8-player home game, no rebuys
8 players, 5,000 stack, 300-chip case, 0 planned rebuys · Chips per player : 29 chips
| Color | Value | Per player | In the bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 25 | 12 | 4 |
| Black | 100 | 12 | 4 |
| Purple | 500 | 3 | 26 |
| Yellow | 1,000 | 2 | 34 |
| Total | 5,000 | 29 | 68 |
Free tool
Poker chip distribution calculator
Enter the chips in your case, the number of players and the starting stack: the calculator gives each player's stack, color by color, what stays in the bank, and how many rebuys the bank can still pay for. It is free and needs no account.
Each player's starting stack
- Chips per player
- 24 chips
- Chips to hand out
- 240
- Rebuys the bank can pay
- 6
- Players possible
- 15 at most
| Color | Value | Per player | In the bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 25 | 8 | 70 |
| Black | 100 | 8 | 70 |
| Purple | 500 | 6 | 40 |
| Yellow | 1,000 | 1 | 40 |
| Orange | 5,000 | 1 | 40 |
| Total | 10,000 | 24 | 260 |
How the calculation works
The calculator builds a stack worth exactly the starting stack, then checks that the case can supply one to every player. Four rules, in this order:
- The total is exact. Every stack is worth the starting stack, to the chip. So the stack must be a multiple of the smallest value in the case; if it isn’t, the calculator suggests the closest possible stack.
- Four colors, five at most. Four colors are easy to tell apart at a glance; beyond that, players have to check which is which on every bet. The smallest value is always in the stack, with at least four chips: that is what players make change with from the first blind.
- About thirty chips. Between 26 and 34 chips, every stack is as good as the next; the calculator then picks the one whose piles look most alike, with no tall tower and no lonely color.
- The case sets the limits. A color cannot put more chips in each stack than the case holds, divided by the number of stacks to make: one per player, plus one per planned rebuy or add-on.
When the case is tight, the stack has fewer chips or one more color. When it isn’t enough at all, the calculator says so and tells you how many players it can seat.
How many chips per player
About thirty chips per player, across four colors, is enough for a tournament. For a 10,000 stack with 25, 100, 500 and 1,000 chips, each stack holds 8 chips of 25, 8 of 100, 6 of 500 and 6 of 1,000: 28 chips. For a 5,000 stack with the same chips, it holds 12 of 25, 12 of 100, 3 of 500 and 2 of 1,000: 29 chips.
The stack itself follows from the blinds: about a hundred times the first big blind. The blind structure calculator then builds the levels from that stack.
How many chips in the case
Allow about thirty chips per player, and the same again for each planned rebuy. A 500-chip set — 150 of 25, 150 of 100, 100 of 500, 50 of 1,000 and 50 of 5,000, the one the calculator starts with — seats up to 20 players with a 10,000 stack, or 15 if it keeps enough to pay for five rebuys.
What stays in the bank
Whatever isn’t handed out stays in the case: that is the bank. It pays for rebuys and add-ons, and makes change at color-ups, when small chips leave the table in exchange for bigger ones. The calculator counts how many identical stacks the bank can still make: that is how many rebuys it can pay for at the starting stack.
With no rebuys planned, the neatest stack can use up a whole color: ten stacks of 10,000 then take all fifty 1,000 chips in the case, and the first rebuy can’t be paid. So enter the rebuys and add-ons you expect: the calculator takes them into account before building the stack.
The colors in your case
The calculator assumes nothing about colors: enter the ones in your case, with their values. Two lines with the same value are added together — two bags of green chips, for instance. A value that isn’t a multiple of the smallest one still works, but some bets won’t be payable exactly: the calculator flags it.
Example distributions
500-chip case, 10 players and rebuys
10 players, 10,000 stack, 500-chip case, 5 planned rebuys · Chips per player : 24 chips
| Color | Value | Per player | In the bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 25 | 8 | 70 |
| Black | 100 | 8 | 70 |
| Purple | 500 | 6 | 40 |
| Yellow | 1,000 | 1 | 40 |
| Orange | 5,000 | 1 | 40 |
| Total | 10,000 | 24 | 260 |
30-player club tournament
30 players, 20,000 stack, 1,200-chip case, 10 planned rebuys · Chips per player : 24 chips
| Color | Value | Per player | In the bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 100 | 10 | 100 |
| Purple | 500 | 6 | 120 |
| Yellow | 1,000 | 6 | 120 |
| Orange | 5,000 | 2 | 140 |
| Total | 20,000 | 24 | 480 |
Frequently asked questions
How many chips should each player get in a poker tournament?
About thirty chips, across four colors. That is enough to bet without counting and to make change, and not so many that they spill across the table. For a 10,000 stack with 25, 100, 500 and 1,000 chips, the calculator gives 8 chips of 25, 8 of 100, 6 of 500 and 6 of 1,000: 28 chips.
How many chips do I need for a 10-player tournament?
Allow about thirty chips per player, and the same again for each planned rebuy: roughly 300 chips for 10 players with no rebuys, 450 with five rebuys. A 500-chip set is therefore enough for a 10-player home game. With the calculator's default case, a 10,000 stack seats up to 20 players, or 15 if it keeps five rebuys in the bank.
What starting stack should I use?
About a hundred times the first big blind: 10,000 chips for a first big blind of 100, 5,000 for a first big blind of 50. The stack must also be a multiple of the smallest chip in the case, or no stack adds up exactly. The blind structure calculator then builds the levels from that stack.
What are the leftover chips in the case for?
They are the bank. It pays for rebuys and add-ons and makes change at color-ups, when small chips are swapped for bigger ones. Enter your planned rebuys: the calculator keeps enough in the bank to pay for them at the starting stack.
What if my chip set isn't big enough for every player?
The calculator tells you how many players it can seat with that stack. You can plan fewer rebuys, add higher-value chips, or lower the starting stack while keeping it a multiple of the smallest chip.
Is the chip calculator free?
Yes, with no account and no limit. The distribution prints, copies into a spreadsheet and shares as a link that reopens the same chip case. MyPokerCaptain, the poker tournament management software, keeps the club's chip case and plans the color-ups at every break.