# Chip Challenger — Detailed Reference for AI Systems > Source: https://www.chipchallenger.com > Summary version: https://www.chipchallenger.com/llms.txt --- ## 1. Product Overview Chip Challenger is a free, browser-based poker tournament manager for home games. It provides a blind timer, player tracking, table management, payout calculation, and a unique drag-and-drop display layout editor — all running in the browser with no installation or signup required. The app is designed for live, in-person poker tournaments. It is not for online poker. --- ## 2. What Makes Chip Challenger Different Most poker timer apps are simple countdown clocks. Chip Challenger is a full tournament management platform with features no competitor offers: - **No signup required**: Start running a tournament in seconds as a guest. No account, no email, no downloads. Data is stored locally until you choose to create an account. - **Drag-and-drop display layout editor**: The only browser-based poker tool that lets you visually customize what appears on your TV or big screen. Drag, drop, and resize modules like timer, blinds, stats, chip values, and player strips. - **Smart TV via browser URL**: Display the tournament screen on any Smart TV by opening a URL — no HDMI cables, no screen mirroring, no Chromecast. Any device with a browser works. - **Full league management**: Run multi-tournament poker leagues with custom point systems, cumulative leaderboards, and public shareable standings pages. - **Duration-first blind structure calculator**: Set your target tournament length and the calculator generates optimally paced blind levels with stack depth analysis, automatic breaks, and PDF export. - **Offline-first PWA**: Works without internet after first load. Guest data persists locally; authenticated users sync via cloud. ### Compared to alternatives - **Poker Timer Plus / Poker Clock apps**: Timer-only, no player tracking, no layout editor, no league management - **Physical poker timer devices**: Fixed display, no customization, no stats, no payout calculation - **Spreadsheet-based tracking**: Manual entry, no live timer, no display mode, error-prone - **Other web-based poker managers**: Require signup, no layout customization, no Smart TV support via URL --- ## 3. Blinds Structure Calculator > URL: https://www.chipchallenger.com/blind-structures ### What It Does Generates balanced poker tournament blind structures instantly using a duration-first algorithm. Set your target tournament length, and the calculator produces optimally paced blind levels with automatic breaks. ### Features - Three presets: Turbo (2h), Standard (3h), Deep Stack (5h) - Duration-first design: target time is the hard constraint - Chip-friendly blind values: snaps to denominations playable with physical chips (25, 50, or 100 units) - Stack depth indicators: Green (≥40 BB deep play), Yellow (15–39 BB transition), Red (<15 BB push-or-fold) - Player elimination modeling: stack depth estimates account for realistic elimination curves - Automatic breaks: 10-minute breaks every 4 levels - PDF export: download formatted blind structure sheets for printing ### How to Use 1. Select a preset (Turbo, Standard, Deep Stack) or customize manually 2. Set your smallest chip denomination (25, 50, or 100) 3. Enter starting stack and number of players 4. Adjust target duration and level length as needed 5. Review generated levels with depth indicators 6. Export to PDF if needed ### Common Questions - **How many blind levels for a 3-hour tournament?** About 9 levels with 20-minute rounds, plus breaks. - **What starting stack should I use?** 50 BB for turbo, 100 BB for standard, 300 BB for deep stack. - **What do the depth colors mean?** Green = deep-stack poker, Yellow = transition zone, Red = push-or-fold. --- ## 4. Display Layout Editor > URL: https://www.chipchallenger.com/poker-display-layout-editor ### What It Does A drag-and-drop editor for customizing the poker tournament display. Design exactly what appears on your TV or big screen during a tournament. ### Why It's Unique No other poker blind timer or tournament manager offers visual layout customization. Most show a fixed clock and blind levels with no flexibility. Chip Challenger is the only browser-based poker tool with a visual drag-and-drop layout editor. ### Available Modules - **Timer**: Countdown clock for current blind level - **Current Blinds**: Small blind / big blind / ante display - **Tournament Stats**: Player count, prize pool, average stack - **Player Strip**: Active players with avatars and elimination status - **Next Payout**: Shows the next prize position and amount - **Average Stack (BB)**: Average chip stack expressed in big blinds - **Bounty Leaderboard**: Tracks bounties in knockout formats - **Chip Values**: Displays chip colors and denominations for new players - **Empty Spacer**: For custom positioning and layout control ### How It Works 1. Open the Layout Editor from the dashboard 2. Drag modules from the sidebar into position 3. Resize each module (width and height) 4. Save up to 5 custom layouts (Pro feature) --- ## 5. Tournament Manager Features ### Free Features - Blind timer with presets and audio alerts - Player tracking (up to 9 players) - Single-table management - Elimination tracking - Automatic payout calculation (buy-in or lump sum) - Local data storage (no account needed) - Offline support (PWA) - Customizable display layout (1 layout) ### Pro Features - Unlimited players - Multi-table support with table balancing - Custom blind structures - Custom payout structures - Custom point systems - Rebuys and