Classic tournament (freezeout)
The whole buy-in net of rake goes into a single prize pool, paid out by finishing position (ICM). There are no bounties on players.
9 EUR -> 100% prize pool
Methodology
How a KO's chip value is calculated
The full reasoning behind the token calculator: how the rake is removed, how a Space KO buy-in splits between the regular prize pool and the bounty pool, and how a bounty becomes chips, with a concrete example.
1
The rake is removed first
Your chips never represent the rake. The room takes its fee off the top, so only the money left in play (prize pool plus bounty pool) is backed by the starting stack. On a 10 EUR buy-in with 1 EUR rake, only 9 EUR is actually in play.
Example: 10 EUR buy-in
- Displayed buy-in
- 10 €
- Rake (fee)
- - 1 €
- In play (prize pool + bounty)
- 9 €
2
Prize pool: classic vs Space KO
What happens to that 9 EUR in play depends on the format.
Space KO / PKO
The buy-in net of rake is split: part goes to the regular prize pool (paid by finish) and part goes to the bounty pool. Every player starts with a bounty on their head.
9 EUR -> ~4 EUR prizes + 5 EUR bounty
Progressive (SPKO)
When you bust a player you cash half their bounty immediately, and the other half is added to your own head.
3
From euros to chips
The 20,000 starting chips represent the 9 EUR actually in play (the rake is never in play). So the chip value of one euro is fixed for the whole tournament:
20,000 chips = 9 EUR -> 1 EUR ~ 2,222 chips
4
Worked example: a starting KO
Space KO 10 EUR, 20,000 starting stack, 5 EUR starting bounty.
- 1 Buy-in net of rake 10 EUR - 1 EUR = 9 EUR
- 2 Bounty share of the stack 20,000 x 5/9 = 11,111 chips
- 3 Half-bounty cashed (SPKO) 11,111 / 2 ~ 5,555 chips
Value of a starting KO
~ 5,555 chips
A KO's value grows as the field shrinks (about 25% of the stack at full field, up to 50% three-handed), so the calculator scales this starting value by x1.15 (mid), x1.3 (late) and x2 (final table, 3-handed).
The formula
Chip value = bounty (EUR) x 1/2 (SPKO) x phase coefficient / (buy-in net of rake / starting stack)
The rake (about 10%) is deducted by default, the 1/2 models the SPKO half-collection, and the phase coefficient reflects the growth of the average bounty deeper in the tournament.
Try it on your own buy-in
Plug in your buy-in, bounty and blind level to see the chip value at any stage.