Suggestions on how to make a good heads-up home tourney?

[Lottery Larry]

There are several different ideas on structure/blind progression, on prize payout, and other areas that our group came up with as potential methods for holding a heads-up tournament. I’ve written up some summaries of the various ideas and potential prize payouts, melding them together as I thought it made sense.
Let me know what you like and don’t like, maybe we can combine different proposals.

I) Format #1- Multiple buy-in, stage elimination
a. Structure
i. Preliminary stage- Limited multi-match (if only a handful play, could be complete round robin)
1. 2-3 losses eliminates you; 2-3 wins moves you to the next level
2. Two questions:
a. Rebuying back in?
b. Late buy-ins to this stage (or catch up when second stage starts?)
ii. Double-elimination second stage- 2-3 wins locks you for final 8.
iii. Final 8- single elimination third stage
iv. Final 2- best 2 of 3 matches

b. Blinds/Stacks
i. Starting stack T5,000, blinds T25/50 (100:1)
ii. Blinds double every 20 minutes until T100/200, then progress by 100 up to T500/1000, then T700/1400 and T1000/2000 at Round 9
1. Each match chould last 2 hours or so
iii. Final 2 start with T10,000 for each match
1. Do starting blinds move up to T50/100?

c. Prize pool- buy in for every match
i. Escalating buy-in amount for stages 1-3
ii. Pay a portion of the buy-in for each match at Stages 2-3
iii. Final 4 split remaining prize pool- 45% / 30% / 15% / 10%

d. Schedule
i. First two stages, matches would be set up on cash game nights and after tourney nights are completed
ii. We may schedule a tourney night for multiple matches for Stages 1-2
iii. If required, forfeits would be determined in order to keep this whole thing under 6 months in length!
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II) Format #2- Time-limited rounds, point totals
a. Structure
i. Preliminary stage- Everyone plays X number of matches.
1. Chip gap is your score for each match
2. Ties, or chip differences of less than 20% of the starting stack, result in 1000 point loss for each player.

*** If anyone has a better suggestion for trying to limit stalling by the big stack, with locked-in low blinds...

3. Each match after your first, the two closest scores from the previous match (starting at the top) are matched up.
ii. Secondary stage- After X matches, the top 8 players battle in two matches each
1. Chip gap totals are accumulated as before.
2. Pairings are based on closest accumulated point totals, but preliminary points are wiped out after determining the first matches.
3. Top 2 players by point total move on- tiebreaker matches may be required.
iii. Final stage- Play 4 timed matches
1. Total points summed from each match determines the winner.

b. Blinds/Stacks
i. Starting stack T7,500, blinds frozen at T50/100 (75:1)
ii. No round limit- total match limit 60 minutes

c. Prize pool- buy in for flat amount, one time
i. Rebuys?
ii. Top 5 places paid (unless this is under 20% or over 33% of the total players)
1. 45% / 25% /15% /10% /5%

d. Schedule
i. Multiple matches on each game night
ii. Would take 2-3 solid nights of matches to determine the winners.
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III) Format #3- March Madness format
a. Structure
i. Preliminary stage- Play Y rounds, preferably with Y= 1/2 field
ii. Secondary stage- Top 8 finishers are seeded based on preliminary stage records (tiebreaker- draw cards)
1. Single elimination matches: 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.
iii. Winner is the undefeated one of the 8 players.

iv. Make it 16 instead, have first two rounds one night, last two money matches on another night?

b. Blinds/Stacks
i. Starting stack T6,500, blinds T50/100 (65:1)
ii. Blinds double every 20 minutes until T100/200, then progress by 100 up to T500/1000, then T700/1400 and T1000/2000 at Round 9
iii. Each match could last 2 hours or so

c. Prize pool- buy in for flat amount, one time
i. Top 4 places paid
1. 50% / 25% / 15% / 10%
2. Tiebreaker is length of the semi-final match

d. Schedule
i. Preliminary stage, matches would be set up on cash game nights and after tourney nights are completed
ii. Final 8 will compete and hold all 3 matches in one evening, determining the winner.
iii. If required, forfeits would be determined in order to keep this whole thing under 6 months in length!

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IV) Format #4- Shootout groups
a. Structure
i. Preliminary stage- The field is grouped, by 4-6 players per group
1. Each group plays one match against the rest of their group (6-15 total matches)
2. Tiebreaker matches may be played
3. Maximum of 6 groups
ii. Secondary stage- Top 6-10 finishers are selected (# of preliminary groups +4 spots):
1. Winners of each group get T6000
2. 4 highest second-place finishers (among all of the preliminary groups) play single-elimination matches to win their way in to the final two spots. These players start with T4000.
3. Single elimination matches: One T6000 vs. one T4000 player.
4. Winners keep all the chips for the next match

5. Odd number of remaining matches- draw cards to determine wild-card matches, so that remaining matches are even

iii. Winner is the undefeated one of the final players.

b. Blinds/Stacks
i. Starting stack T5,000 (preliminary), blinds T40/80 (62.5:1)
ii. Blinds double every 20 minutes until T100/200, then progress by 100 up to T500/1000, then T700/1400 and T1000/2000 at Round 9
iii. Each match should last 2 hours or so

c. Prize pool- buy in for flat amount, one time
i. Top 6 places paid
1. 35% / 20% /15% /15% /10% /5%
2. Tiebreaker is length of the knock-out match

d. Schedule
i. Preliminary stage, matches would be set up on cash game nights and after tourney nights are completed
ii. Final X will compete and hold matches in one or two evenings, depending on the number.


Thanks for any comments
LL