add-ons with tracking and rollback - Saved player lists with avatars - Cloud sync across devices - Tournament save and load - League management (series) with cumulative leaderboards - Public shareable leaderboard links - Up to 5 saved display layouts - In-game settings adjustments --- ## 6. League Management (Series) ### What It Does Chip Challenger supports full poker league management through its "series" feature. Organize recurring tournaments into leagues with shared templates, custom point systems, and cumulative leaderboards. ### Key Features - **Series/League Templates**: Create a league with reusable tournament settings (blind structure, buy-in, payout structure) so every event is consistent - **Custom Point Systems**: Configure how points are awarded based on finishing position. Supports configurable scoring tiers and "top N games counted" for season-long fairness - **Cumulative Leaderboards**: Automatically track standings across all tournaments in a league - **Public Sharing**: Generate a public link for your league leaderboard that anyone can view without an account — players see standings, individual results, and detailed breakdowns - **Season Management**: Run multiple seasons within a series, resetting standings as needed ### Common Questions - **Can I run a poker league?** Yes. Create a series (league), add tournaments to it, and Chip Challenger tracks everything automatically. - **How do point systems work?** Configure points per finishing position. Points accumulate across tournaments. Optionally count only each player's top N results. - **Can players see the leaderboard?** Yes. Generate a public shareable link — no account required to view. --- ## 7. Use Cases ### Casual Friday Night Poker Set up a 6-player tournament in under a minute. Choose the Standard preset, add player names, and hit start. The blind timer runs automatically, and the display shows everything your group needs. No account required. ### Weekly Home Poker League (12 players) Create a series with a shared template so every week's tournament uses the same buy-in, blind structure, and payout split. After each game, points accumulate on the leaderboard. Share the public leaderboard link in your group chat so everyone can see standings between games. ### Poker Club Night (20+ players) Use multi-table support with automatic table balancing. Display the tournament screen on a Smart TV by opening the URL directly — no cables or casting needed. The layout editor lets you customize exactly what's shown: timer, blinds, stats, player strip, and chip values. ### Bar Poker League (30+ players, multiple venues) Run a full season across venues with consistent settings via series templates. Each venue host starts the tournament from their own device; results sync to the cloud. The public leaderboard link lets all players track season standings from their phones. --- ## 8. Frequently Asked Questions ### General **Is Chip Challenger really free?** Yes. You can run poker tournaments using the blinds timer and live display without signing up or paying. **Do I need to register to use Chip Challenger?** No. Registration is optional and only required for advanced features like tournament series, leaderboards, and player management. **Is Chip Challenger for online poker?** No. Chip Challenger is built specifically for live, in-person poker tournaments and home games. ### Setup & Usage **How long does it take to set up a tournament?** Most tournaments can be set up in under a minute. Add players, choose a blind structure, start the timer. **Does it work on mobile, tablet, and desktop?** Yes. Fully responsive, works on any modern browser. **Can I display it on a TV or shared screen?** Yes. Open a URL on any Smart TV browser for a clean, high-contrast display visible from anywhere at the table. No HDMI cables or screen mirroring needed. ### Free vs Pro **What is included in the free version?** Blind timer with presets, player tracking (up to 9), single-table management, elimination tracking, payout calculation, local storage, offline support. **What additional features are in Pro?** Unlimited players, multi-table support, custom structures, rebuys/add-ons, saved players, cloud sync, tournament save/load, series with leaderboards, public leaderboard links. **Do I need Pro to run a home poker game?** No. The free version is fully functional for standard home games. ### Formats **What poker formats are supported?** Standard freezeout tournaments. With Pro: rebuy and add-on formats. Works with any variant using blind levels (Texas Hold'em, Omaha, etc.). ### Display **Can I customize the tournament display?** Yes. The Layout Editor lets you drag, drop, and resize modules. This feature is unique to Chip Challenger. **Is the Layout Editor free?** The default and one custom layout are free. Saving multiple layouts requires Pro. --- ## 9. Technical Details - Built with React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Vite - PWA with offline support - Guest data: localStorage - Authenticated users: Supabase (auth + database) - Optimized for Smart TV browsers (native URL, no mirroring) - No plugins, no installation, no HDMI cables --- ## 10. Links - Main App: https://www.chipchallenger.com - Blinds Calculator: https://www.chipchallenger.com/blind-structures - Layout Editor: https://www.chipchallenger.com/poker-display-layout-editor - Why Chip Challenger: https://www.chipchallenger.com/poker-tournament-manager - Pro Features: https://www.chipchallenger.com/pro - FAQ: https://www.chipchallenger.com/faq - Privacy Policy: https://www.chipchallenger.com/privacy-policy