Advice on setting up a tournament

[RiveredAgain]

I'm planning on setting up a NL Hold'em for around 40 people. I need to tournament to end in between 3-3 1/2 hours. Maybe a little earlier but no later. What would be the optimal blind structure? This is how I set it up for now:
Starting chips: 2000(2 500 chips, 5 100 chips, 8 50 chips, 4 25 chips)
30 minute intervals
25/50
50/100
100/200
150/300
250/500
500/1000
1000/2000

Seems like the blinds might be increasing too fast, but how else Would I be able to end the tournament in around 3 hours? Also, I have limited # of chips, so I figured using $10 chips will not work. Also, I plan on coloring up the $25 chips after the 3rd level and also gradually incorperating $1000 chips.

Any advice would be appreciated in that I do not have much experience with this.

Thank you.

[faith]

www.homepokertourney.com

great resource with all the info you're asking about and much more.

[Fins]

A tourney with 40 people lasting only 3-3½ hours seems a little short IMO. 30 min levels is too long especially given your time constraints... consider 15-20min levels.

Here's some info I've gathered from some other posters... might be able to adjust them to your needs (Note: some are from other forums).

FROM BIG SLICK 25:
I host a weekly tourney of 30 and it last about 4 hours I follow
a T1500 schedule increasing every 20 minutes.

10-20
20-40
40-80
50-100
100-200
200-400
400-800
500-1000
1000-2000
2000-4000
4000-8000
5000-10000
10000-20000

It works great I even have rebuys for the first two blind sessions everyone likes the structure.

FROM MIKSEN:
10 player - No Rebuys - amount to sit doesnt matter.
approx 3 to 4 hours
We give 5000 in chips with the following structure every 15 minutes

25-50 start 20 minutes
50-100 300-600
75-150 400-800
color up 500-1000
100-200 color up
150-300 1000-2000
200-400 1500-3000
250-500 2000-4000
color up 2500-5000

Usually over or head to head if not

5000-10000
7500-15000
10000-20000 Max Level

FROM UNLOADED:
I do 30 man tournament every so often often and it usually
runs about 5 hrs. 1500 in chips to start. 8@25 8@100 1@500
Blinds are: (1st level 30min & all others 20 min)
25/25 300/600
25/50 400/800
50/100 500/1000
75/150 600/1200
100/200 700/1400
150/300 800/1600
200/400 900/1800
250/500 1000/2000

Usually doesnt get this high. A few things to make it simpler.
If your chips don't have numbers on them when you reach 100/200 level
take half of everybody's 25's and make whats left 50's. If they have an odd one,
let them keep it. Saves time and hassle of race-off. If they are marked, race the
25's for 100's after the 250/500 level. Having an extra color to bring in later as
1000's helps a lot too. Big stacks of small denomination chips really slow the play.
Also starting the tournament on a half hour, like 6:30 helps. First level ends on the
hour, the rest are 20 mins. If you make breaks 20 mins too, it will be easy for
players to watch clock and see where they are before blinds go up.
Use a timer too though.

I've never done rebuys or addons, not sure how they will effect things. I would
have a different set of chips and encourage side games for those who drop out.
We usually have a $25 cash game with .$25/$.50 blinds for those out.
That way as people go out, they can join mid-game.

FROM GRANDGNU:
Alright, if you've got 1000 chips to divide up amongst 30 players:

500 Green ($25 value)
400 Black ($100 value)
50 Purple ($500 value)
50 Grey ($1,000 value)

Each player begins with:

16xGreen= $400
6xBlack= $600
1xPurple= $500
TOTAL STARTING CHIPS: $1,500 (45K in play)

Rounds should run 15 minutes each:

25/50
50/100
75/150
100/200
150/300 (25 ante)
200/400 (25 ante)
250/500 (50 ante)
BREAK-COLOR IN $25 CHIPS
300/600 (100 ante)
400/800 (100 ante)
500/1,000 (200 ante)
600/1,200 (300 ante)
800/1,600 (400 ante)
BREAK-COLOR IN $100 CHIPS
1,000/2,000 (500 ante)
1,500/3,000 (500 ante)
2,000/4,000 (500 ante)
2,500/5,000 (500 ante)

This gives you four hours of blinds/antes plus the breaks on top of that.
The antes kick in fairly early, and with a full table of 10 players make for
some nice steal opportunities (since the antes will significantly increase
the pot sizes with a full table)


- Fins

[RiveredAgain]

Thanks for the advice fin. Tell me which one you think would be better and whether or not it could end in 3 1/2 hours. Both structures start with T1500:
20 min intervals
25/50
50/100
100/200
200/400
300/600
10 MIN BREAK-COLOR IN $25 CHIPS
400/800
500/1000
600/1,200
800/1,600
1,000/2,000
1,500/3,000
2,000/4,000
2,500/5,000

or

15 min intervals
25/50
50/100
75/150
100/200
150/300
200/400
250/500
10 MIN BREAK-COLOR IN $25 CHIPS
300/600
400/800
500/1,000
600/1,200
800/1,600
1,000/2,000
1,500/3,000
2,000/4,000
2,500/5,000

Thanks again.

[Douper]

I prefer the 2nd structure as the levels might be shorter, but at least tehy are more gradual. a quick look shows they both get to the 800/1600 blind level at the same time and your tourney should be over around then.

[Fins]

[ QUOTE ]
I prefer the 2nd structure as the levels might be shorter, but at least tehy are more gradual. a quick look shows they both get to the 800/1600 blind level at the same time and your tourney should be over around then.

[/ QUOTE ]
I also like the more gradual 2nd structure better and using quicker blinds changes I might opt for smaller tables (e.g. 8 as opposed to 10). I think the tourney could end then (800/1600) but has a good chance of going 1 or 2 levels past that... my unexperienced bet is it pushes 4 hours. Why the 3½ hours max time limit?

- Fins

[27offsuit]

3-3 1/2 hour tourneys suck. Its not poker at the end, its all-in with whatever you have before you get blinded out.

Skip it. Its not worth it.

[smoore]

[ QUOTE ]
3-3 1/2 hour tourneys suck. Its not poker at the end, its all-in with whatever you have before you get blinded out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I beat them consistently against average homegame competition. I don't think I'd want to sit with a group of actually good players and do them though.

[Lottery Larry]

My experience is that it will end around the time that the BB is about 10% of the total chips, maybe a little shorter (when the BB is = the starting stack).

I don't think it moves fast enough, given your size crowd and your time constraints.

Set the end time, then set the T4000/8000 blinds to start shortly before then. Work backwards from there in 20 minute intervals and see if it makes sense.

[Lottery Larry]

sure it is... well, except for the host putting this all together and trying to play.