Help with a structure

[tfeilding]

I'm running a live game soon and I'm not sure how deepstacked I can make it.

The table will either be 5 handed or 10 handed and it is an STT.

If 5 handed it will play down to a winner but if it is 10 handed it will play down to the final two players who will then both win seats to another tourney.

We have 3h30mins to complete the game in and it cannot overrun. It is also self dealt though I might use two decks.

I'm thinking of using my usual structure: 50/100, 100/200, 150/300, 200/400, 300/600 etc but I don't know what starting stack to play with or if I should vary the length of the earlier blinds.

How would you do things if you were organising it?

[million$tedz]

probably just 3k

[tfeilding]

I'm thinking around 7k should be ok with blinds around 15/20 mins. But I want to get some kind of verification from the poker gods on here.

[Dice Man]

I don't understand why everybody nowadays seems to go with starting stack of around 4000 with smallest chip denominations of about 50. I can see how this would make sense if you'd bought in for say £4000, but what's wrong with just reducing it down to 200 chips with smallest denominations of 1? Do people take it more seriously with bigger numbers involved or something??

[tfeilding]

I think that's a debate for another thread Dice - in this instance I'll be sticking with the xK stacks cos those playing are used to that amount.

[RevStu]

It just saves confusion if people are playing with the denominations they know. A few months back I went to a deepstack of 15,000 chips with blinds starting at 25/50 and nobody knew where they were. Someone would raise 800 and you could see cogs whirring in brains as people tried to figure out if that was a big bet or not.

Based on experience, for a three-and-a-half hour 10-seat game starting at 50/100, I'd say about 5K was the sensible choice, 6K at the very most - any more and you're seriously risking an over-run. For five players you could go a lot higher.

[wilfuljoker]

Tom, in my experience it will be discipline over breaks that will influence finish time. With three and half hours a casino would probably only have one break but home games tend to have one every hour which often goes to 15/20 mins each. The other thing you may need to decide before you start is what the ruling on a chop will be and at what time this decision will be made. I think at Stanleys a couple of months ago, we took 15 mins arguing over what the deal would be. Choices as far as I can see are:

1. Remaining players decide.
2. TD decides prior to start of game:
a) prize pot split according to chip counts pro rata
b) prize pot split according to chip counts according to orginal prize structure (if more than two left then short stacks get nothing??)
c) prize pot completely split or bit left to play for over last few hands?

As TD you may want to decide which of the above you are going for based on whether you have any players who are less experienced at making deals "on the hoof" and so could be steamrollered by a more experienced player. I've been in a few chopped pots but always feel a bit overwhelmed by the force of the other players' opinions. Same goes for savers.

[tfeilding]

Thanks Judi - that's a good idea for me to clarify some kind of back up plan before we start.

The game is a satellite into the £100 GCBPT tourney so chopping is going to be difficult but I'll figure something out.

As for breaks, as a non-smoker I tend to be quite ruthless! I run a weekly LPL game and the only break the guys get is during chip up.

Thanks to everyone for their help on this thread.

[Noe]

Are you going to post this on the neet-up group or is it a private event. Sounds fun, Tom and you a great host.

[tfeilding]

It's a semi-private game. I want to keep it to no more than three tables of 5 and I currently have ten players. I'll no doubt post any spare seats to either here or Meetup nearer to Wednesday so keep your ears open and eyes peeled.