 or 4, when stacks are shorter relative to the blinds. A common rule: introduce antes when the big blind exceeds 100 chips (Level 3 in the schedule above).
Standard ante: Every player posts an ante equal to roughly 10–20% of the big blind before each hand. Simple but adds a lot of chips to manage.
Button ante: Only the player on the dealer button posts the ante, equal to the big blind. Much simpler for home games — one player posts, everyone else just handles their regular action. This is the format most home games should use.
| Level | Big Blind | Standard Ante | Button Ante |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 150 | 25 | 150 |
| 4 | 200 | 25 | 200 |
| 5 | 300 | 50 | 300 |
| 6 | 400 | 50 | 400 |
| 7+ | 600+ | 100 | Big blind |
For simplicity, most home games skip antes entirely for the first few levels and then use the button ante format for the rest of the tournament. Less confusion, same effect.
Use these templates as a starting point and adjust level duration to fit your target game length.
| Level | SB | BB | Ante (Button) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | — |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | — |
| 3 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 4 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 5 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 6 | 500 | 1000 | 1000 |
| 7 | 750 | 1500 | 1500 |
| 8 | 1000 | 2000 | 2000 |
Starting stack: 5,000 chips. Target: 1.5 hours, 5–7 players.
| Level | SB | BB | Ante (Button) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | — |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | — |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | 150 |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 5 | 150 | 300 | 300 |
| 6 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 7 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 8 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| 9 | 600 | 1200 | 1200 |
| 10 | 1000 | 2000 | 2000 |
Starting stack: 10,000 chips. Target: 3 hours, 6–9 players.
♣ Free resource
Blind structures, chip denominations, and settlement rules for your next game. Download it in 30 seconds.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.