12.3 No Limit Hands

That how many hands on average before elimination at a NL Holdem MTT table. How did I figure that out? Simple math.

Typically one half to two thirds of an MTT field is eliminated in an hours play. The rate may be a bit slower in the first hour of a deepstacks MTT but eventually it will settle into that range. I am going to assume for this calculation that 60% of an MTT field is eliminated per hour.

How many players per table in a full ring MTT? I will use 8.8 players. For the case with 100 tables left you would have 895.5/900 players typically. For the case of 10 tables left 85.5/90 players typically. For a semi massive MTT 8.8 seems about right.

How many hands per table in an NL Holdem MTT? 60 hands/hr online is pretty typical for cash games. MTTs play a bit faster because of less post flop play. I will say 65 hands per hour.

Players per Table Eliminated per hour = 8.8 x 60% = 5.28

Hands per Player Elimination = 65 / 5.28 = 12.3 Hands

So typically every 12.3 hands somebody will be eliminated from your table at a NL Holdem MTT. This is a nice fact to be aware of. If you have the chips to get through say 15 hands, and there are 88 players left you can figure that at least 9 will be eliminated by the time the 15 hands are played. It will also give you a way to figure how long it will take to complete an MTT based on the number of players and tables left.