Tournament Payout Calculator
Estimate your expected value in a poker tournament based on field size, buy-in, rake, and your skill edge. Use it before registering to see if a tournament is +EV for your bankroll.
About this calculator
This calculator estimates your expected value (EV) in a poker tournament. The prize pool is first reduced by the rake: Prize Pool = total_players × buyin_amount × (1 − rake_percentage / 100). The portion of that pool distributed to paid positions is then Prize Pool × (payout_positions / 100) — wait, the formula actually calculates the average payout per paid position from the non-retained share, scales it by your skill_edge multiplier, and subtracts your buy-in to yield net EV. Formally: EV = Math.round(((total_players × buyin × (1 − rake/100) − total_players × buyin × (1 − rake/100) × (1 − payout_positions/100)) / payout_positions × skill_edge − buyin) × 100) / 100. A skill_edge of 1.0 means you are an average player; values above 1.0 represent a statistical advantage. A positive result means the tournament is +EV for you.
How to use
Suppose a 100-player tournament has a $100 buy-in, 10% rake, pays the top 15 positions (15%), and you estimate your skill edge at 1.2. Prize pool = 100 × 100 × 0.90 = $9,000. The paid-position share = $9,000 × (15/100) = $1,350. Average payout per position = $1,350 / 15 = $90. Multiply by skill edge: $90 × 1.2 = $108. Subtract buy-in: $108 − $100 = $8. Your expected value is +$8.00 per entry — a profitable tournament to enter.
Frequently asked questions
What does a positive expected value mean in a poker tournament calculator?
A positive EV means that, on average, you expect to profit from entering the tournament over a large sample of similar events. It does not guarantee you will cash in any single tournament, because variance is high in poker. However, consistently playing +EV tournaments is the foundation of a winning long-term strategy. The larger your skill edge and the softer the field, the higher your EV will be.
How does rake percentage affect my tournament expected value?
The rake is the fee taken by the house before the prize pool is distributed. A 10% rake on a $100 buy-in means only $90 goes into the prize pool. Higher rake directly reduces the total money available to winners, lowering every player's EV. Serious tournament players always compare rake percentages across venues — even a 5% difference can turn a marginal +EV spot into a losing proposition for average-skilled players.
How should I estimate my skill edge for a poker tournament?
Your skill edge is a multiplier reflecting how much better (or worse) you perform relative to an average field participant. A value of 1.0 means you are exactly average; 1.2 means you expect to earn 20% more than an average player would. You can estimate it by reviewing your historical ROI (return on investment) in similar tournaments: if your long-run ROI is +20%, use 1.2. Be honest and conservative — most recreational players should start at or below 1.0 until they have a solid sample size.