chip tool
Chip distribution.
Give it the number of players and the starting stack, and it gives you the chip values, how many of each every player gets, and how many chips you need in the box. It adds up exactly or it tells you it does not.
the one constraint
The smallest chip is the stack divided by two hundred.
Everyone sits down a hundred big blinds deep, so the first big blind is the starting stack divided by a hundred and the first small blind is half of that. The smallest chip has to pay that small blind, and that is the whole of it. A 5,000 stack means a 25 chip; a 200 stack means a 1 chip. Everything above the smallest chip is convenience, not arithmetic, which is why this tool lets you pick between the two ratios that home games actually use. The home game page explains where that constraint comes from and works the same recipes out by hand.
Eight of each of the two smallest values is the second choice this tool makes for you, and it is the one that stops the change making: eight is enough to post a blind, make a raise and still hold something in every denomination. The rest of the stack goes into the large chips, because those are the ones nobody has to break.
If a level asks for a small blind your smallest chip cannot pay, round the small blind down and leave the big blind exactly where the schedule put it. The big blind is the unit the whole evening is measured in. The blind structure page shows where that happens in a geometric schedule, and the blind timer builds a schedule from your players, stacks and hours if you would rather not write one.
worked out at build time
| Stack | Colours | Values | Chips each | Total | Adds up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | 3 | 1 / 5 / 25 | 10 / 8 / 6 | 24 | 10 + 40 + 150 |
| 1,000 | 3 | 5 / 20 / 100 | 8 / 8 / 8 | 24 | 40 + 160 + 800 |
| 5,000 | 3 | 25 / 100 / 500 | 8 / 8 / 8 | 24 | 200 + 800 + 4,000 |
| 5,000 | 4 | 25 / 100 / 500 / 1,000 | 8 / 8 / 4 / 2 | 22 | 200 + 800 + 2,000 + 2,000 |
| 10,000 | 3 | 25 / 100 / 500 | 8 / 8 / 18 | 34 | 200 + 800 + 9,000 |
| 20,000 | 4 | 100 / 400 / 2,000 / 4,000 | 8 / 8 / 4 / 2 | 22 | 800 + 3,200 + 8,000 + 8,000 |
The last column is the arithmetic itself, not a claim about it. Every row adds to its stack exactly, and the build refuses to publish this page if the calculator ever stops agreeing with the recipes on the home game page.
how many to own
With a 5,000 stack in three colours the stock question answers itself: eight of each colour per player. Nine players need 216 chips handed out, which a 300 chip set covers with room for a late arrival. Buying for the table you might have rather than the table you have is the cheapest decision on this page.
| Players | Per colour, 25 / 100 / 500 | Chips handed out |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 48 / 48 / 48 | 144 |
| 8 | 64 / 64 / 64 | 192 |
| 9 | 72 / 72 / 72 | 216 |
| 10 | 80 / 80 / 80 | 240 |
Everything here assumes a tournament, where chips are units and not money. For a table where the chips stand for cash instead, the house rules page covers buy ins, rebuys and the arguments worth settling in advance.
next step
The chips are counted. Now the levels.
The same starting stack decides how long your evening runs and how fast the blinds have to climb to end on time. The blind structure page turns the number you just used into a schedule.
chip questions
How many poker chips does each player need?
Between twenty and thirty. Fewer than fifteen and somebody is making change on every hand; more than forty and the stacks become furniture. This tool aims at the low twenties by giving eight chips of each of the two smallest values and putting the rest of the stack into the large ones.
What chip values should I use for a 5,000 starting stack?
Twenty five, one hundred and five hundred, eight of each. That is 200 plus 800 plus 4,000, which is exactly 5,000 in twenty four chips. The twenty five comes from the only constraint that matters: the smallest chip has to pay the first small blind, and that is the starting stack divided by two hundred.
Why is the smallest chip the starting stack divided by two hundred?
Because everyone starts a hundred big blinds deep, so the first big blind is the stack divided by a hundred and the first small blind is half of that. Your smallest chip has to be able to pay that small blind. Nothing above it is forced, which is why the ratio between the other values is a matter of convenience rather than arithmetic.
How many chips do I need to buy for nine players?
With the standard recipe, seventy two of each of three colours, so 216 chips handed out. A 300 chip set covers nine or ten players with a reserve for someone arriving late. The reserve matters more than it sounds: it is what lets a player join at level three without the table waiting.
What if the recipe does not add up to my stack exactly?
The tool says so rather than rounding quietly. That happens when your starting stack is not a whole multiple of the smallest chip, which is a sign the stack is the awkward number, not the chip set. Round the stack to something the chips can build and the problem disappears.
Does anything on this page get sent anywhere?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser, there is no account, and nothing is stored or logged. The worked examples further down are calculated when the page is built, so they are there even with JavaScript switched off.
further in the app
In Pokiq your home game results sit with the rest, so a kitchen table night counts the same as any other. Your first import and your most expensive leak are free, with no payment details.
Open in Pokiq →