What is the ideal poker tournament payout?

Martin

Martin

Scoundrels!
Administrator
Joined
Sep 8, 2010
Total posts
34,478
Awards
27
GB
Poker Chips
2,069
Casino Coins
16
  • #1
What is the ideal poker tournament payout to you?

One with a few places paid with a higher minimum cash and substantial pay jumps? Or more places paid with the consequence of lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps?

a9d5c9373f47e361f9d041cda0f6ec11.jpg

Thanks to @CRStals for this topic idea.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: ratbat615, VictorOd, Vallet and 11 others
perrywh

perrywh

Common sense!
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Total posts
3,224
Awards
12
US
Poker Chips
133
Casino Coins
0
  • #2
I like winner takes it all!
 
  • Like
Reactions: pansipos
YLAN

YLAN

Sida Nga Taraki
Loyaler
Joined
Jan 21, 2023
Total posts
3,098
Awards
9
PH
Poker Chips
1,444
Casino Coins
166
  • #3
I prefer more places paid with the consequence of lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps. More players getting something for their efforts is more fun. :) 10-15% places paid is ideal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: quick, jaymfc, theStarfish and 4 others
Tero

Tero

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Total posts
3,310
Awards
2
FI
Poker Chips
3,681
Casino Coins
255
  • #4
It should have some correlation with the player pool. Having 3000 players and only 30 places paid would be hard to achieve though. But top heavy is good. Having a min-cash and maybe only doubling one's buy-in makes very little sense to me.
 
najisami

najisami

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Total posts
9,385
Awards
17
MA
Poker Chips
4,165
Casino Coins
600
  • #5
I personally prefer a significant reward if I happen to go deep in a tourney. It makes no sense to waste hours and hours of play just to get one's buy-in back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: quick, Balou1982, lauestla and 1 other person
pentazepam

pentazepam

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Total posts
3,149
Awards
4
Poker Chips
1,145
Casino Coins
0
  • #6
I prefer cash games and hate the variance of MTTs, especially with "top-heavy" structures.

So, I prefer more places paid with the consequence of lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps.

Smoother, smaller pay jumps throughout the bubble and deep into the money allow players to avoid massive variance swings.

It keeps play more strategic and less reliant on flip-heavy situations.

In the long run the smaller payouts adds up for the better players.

If you have a super top heavy structure any idiot can win once and live on that winnings for a very long time.

Just look at some of the wsop main event winners.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Station_Master
bapfel

bapfel

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 7, 2020
Total posts
2,350
Awards
21
DE
Poker Chips
1,325
Casino Coins
0
  • #7
Top 5 in Replay is really hard to achieve, a FT place should be honoured,
so best 10 percent paid out is a minimum in my opinion
 
  • Like
Reactions: jaymfc and lauestla
Igor G

Igor G

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Dec 8, 2021
Total posts
1,670
Awards
1
UA
Poker Chips
513
Casino Coins
185
  • #8
Martin said:
What is the ideal poker tournament payout to you?

One with a few places paid with a higher minimum cash and substantial pay jumps? Or more places paid with the consequence of lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps?

a9d5c9373f47e361f9d041cda0f6ec11.jpg

Thanks to @CRStals for this topic idea.
I prefer tournaments with more prizes, even though the payouts are smaller. I prefer this structure of prize pool distribution because I often have a positive result in such tournaments. For me, any positive result is an ITM.
 
Sunz of Beaches

Sunz of Beaches

Sunz Tzu
Platinum Level
Joined
Oct 26, 2019
Total posts
6,258
Awards
2
Poker Chips
2,545
Casino Coins
370
  • #9
I would definitely go for more places paid with a lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps. I'm not a big gambler and i prefer games like that in general.

That's why I always liked sit and goes. Because some of them pay out like 30 %.
 
maronza1

maronza1

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Oct 31, 2021
Total posts
2,652
Awards
13
BW
Poker Chips
1,314
Casino Coins
100
  • #10
I also would definitely go for more places paid with a lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps because it reduces variance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CheezeWiz
okeedokalee

okeedokalee

Glory To Ukraine
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Total posts
6,032
Awards
25
NZ
Poker Chips
1,381
Casino Coins
0
  • #11
More places paid with the consequence of lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps?
In the previous Pokerstars Cardschat freerolls if you win a dollar a day you are looking at $365 a year.

With 5 places at replay, fewer people actually win dollars after making the FT. Missing out on a payout can be frustrating.
Most people I know lose more than that $365 per year. So having a few places paid with a higher minimum cash and substantial pay jumps, actually i dis-incentivises many people and leads to less tournament participants. Nine places would help restore the incentive to play.

I had one friend who won a enough for a poker holiday at a casino, which he and his wife had a great time.
Over the next 3 years he lost double that amount and gave up poker. This guy was a good player.

I think small incremental wins are far more easier on the mind and the wallet.
We all wish we can win big and how many of us achieve that outcome?
 
