Pool tournament payout calculator
Enter the field and the fee, pick a split, and post the result. Works for any format, handles buybacks and added money, and rounds to whole dollars so the envelope matches the sheet.
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How the calculator works
The pot is every entry fee minus the green fee, plus every buyback, plus any added money. Each place gets its percentage of the pot, rounded to the step you chose, and any rounding difference lands on first place so the sheet always adds up to the pot exactly. The house figure is the green fee times players; it never touches the pot. This is the same arithmetic RackerTracker uses when a tournament is set to percent payouts, so the number on the bar TV and the number on this page agree.
Picking a split
- Up to 8 players: winner-take-all or 60/40. Paying three places from eight means almost half the room cashes, which flattens the incentive.
- 9–16 players: 50/30/20. The bar standard, and the one most players expect without being told.
- 17–24 players: 45/30/15/10 or 40/25/15/10/10. Paying four or five places keeps the B-side matches meaningful late at night.
- 25–40 players: 40/25/15/10/10 or the seven-place split; 5th–8th usually get their entry back plus a little.
- Over 40: pay a tenth of the field or a bit more; the top-10 preset is a reasonable start. Make sure the last place paid at least covers the entry fee.
The common mistake is paying too many places. A player who finishes 7th out of 20 and gets $12 back from a $10 entry has not been rewarded; they have been reminded they lost. Fewer, fatter places make the final table matter.
Added money and green fees
Added money is the best promotion a bar can run: "$100 added" on a $10 entry turns a 16-player pot of $160 into $260 and first place from $80 to $130, and every player knows the house put it there. Say it on the flyer and on the TV. A green fee is the opposite flow - a few dollars per player to the house for table time (or to the organizer for running the night). It is normal and accepted when stated separately; it causes trouble when hidden inside "the entry fee is $12 but the pot is based on $10."
Buybacks change the pot
If your format allows buybacks or chip re-buys, the pot is not known until the buyback window closes, which is why fixed dollar payouts posted at the start go wrong. Post the percentages instead and let the dollars follow. Our buyback guide has the rules that keep that fair.
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