Poker Timer Poker blind timer app: run the tournament clock from your iPhone or iPad
Open Poker Timer, pick a structure such as Standard, tap START. The blinds, the ante and a countdown big enough to read across the table fill the screen, and when each level ends the app raises the blinds on its own, with a sound so nobody has to be the one watching the clock.
Why use a blind timer at all?
Without one, the blinds drift. Someone is supposed to be watching the time, they get dealt into a hand, and twenty minutes turns into forty. Running games off a kitchen timer leads to the same problem every time: fights over "are the blinds actually up?" that are never worth having.
A clock on the table, visible to everyone, ends that argument before it starts. Poker Timer runs on the phone or tablet you already own, for Texas Hold'em or any other game played with a small and big blind.
How to start the tournament clock
- Open Poker Timer. The home list shows Built-in Structures and, below, My Structures.
- Tap Standard (20-minute levels) or another structure to open the clock.
- Place the iPhone or iPad in the middle of the table, screen facing the players, and turn the volume up.
- Tap START. The first time, the app asks to send notifications: allow them if you want level alerts while the phone is locked.
- Tap PAUSE whenever the table needs a stop, and RESUME to carry on.
What the poker clock screen shows
| Element | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Level counter | Level 7 of 12 | Blind level number; breaks are not counted |
| Blinds | 300 / 600 | Small blind / big blind, in very large type |
| Ante | ANTE 50 | Shown only when the level has an ante |
| Countdown | 20:00 | Time left in the level (H:MM:SS for levels of an hour or more) |
| Next level | NEXT: 400 / 800 · ante 75 | What comes after; before a break it reads NEXT: BREAK, on the last level FINAL LEVEL |
When the countdown reaches the warning threshold (30 seconds by default) a short tone plays and the numbers change colour. At zero the clock moves to the next level with a two-note tone and a vibration. During a break the whole screen turns blue and shows BREAK.
How do you fix a mistake on the clock?
- Skip jumps to the next level with its full time. Previous goes back one level, also with full time.
- After Skip or Previous, a Level changed bar with Undo appears for 5 seconds. Undo restores the exact level and the seconds that were left.
- +1:00 adds 60 seconds to the current level only. If 0:20 was left, it now reads 1:20, and the warning tone will sound again at 30 seconds.
- Restart asks Restart tournament? and sends the clock back to level 1, paused. It cannot be undone.
Does the poker blind timer work offline and on silent?
Yes to both, with details. The clock needs no connection at all. While the app is open on the clock, its tones play as media audio, so the ring/silent switch does not mute them; keep the volume up and Sound Alerts on in Settings.
Keep Screen On During Tournament is on by default, so the screen does not dim or lock while the clock is open. You can change the warning time (5 to 120 seconds) under Sound & Haptics.
What if someone locks the phone or switches apps?
The clock does not drift: the remaining time is calculated from the moment each level ends, not from counted ticks. If the app goes to the background for 47 minutes in the Standard structure started at level 1, it comes back on level 3 (75 / 150) with 13:00 left, because levels 1 and 2 took 20 minutes each.
While the app is in the background, a Live Activity keeps the level and a countdown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and a Blinds up or Break time notification arrives at each level change.
If the app is fully closed, the home screen offers a Resume row. The clock reopens at the saved level and seconds, paused; time that passed while it was closed is not counted.
Is this poker blind timer free?
Yes. The clock, Turbo, Standard and Deepstack, one custom structure and the History cost nothing, and no ad ever shows while a level counts down. For someone who only hosts a couple of times a year, Pro is not worth it; the free tier runs a full tournament start to finish.
No Android, PC, Apple Watch or TV version. For a TV, mirror the screen the normal way.
Questions and answers
Can the poker clock run on an iPad?
Does the timer keep going if I answer a call?
Can I undo a Skip after a minute?
Will an ad interrupt the blinds?
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More Poker Timer guides
- Poker blind structure for a home game: five templates and your own
- How often should blinds go up in poker, and how long will the tournament last?
- Poker tournament payout calculator: how to split the prize pool
- How to run a poker tournament at home with one phone as the clock
- How do you plan the breaks on a poker blind clock?
- How do you set up a poker clock app on an iPad or iPhone for the table?
- How do you run a charity poker tournament?
- All questions about Poker Timer
- Back to Poker Timer