Why do people Chop

I was just watching a tournament on pokerstars and there were 4 players left and 1 guy asked if anyone else wanted to chop the prize pool. Why would anyone wanna chop the winnings are they to scared to play. Isnt the whole point of a poker game to battle through all the competiton and be the last person standing? I know if i were playing and someone asked to chop i would be very much against it would you?

Chop because it lowers variance, because you're tired and not playing your best, or because the dealer is your ex-girlfriend who you cheated on 4 times.

Yea its kinda pussin out but if the stacks sizes are all about even you might be getting a good deal...or even if your shortstacked(lets say there is 3 pepole left) you might get more money than you would if you were eliminated in 3rd place. Also, they always leave money on the table to play for so there is something that goes to the winner

At the end of a tournament when the blinds are high and everyone is short stacked, skill goes out the window and it becomes such a craps shoot that chopping takes out the luck factor and ensures all remaining players will get a decent payout. I've never done it online but it has happened at the majority of final tables I've played live.

95% of the time this is the reason, whether the people actually chopping consciously know it or not.

yea its a bunch of crap,choppin and all.
But
Sometimes people playing dont really have a say when there being backed...

IMO, it's about the money (which is all about varience).

Given the example of 4 people left:
If you look at the chop money, you'll find that the only way to do better then that outcome is to come in 1st or 2nd (and then 2nd is typically not much more then the chop amount). Why risk getting 4th place cash when you are gauranteed basically 2nd place money.

This is obviously simplifying things....if you have a huge stack compared, if you think the rest of the players (or any one of them) is exceptionally weak, etc. then take your advantage and try and move up another spot or 2.

I watch this on High Stakes poker all the time.

Sammy Farha Raises with garbage, gets it down to 3 or 4 ppl, then wants to chop before the flop even comes out. Im against it unless...

It is down to only 2 ppl and by the Turn, one of the two players are "All IN" and they BOTH have an already made hand say with str8 vs. Set.

Both players easily believed they HAVE the best hand... Not when 1 player ONLY has a flush draw.

Put it this way. The Sunday Million has a buy-in of $215. First prize is usually in the neighborhood of $200k I believe. 4th place is probably like 30k. So basically the 4 people left are playing a 4-handed sng for $170k. How many people who buy in for $215 can handle playing a sng for $170k? If you bought in for $215 would you enjoy getting your money in on a coin flip for ~50k?

Most people say no, so they chop, simple as that.

If you got to the final table of a big MTT I'm pretty sure your mind would change. Guarantee of $100k or play out and possibly win 30k and possibly win 200k? Obviously this depends on chip stacks but that's why people can make deals, Hoosier in the WCOOP ME even was able to get a better deal because of his skill.

I would chop a big payout without question, even as chip leader. How many times have you seen a chip leader go out 3rd or 4th at the end of a tournament? I'll take the guaranteed cash payout...........

Note: I would also sell out my band to a record label if I had one.

Serious Note: How do you chop in online tourneys? Is there an in-client option or is it a gentleman's agreement to transfer funds from one account to another after the game?

On Stars you can email and support will come to the table, pause the tourney, and facilitate the chop. I'm not sure but I think the major tourneys support is watching anyway and comes instantly if people agree they want to chop.

Not sure about Full Tilt, I don't think they allow chops, no idea on other sites. One thing's for sure, no one makes it a gentleman's agreement, I would never trust a random player to transfer me several tens of thousands of dollars lol.

basically just play at Poker Stars is what he's trying to say

On a serious note, a lot has already been said and clarified, and if you don't understand chopping by now then well w/e, but in kill phil the book, there is a whole chapter on chopping. Basically it says this...

Say there is three players left. First place is 50k, second is 35k, and third 20k. Let's suppose the chip distribution count is 50%, 30%, and 20%.
Since all players are gauranteed 20k this becomes the base amount of the deal. The standard deal formula calls for the remaining 45k if each pulls 20k..60k+45k=95k. The player with 20% gets 9k, the player with 30% gets 13.5k and the player with 50% gets 22.5k.(adding 20k to each) This is the same formula Poker Stars uses.

Appearantly this formula isn't equitable. Look at a hypothetical case with 3 players remaining and prizes of 50$, 30$, and 20$. There is a total of 100 chips in play and they are distributed 80-10-10. The standard formula would pay 54-24-24. But first place pays only 50$. This clearly is too generous, because noone deserves more than what 1st place originally was even though they had the chip lead. So the standard formula is good for the chip leader and bad for the small stacks.....

imo I took a deal before when I was 2nd to last and made some more money since blinds were huge and variance was bound to happen....so I'll make a deal if possible and under the right circumstances.

ive seen a chop on FT b4 what they do is call for the "tournament director" and he will come in via chat and the players discuss the way they want to chop it up and the tournament director sets it up thru ft to disperse the way they agree

Is it better to take a sure thing or would you rather take your chances on getting more or end up with nothing? I'd take the split. I've ended too many games on the bubble.

Yeah, but this is exclusive for online play where blinds escalate much higher. Pretty much the variance factor and a chip chop still gets you the best deal.

i cant say im the iniator of the chop, but if it is mentioned, i will do it almost always. things can change quickly the longer the tourney goes. at the stakes i play at, its not a huge money difference anway.

I don't know at high stakes of course it'll be a good deal at lower stakes no. I would just play to see the best I could do and try to finish first

choping the pot is all about what we do every time we are in a hand. Pot Odds. just like a roll of the dice what would you take I give you 8 to roll a six or i just give you 3 and don't roll.

Usually the only person affected negatively is the person that ends up in first place (if they have to play it out). So unless you are positive that you will end up in first, and won't get sucked out on at all, then usually the chop works out for the best.

sometimes you take a chop just to end the game when you are down to the last few and chips are being passed back and forth and nobody is ever really getting ahead you just get tired and the chop is a good way to end it i have taken a chop just cause we was in the tourney for 4 hours and i was really tired so the chop was a nice fast way to get out

Some interesting comments so i'll put forward this one. I'm in a private $2k added $5 buyin game in an hour. There are 4 registered and unlikely to be anymore so the prize pool is $2020, one place paid obviously. Q, would you offer a chop $500 each with the winner getting the "extra" $20, or play winner take all?

chop! definately! and how do I get in thie tournament??

I don't know much about online since i've just really started playing more online, but live tourneys we chop it all the time, usually when there are 100 or more entries and there are 3 left we'll chop it