A starting stack only means something once you divide it by the opening big blind.
The calculation
Starting chips ÷ opening big blind = starting big blinds.
- 20,000 chips at 100/200 = 100 big blinds.
- 30,000 chips at 100/300 = 100 big blinds.
- 30,000 chips at 300/600 = 50 big blinds.
- 50,000 chips at 500/1,000 = 50 big blinds.
Notice the 20,000 stack and the 30,000 stack in the first two lines are exactly as deep. And the 50,000 stack at the bottom is shallower than the 20,000 one at the top. Bigger numbers aren't the same as more play.
What different depths feel like
| Starting depth | How it plays |
|---|---|
| 150+ big blinds | Very deep. Lots of room to see flops, fold and wait. |
| 100 big blinds | A standard deep start. Similar to sitting down with a full buy-in at a cash game. |
| 50 big blinds | Room to play, but you'll feel the blinds within a few levels. |
| Under 30 big blinds | Fast. Mostly raise-or-fold preflop, with all-ins coming early. |
If you play cash, 100 big blinds will feel familiar. At $1/$3, a $300 buy-in is 100 big blinds too. The difference is that in a tournament the blinds keep rising, so your 100 big blinds become 50, then 25, unless you win chips. Cash vs tournament strategy goes into what that changes.
Current Ontario examples
| Venue / format | Published starting chips | What else you need |
|---|---|---|
| Pickering traditional events | 20,000 | Opening blind and level length for the specific event |
| Pickering Deep Stack | 30,000 | Opening blind; optional $10 / 5,000-chip dealer add-on |
| Casino Niagara Fall Main Event | 35,000 | 30-minute Day 1 levels; 40-minute later levels |
Pickering's $10 dealer add-on, where offered, adds 5,000 chips. On a 20,000 stack that's 25% more. If the first level were 100/200, you'd go from 100 to 125 big blinds for $10. That level is an example; check the actual sheet.
Why "more chips" can mislead
30,000 chips isn't automatically deeper or better than 20,000. Three things decide how fast a stack loses its buying power:
- The first big blind. Sets your starting depth.
- The blind jumps. 100/200 to 200/400 halves your depth in one step.
- Level length. 20-minute levels burn through the schedule twice as fast as 40-minute ones.
The blind structures page walks through levels and antes in detail.
Arriving late shrinks your stack in big blinds
Your chip count doesn't drop when you register late, but the blinds have gone up. A 30,000 stack that's 100 big blinds at 100/300 is only 50 big blinds if you sit down at 300/600. That's the trade-off covered in late registration.
For your first tournament
Find the first big blind and divide. Then check level length. Those two steps tell you more than the event's name. "Deep Stack" is a label. The big-blind count is the fact. Your first live tournament covers the rest of what to check.
Quick answers
What is a good starting stack in a poker tournament?
Around 100 big blinds or more is a deep start. Measure it against the first big blind, not the raw chip count.
How many big blinds is 20,000 chips?
At 100/200 blinds it's 100 big blinds; at 200/400 it's 50.
What is the starting stack at Pickering tournaments?
20,000 chips for traditional events and 30,000 for Deep Stack events, per the venue's page as checked September 7, 2026.
By the TorontoPoker.org editorial team · Updated September 2026 · 19+ · Play responsibly