Determining the buy-in for a tournament is just as important as configuring the structure or the prize pool.
With PTA, you have the flexibility to configure your buy-in as you see fit. Rebuys, addons, and rake are also available to optimize your prize pool and make the tournament as dynamic as you want.
The buy-in is accessible only during the tournament configuration, which you can access by clicking on the corresponding menu.
The buy-in configuration screen is divided into 4 blocks that allow you to configure the "basic" buy-in (1), rebuys (3), addons (4), and rakes (2).
Buy-in
(1) Activation of the buy-in. Without this activation, you will not be able to configure a buy-in or cash prize pool.
(2) Amount of the buy-in.
(3) Number of chips allocated to a player who has paid the entry fee.
(4) Free for members. For tournaments organized by a club, this option allows you to define that club members do not pay an entry fee. This option modifies the total amount of the prize pool available for cash redistribution.
It is not possible to configure a cash prize pool if the buy-in is not activated. If your tournament is free but still has a cash prize, you can enter a buy-in of 0 and define a guaranteed prize pool amount in the prize pool configuration.
Rebuys
Rebuys allow a player to rebuy when they have lost their stack. This makes the game more aggressive from the start since the risks taken can be compensated by one or more rebuys.
(1) Enables rebuys. It is not possible to activate rebuys if buy-ins are not active.
(2) Rebuy amount.
(3) Number of chips awarded to the player when they rebuy.
(4) Maximum number of rebuys allowed per player.
(5) Duration during which rebuys are possible. This duration is expressed in relation to the level reached (excluding breaks). The entered level is included. If the value entered is 5, rebuys are allowed during the first 5 levels of the game.
Rebuys extend the overall duration of a tournament since the total number of chips in play comes into play. It is estimated that when reaching a chip amount equivalent to 20 big blinds, the tournament should end. Therefore, you need to balance this parameter according to the structure in place. The simulator in the structure configuration can help you adjust all these parameters optimally.
Add-ons
Add-ons are somewhat similar to rebuys but generally occur only once during the tournament. The principle is to "split" the tournament into two phases. In the first phase, players play with a starting stack, then at a certain level reached, players have the opportunity to add a certain amount of chips to their stack. This allows players in difficulty to get back into the game.
(1) Enables add-ons. This option is not available if the buy-in is not activated.
(2) Add-on amount.
(3) Number of chips given to the player who adds on.
(4) Level after which the add-on is performed.
For logistical reasons, it is better to coincide the add-on with a break.
The amount of the add-on is also important depending on the level of the game. If the add-on entitles to a big blind, it has no interest. Therefore, calculate the amount of chips allocated based on the number of big blinds corresponding at the time of addition.
Like rebuys, add-ons extend the playing time. Therefore, take this parameter into account based on the chosen structure.
Rakes
Rakes allow deducting an amount from the players' buy-ins to fund the organization of the tournament.
(1) Activation of rakes. This option is not active if the buy-in is not activated.
(2) Rake amount.
(3) Rake calculation. You can choose either a fixed amount (€) or a percentage of the buy-in.
(4) Allows applying rakes to rebuys and addons.
For example, if you organize a tournament for which you need to rent a venue to accommodate 200 players. You set the tournament entry fee at €20. If the cost of renting the venue is €800 for the weekend, you can set up a rake of €4 per player (or 5%), with the rest going directly to fund the prize pool. If you play with cash rewards, with 200 players, your total prize pool would be €3,200. You can choose to apply rakes only to buy-ins or extend rakes to rebuys and add-ons as well. In this example, it can help reduce the amount of rakes by estimating the number of rebuys and add-ons that will be made during the tournament.