  • Like
Reactions: maronza1
mattiebumpo

mattiebumpo

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Aug 24, 2021
Total posts
6,373
Awards
10
US
Poker Chips
3,212
Casino Coins
0
  • #12
Instead of the top 3 being so top heavy, I would like to see the money being spread more evenly at the final table with smaller pay jumps. For example, if there was $100,000 prize money for the final table, I would like to see it spread out something like this (example used is for a $250 buy in daily deepstack type tournament):
1st   21000
2nd   16000
3rd   13000
4th   11000
5th   9500
6th   8000
7th   6500
8th   5500
9th   5000
10th  4500
 
  • Like
Reactions: zorro222_zorro222
TeUnit

TeUnit

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Total posts
6,215
Awards
21
Poker Chips
478
Casino Coins
175
  • #13
I used to really like the bodog turbo beginners, that payed 4 of 10.

They did not take very long and the villan's implosion factor was high.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jaymfc
Gutshot Gus

Gutshot Gus

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Oct 15, 2021
Total posts
1,298
Awards
7
Poker Chips
519
Casino Coins
0
  • #14
I like the top 10% to be paid in tournaments.
 
10gerka

10gerka

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Aug 6, 2018
Total posts
1,322
Awards
3
Poker Chips
801
Casino Coins
5
  • #15
I think the second option would be better. I prefer there to be more paid places, with the consequence of a lower minimum cash and smaller payment jumps, that way more will enter into prizes and thus reward the players for their efforts.
 
Berandir

Berandir

Visionary
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Total posts
665
Awards
4
BR
Poker Chips
607
Casino Coins
0
  • #16
I like the second option, considering my level of player. I look for cheaper tournaments, and this way I have more chances of getting into the prize pool, by playing in cheaper tournaments.
 
R.Melnyk77

R.Melnyk77

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jul 10, 2023
Total posts
1,135
Awards
1
UA
Poker Chips
600
Casino Coins
215
  • #17
Of course, I would choose a tournament with more paid seats. That way, I would at least have a better chance of recouping my buy-in.
 
F

fundiver199

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Total posts
16,305
Awards
2
Poker Chips
1,133
Casino Coins
0
  • #18
I dont care to much about the payout structure. But a top heavy structure increase variance, which people should take into account, if they want to follow some kind of bankroll management scheme.
 
Sebbour

Sebbour

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Total posts
1,418
Awards
8
HR
Poker Chips
548
Casino Coins
0
  • #19
Martin said:
What is the ideal poker tournament payout to you?

One with a few places paid with a higher minimum cash and substantial pay jumps? Or more places paid with the consequence of lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps?

a9d5c9373f47e361f9d041cda0f6ec11.jpg

Thanks to @CRStals for this topic idea.
I'll go with more places paid and smaller pay jumps. When I'm looking for a tournament that I want to play I'm always searching for tournaments that have more paying positions (with more starting chips and slow blind structure). To be honest, these days in micro or lower buy-ins these are much harder to find.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zorro222_zorro222
pansipos

pansipos

Rock Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jan 20, 2023
Total posts
447
Awards
1
HU
Poker Chips
483
Casino Coins
0
  • #20
I like winner takes it all too! :)
 
Goggelheimer

Goggelheimer

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Feb 14, 2023
Total posts
1,717
Awards
3
Poker Chips
1,101
Casino Coins
5
  • #21
So my 5 cents here:
The price structure should have a minimum cash that brings buy in back, how this is achieved is another question.
If this is made by a more flattened pay out structure with not so big pay outs at the final table or another method of making the laddering nicer.
So for me, it should be more places paid with a min cash that gives buy in back, the steps on the ladder are smaller.
 
RhinoRyan89

RhinoRyan89

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Total posts
1,535
Awards
3
GB
Poker Chips
441
Casino Coins
5
  • #22
I would prefer is less places where paid in a tournament to make the payouts for going deep/cashing more substantial.

I would like min cash in a tournament to be around 2.5× to 3× the buy in for that event/tournament.
 
SL-247

SL-247

Visionary
Bronze Level
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Total posts
968
Awards
2
UA
Poker Chips
489
Casino Coins
0
  • #23
Martin said:
What is the ideal poker tournament payout to you?

One with a few places paid with a higher minimum cash and substantial pay jumps? Or more places paid with the consequence of lower minimum cash and smaller pay jumps?

a9d5c9373f47e361f9d041cda0f6ec11.jpg

Thanks to @CRStals for this topic idea.
15-20% of prize places from the total number of participants.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 19aleks57
Risto234

Risto234

põrandaalune pokkerimängija
Platinum Level
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Total posts
17,708
Awards
5
EE
Poker Chips
816
Casino Coins
10
  • #24
Only ideal scenario is me ending in ITM-places.

So yeah it probably isn't much difference (for me) whether there are 1,5,10 or 20+ paid prizes as long as i get something from such tournament(s) :unsure:
 
iwont20

iwont20

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Total posts
5,809
Awards
20
BY
Poker Chips
1,254
Casino Coins
0
  • #25
Pokerstars a while ago made it their goal to spread out payouts, so more players are "in the money", but I don't like this move. When you play for several hours, only to get your buy-in back? And payjumps are not that significant on PS either. I think in other rooms situation is at least a bit, but better. So all of this made me come to the conclusion that I like ITM to be something truly valuable, hence the lowest prize should be at least 4x bigger than the buy-in. And payjumps should be also significant, so I'd like to have rather smaller number of payed prizes, than a bit of crumbs for everyone who played 2.5 -3.5 hours. Obviously, I'm talking about online poker.
 
  • Like
Reactions: A kiravio, Poker Orifice and millya5
Top