Tournament Payout Studio

A practical payout designer for home-game hosts, poker clubs, and PokerDeck tournament organizers. Pick the parameters that matter and publish a payout your room can read before the first hand.

Need payout policy first? Read the poker tournament payout structure guide for paid-place ranges, min-cash advice, payout curves, and satellite structures before tuning the studio.

Players
Pool
$ / player
+ fee
Payout
~38% to 1st · the familiar club ladder
Paid places
Payout schedule

Every band publishes the same ladder — pick a band to see each place below.

Entries Paid 1st Min cash
32–36 5 42% 6%
37–43 6 38% 8%
44–49 7 36% 5%
50–56 8 35% 4.5%
57–63 9 34% 4%
64–69 10 31.9% 1.3%
70–76 11 30.1% 1%
77–80 12 28.6% 0.9%
  • 32–36 15%
  • 37–43 15%
  • 44–49 15%
  • 50–56 15%
  • 57–63 15%
  • 64–69 15%
  • 70–76 15%
  • 77–80 15%

The bar is how the prize pool splits across paid places — top-heavy toward 1st. The gauge on the right is the share of the field that cashes.

Paid places step with the field; every band uses the same style. Amounts and the full ladder for the selected band show below.

Payout structure 50 players · Balanced · top 8
$ 2,500 prize pool 50 × 50
Paid 8 / 50 · 16%
Shape standard
Spread 8× first vs min
  1. 01 $ 17.60 × %
  2. 02 $ 7.20 × %
  3. 03 $ 6.30 × %
  4. 04 $ 5.40 × %
  5. 05 $ 4.60 × %
  6. 06 $ 3.70 × %
  7. 07 $ 3.00 × %
  8. 08 $ 2.20 × % min cash
Balanced · 100% · 2,500 USD · auto · nearest 5 · +5 to 1st · ready to export
Export
Advice
4 notes on this structure
  • Curve reads cleanly for the field size.

    A $50 club night pays a visible slice of the field while keeping the win meaningful and the ladder printable.

  • Min cash is 2.2× total entry cost.

    The last payout is still clearly above the buy-in, so min cash does not read like a token refund.

  • Field cash share is 16% (8 of 50).

    Close to the usual club-night band: enough paid places for a social room without flattening the top prizes.

  • Estimates calculated before the first hand.

    Add-ons and re-entries can move the pool. The published structure here is what the room can plan against.

Estimates are calculated locally from the parameters above. Free to use, no account needed, and if anything is off or missing, tell us.

Payout calculator FAQ

Common poker tournament payout questions

What is a poker tournament payout calculator?

A poker tournament payout calculator turns the number of players, prize pool, payout style, paid places, and rounding rules into a published payout table before the first hand is dealt.

What makes Tournament Payout Studio different from a spreadsheet?

Tournament Payout Studio lets organizers adjust field size, prize pool, payout curve, satellite mode, paid places, and manual edits in one interface, then export a clean schedule players can read.

Can I use Tournament Payout Studio for home games and poker clubs?

Yes. It is free, runs in the browser, and is designed for home-game hosts, poker clubs, and PokerDeck organizers who need a clear payout structure without spreadsheet math.