Poker Tournament Stack Calculator
Turn tournament chips into the numbers that matter: big blinds, M-ratio, effective stack, and the cost of one orbit.
Enter the current level
Use chip amounts exactly as shown in the tournament lobby or at the table.
Antes
Choose the ante structure used at your table.
Optional: calculate effective stack
Effective stack is the smaller of the two stacks because only that amount can be won or lost between you in the hand.
Why tournament players use big blinds
BB makes stack depth comparable as blind levels change.
What is M-ratio?
M-ratio compares your stack with the forced cost of one orbit.
What is effective stack?
The effective stack is the smaller of the two stacks in a heads-up contest.
A practical stack-depth guide
These labels are study references, not rigid strategy rules.
Plenty of room for multi-street play.
Comfortable tournament stack.
Preflop commitment matters more.
Steals, reshoves, and stack preservation become increasingly important.
Many decisions become raise/fold or all-in oriented.
Push-fold considerations frequently become central.
Example
You have 37,500 chips at 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. Your stack is 37.5 BB. One orbit costs 2,500 chips, so your M-ratio is 15.