By Rafael CardosoOctober 8, 20264 min readPoker Payout Structure for 20 Players
Twenty players is two tables, a table break somewhere in the middle, and a prize pool big enough that the payout ladder starts to matter. Three or four paid places is the range. Here are both ladders with the cash worked out, plus how to handle the prize pool when rebuys are in play.
Pay three places at 50% / 30% / 20%, or four at 40% / 28% / 20% / 12%. Four is the better choice at 20 players: it pays 20% of the field, and fourth place still returns more than twice the buy-in.
The two ladders, in cash
| Buy-in | Pool | 1st (40%) | 2nd (28%) | 3rd (20%) | 4th (12%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $200 | $80 | $56 | $40 | $24 |
| $20 | $400 | $160 | $112 | $80 | $48 |
| $25 | $500 | $200 | $140 | $100 | $60 |
| $50 | $1,000 | $400 | $280 | $200 | $120 |
| Buy-in | Pool | 1st (50%) | 2nd (30%) | 3rd (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $200 | $100 | $60 | $40 |
| $20 | $400 | $200 | $120 | $80 |
| $25 | $500 | $250 | $150 | $100 |
| $50 | $1,000 | $500 | $300 | $200 |
Three places or four?
Four places
Pays 20% of the field. Fourth place returns 2.4× the buy-in, which is a min-cash worth playing for. Better for mixed groups and for leagues where you want turnout.
Three places
Pays 15% of the field with a much larger top prize. Better for confident regulars, and for one-off events where the win is the story.
The bubble
With twenty players, the bubble is fourth or fifth place, and it will take longer than any other stage of the tournament. Two things help: announce the ladder in advance so nobody is calculating during the bubble, and consider playing hand-for-hand once you are one player away from the money if you are still on two tables, deal one hand at each table, then pause until both finish.
Groups sometimes agree to refund the bubble player’s buy-in from the prize pool. It is a reasonable house rule, but it has to be decided before the tournament, not proposed by whoever is short-stacked on the bubble.
With rebuys
Announce percentages, not cash. Twenty players at $20 with twelve rebuys is a $640 prize pool, not $400: a four-place ladder is then $256 / $179 / $128 / $77. Calculating the prize pool covers rebuys, add-ons and bounties.
Rounding
Round each prize down to a note you can actually pay and give the remainder to first place. The payout calculator does the rounding and shows the totals reconciling to the pool.
The bubble at two tables
With twenty players and four paid places, the bubble is fifth, and it will take longer than any other stage of the tournament. Two things to have decided beforehand.
Hand-for-hand play once you are one elimination from the money and still on two tables. One hand at each table, then pause. It stops a short stack stalling their way into the money while the other table plays four hands.
Simultaneous eliminations. If two players bust on the same hand, the one who started the hand with more chips finishes higher. If they started level, split the two prize amounts between them. State this rule in advance.
What each place is worth
| Place | Share | At $25 buy-in | × buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 40% | $200 | 8.0× |
| 2nd | 28% | $140 | 5.6× |
| 3rd | 20% | $100 | 4.0× |
| 4th | 12% | $60 | 2.4× |
Frequently asked questions
How many places should be paid with 20 players?
Three or four. Four pays 20% of the field and keeps the min-cash meaningful at around 2.4 times the buy-in, which is why it is the more common choice at this size.
What is a good payout structure for 20 players?
40% / 28% / 20% / 12% across four places. At a $25 buy-in that is $200, $140, $100 and $60 from a $500 prize pool.
Should you play hand-for-hand on the bubble?
With two tables still running, yes: it stops one table stalling while the other plays quickly. Deal one hand at each table and wait for both to complete before dealing the next.
Your next step
The full setup for this field size is in setting up a tournament for 20 players. For other field sizes, see payout structures, or the dedicated pages for ten and thirty players.