Playing a Poker Tournament at your weekly home game can be both a fun and exciting way to have fun with your friends. Make sure you have the equipment first like the Poker Table, Poker Cards, and Poker Chips and then follow these instructions to host your poker tournament.
How To Play a Poker Tournament at Your Home Game
To Opt-in or to Opt-out, that is the question.
Often, members of my Online Poker School, Pro Poker School, ask me about the best way to run a friendly home game single table tournament that is both practical and fun.
Well, I can only rave about the home game setup I play in every Wednesday night because of the opt-in or opt-out rule that they play with.
The tournament starts like any other tournament, for $10 each player gets 2,000 in chips. Chip denominations are 25 (white), 50 (red), 100 (black) and 500 (green).
Blinds start at 25-50 and go up every half hour for the first two rounds and then every 20 minutes after that. Blind levels are 25-50, 50-100, 100-200, 150-300, 200-400, 300-600, 400-800, 500 -1000, 600-1200, 800-1600, and 1000-2000. Two card decks are used, one for the current dealer and the other for the small blind to shuffle for the next hand.
The opt-in and opt-out aspect of the game involves rebuys. This home game is played with unlimited rebuys. Any player can opt to rebuy back in and get 2,000 chips at any time if they are completely out of chips. The central idea is tht players can choice to opt-out if they feel the blinds are too high and that a rebuy is no longer practical. When the blinds get to 300-600 or 400-800, and the big stack at the table has nearly 10,000 in chips, it is usually wise for players to opt out because the chance of coming back at this point are slim. However, it is the players option when they choose to opt-out and this provides a very enjoyable home game tournament. There is no fear of going broke too early in the night and having to sit out the rest of the tournament. There is always plenty of action as players try to accumulate chips early and amass a big stack to bully those rebuying late in the game when the blinds are big.
Pay outs are usually $10 for third, $30 for 2nd, and the rest goes to the winner, an amount that often exceeds $200. Of course you could alter the amount you play for, change the $10 for another amount like $1 for a small game or $20 for a bigger game.
Oh, and it is always BYOB.
- Bo Jungblut
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