9 Poker Blind Structures for Home Games (with Free Calculator)
Most home tournaments end too early. Not because people play badly, but because the host picked a blind structure that doubles every 15 minutes from level 1 — by hand 35 everyone's all-in pre-flop, and what should have been a 3-hour Friday night ends in 90 minutes with three people staring at their phones. Here are 9 tested structures that fix that, plus a free calculator at the end.
Why blind structure matters more than buy-in
Blind structure determines the variance-to-skill ratio of your tournament. A slow structure with deep starting stacks gives skilled players time to outplay everyone; a fast structure makes the night a coin-flip festival. Neither is wrong — but if you pick the wrong one for your group, the tournament feels off.
Two numbers control everything:
- Starting big blinds — your stack ÷ first level's BB. 100 BBs is plenty; 50 BBs is rushed; 200 BBs is deep stack.
- Level pace — how many minutes each level lasts.
And one rule of thumb:
A standard tournament hits its "all-in or fold" inflection point when the average stack drops to 15 big blinds. The structure controls when that happens — minute 60 in a turbo, minute 180 in a deep stack.
The 9 structures, in order from fastest to deepest
1. Hyper Turbo (3-minute levels)
For when you've got 30 minutes total. Pure variance — skill barely matters. Use it for warm-up games or when waiting for the main event.
| Level | SB / BB | Ante | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 / 50 | — | 3 min |
| 2 | 50 / 100 | — | 3 min |
| 3 | 100 / 200 | 25 | 3 min |
| 4 | 200 / 400 | 50 | 3 min |
| 5 | 400 / 800 | 100 | 3 min |
| 6 | 800 / 1,600 | 200 | 3 min |
2. Turbo (10-minute levels)
A 90-minute weekday game. Fast, but with enough room for one or two skill-driven decisions per stage.
3. Standard (15-minute levels) — the workhorse
3 hours total, fits 6–12 players. Our default — used in the Friendly Home Game preset in Dexas Holdem.
| Level | SB / BB | Ante | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 / 50 | — | 15 min |
| 2 | 50 / 100 | — | 15 min |
| 3 | 75 / 150 | — | 15 min |
| 4 | 100 / 200 | 25 | 15 min |
| 5 | 150 / 300 | 50 | 15 min |
| BREAK | — | — | 10 min |
| 6 | 200 / 400 | 75 | 15 min |
| 7 | 300 / 600 | 100 | 15 min |
| 8 | 500 / 1,000 | 100 | 15 min |
| 9 | 800 / 1,600 | 200 | 15 min |
| 10 | 1,200 / 2,400 | 300 | 15 min |
4. Deep Stack (20-minute levels, 200 BB start)
4-hour serious game. Players have time to make moves. Double the starting stack of standard (20,000 chips) so 25/50 blinds = 400 BBs at level 1.
5. WSOP Stakes (15-minute levels, slower progression)
Mimics the World Series structure but compressed. Each blind level increases by 1.5× instead of 2×. Slower middle game means more post-flop play.
6. Bounty Hunter (15-minute, standard blinds)
Same as Standard but with bounty payouts ($5–$10 per knockout). Faster eliminations because aggressive players go for shoves on short stacks. Doesn't actually change the blind structure but changes how it plays.
7. Pub League (12-minute, league points)
Slightly faster than Standard so the tournament ends in 2.5 hours — easier to fit between dinner and last orders. Used by pubs running weekly leagues.
8. Sit & Go (10-minute, 9-handed)
Casino-style SnG. 9 players, single table, blinds escalate so the bubble bursts around hour 1.
9. Deep Stack Cash-Equivalent (30-minute levels, 250 BB start)
Closest to a cash game. 5+ hours. Only for serious sessions with experienced players. Most home games never get here.
How to pick — quick decision tree
| You have... | Use |
|---|---|
| 30 min total | Hyper Turbo |
| 60–90 min, weekday | Turbo |
| 3 hours, mixed group | Standard ⭐ |
| 4+ hours, serious players | Deep Stack |
| Recurring league night | Pub League |
| Charity event | Standard with rebuys until level 6 |
The Auto-Build Calculator
Tell us your field size + target duration and we'll generate a structure that lasts. Math: starting stack ÷ projected average BB at the end = expected final-table BB count. We aim for ~15 BBs at the average stack when the field is down to the final 3, which is where good poker happens.
📐 Auto-build your blind structure
Common mistakes
- Starting blinds too high. If your starting stack is 10,000 and your first blinds are 100/200, that's 50 BBs at level 1 — basically a turbo. Start at 25/50 minimum.
- Doubling every level too soon. Levels 1–4 should grow slowly (1.5–1.7×). Doubling kicks in around level 5 onwards.
- Not adding antes. Antes from level 4+ force action. Without them, late stages get tight and slow.
- Forgetting the break. Without a break around the 75-minute mark, attendance flags. Bathroom, drinks, food. 10 minutes minimum.
- No "next level" warning. Players hate being surprised by a blind jump. Your timer should announce 5-minute and 1-minute warnings — Dexas Holdem speaks both out loud.
Stop building blind structures in spreadsheets
Dexas Holdem has all 9 structures above as one-click presets — plus auto-build for any custom field size, voice announcements, and a per-table TV display via QR.
Open the app →