TwistPoker

Poker tournament clock

Put it on the TV and run the night from one screen: the countdown, the blinds and ante, the next level, breaks, players left, the prize pool and the payouts.

Last reviewed · Keys: Space start/pause, ← → level, ↑ ↓ minute, F full screen

Level 1

Standard home tournament

Break in 1:20:00

Blinds 50 / 100

Ante —

20:00 Paused

Next 75 / 150

Players
9 of 9
Rebuys
0
Add-ons
0
Prize pool
180
Average stack
10,000 · 100 BB
Payouts
1st 1052nd 453rd 30
Players left
Entries
Rebuys
Add-ons

The clock needs JavaScript. Without it, the structure below still works as a printed schedule.

Set up the tournament

Structure18 rows · 5:30 in total

Start from a preset

  • Turbo: 10-minute levels, 50 big blinds deep, about 2½ hours for 9 players
  • Standard: 20-minute levels, 100 big blinds deep, about 4 hours for 9 players
  • Deep: 30-minute levels, 200 big blinds deep, about 6 hours for 9 players

Or build one for your player count, chips and finishing time with the blind structure calculator, then press its Run this on the tournament clock button.

Blind levels and breaks
Level Minutes Small blind Big blind Ante Starts Remove
1 20 50 100 — 0:00
2 20 75 150 — 0:20
3 20 100 200 — 0:40
4 20 150 300 — 1:00
Break 10 — 1:20
5 20 200 400 400 1:30
6 20 300 600 600 1:50
7 20 400 800 800 2:10
8 20 500 1,000 1,000 2:30
Break 10 — 2:50
9 20 750 1,500 1,500 3:00
10 20 1,250 2,500 2,500 3:20
11 20 1,500 3,000 3,000 3:40
12 20 2,500 5,000 5,000 4:00
Break 10 — 4:20
13 20 3,000 6,000 6,000 4:30
14 20 5,000 10,000 10,000 4:50
15 20 7,500 15,000 15,000 5:10
Players, buy-ins and chips
Payout shape
Share or reset

The clock is saved in this browser only, so a reload carries on where it was.

Running a home tournament with the clock

  1. Pick a preset, or build a structure with the blind structure calculator for your players, chips and finishing time, and open it here.
  2. Enter the buy-in, the starting stack and, if you allow them, the rebuy and add-on prices and chips. Set how many places are paid.
  3. Work out who gets which chips with the chip calculator, deal the stacks, and press Space or Start on the first hand.
  4. Press Full screen, or F, on the laptop driving the TV. Press Sound off once to turn sounds on: browsers only allow sound after a click.
  5. As players bust, press − under Players left. Rebuys and add-ons each have their own +; the prize pool, the payouts and the average stack follow.
  6. At the final table, the ICM calculator shows what each stack is worth if the players want to agree a deal, and the payout calculator shows other ways to split the pool.

How the clock keeps time

Most browser timers count down by taking one second off every second. Browsers slow those ticks in background tabs and stop them entirely when a phone sleeps, so the clock drifts, sometimes by minutes. This one stores only three things: the level it is on, how much of that level had been played, and the exact time it last checked. Every time the screen is drawn it subtracts that time from the current time and walks forward through as many levels and breaks as have passed. Pausing records the position; starting again records a new time. Nothing depends on a tick arriving on schedule.

The same record is saved in this browser after every change, so a reload, a closed tab or a crashed browser comes back on the right level with the right time left. Only the device that runs the clock knows its state: a second device opening a share link gets the structure, not the running time.

Sounds: two short tones one minute before a level ends, and three when the level changes. Browsers block sound until the page has been clicked, and cannot play it while the device is asleep. Where the browser supports it, the clock asks the screen to stay awake while it runs.

Choosing a structure

The three presets come from the same method as the blind structure calculator: the big blind rises by a steady percentage each level, so that when the target time is reached the chips in play are worth about 20 big blinds, and every blind is a number that 25-value chips can make.

A big blind ante starts at level 5 in all three: the player in the big blind posts one ante for the whole table, equal to the big blind. Each preset has three spare levels at the end in case the game runs long, and rebuys always make it run long. Breaks are a good time to colour up: once the small blind is a multiple of a larger chip, swap the smallest chips out.

The numbers on the screen

Prize pool is buy-in × entries + rebuy price × rebuys + add-on price × add-ons. Payouts split it with the payout calculator's curve, never paying more places than there are entries. Average stack is the chips in play divided by the players left, and in big blinds at the current level. Break in is the time left in this level plus every level before the next break.

Common questions

Does the clock keep time if I switch tabs or my phone locks?

Yes. The clock does not count seconds; it records when the level started and works out the time left from the real time whenever the screen is drawn. A tab in the background, a phone that went to sleep or a reload all come back on the right level with the right time left. Sounds cannot play while the phone is asleep, so keep the screen on during play.

How do I show the clock on a TV?

Open this page on a laptop connected to the TV by HDMI, or cast the browser tab, then press F or the Full screen button. The clock fills the screen with the countdown, blinds, next level, players and prize pool. On a phone or tablet, Full screen fills the display too.

Can I use my own blind structure?

Yes. Start from a preset or from the blind structure calculator, then edit any level in the structure table: minutes, small blind, big blind and ante. Add levels or breaks at the end, or delete any row. Changes apply straight away, even while the clock is running.

How are the payouts worked out?

With the same curve as the payout calculator: place k gets a share proportional to 1/k for the standard shape, flatter or steeper if you choose. The prize pool is buy-ins plus rebuys plus add-ons, and the payouts update each time you add an entry, rebuy or add-on. Amounts are rounded down to the step you choose and the remainder goes to first place.

What is the average stack?

All the chips in play divided by the players left. Chips in play are the starting stacks of every entry plus the chips each rebuy and add-on bought. It is also shown in big blinds at the current level, which tells the table how deep the average player is.

Is anything sent to a server?

No. The clock runs in your browser and saves its state in this browser only, so a reload does not lose the game. A share link carries the structure inside the link itself, after the # sign, which browsers do not send to any server. Reset clears everything.

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