Final table deals

mycophile · May 25, 2014

Ahoy, fine CardsChat folk. New to this site, though not new to poker by any means. Personally play both live and online. Not sure how to start off other than just diving right into it. So, this is my first post/thread. HUZZAH.

I play live poker pretty often, tournaments mostly, and it seems every time we get down to a final table, everyone else wants to make a deal. Granted, most of the people are "friends" as far as I can tell whereas I generally keep to myself. I've found that I don't play my "A" game when I'm against people I know. I guess it'd be considered "soft playing." Would feel bad if I took someone out, etc, even though that's .. the entire point of the game. Anything more than just acquaintances at the table is "too much" for me. But yes, I'd personally prefer to always play until the top finisher, but don't want to seem like the only asshole who doesn't want to agree to a deal. I've *always* agreed to a deal when everyone else wanted to as well for that reason alone. Wouldn't want a bounty or something the next time, etc. It's kind of a tight-knit group of people, generally only bringing in 100 or so regulars.

But yep. Thoughts/personal experience with it?

BluffMeAllIn · May 26, 2014

IMO if you really don't want to make a deal then don't, nothing says you have to make a deal......especially if you are skillful enough to be getting to the FT often then you are likely loosing money due to the deal making.

I have often turned down making a deal even when people at the tables are buddies, recall one case in particiular played a 50$ rebuy game live and got down to headsup 1k for 1st, 600 for 2nd....I had a 2 to 1 chiplead and decided id rather play it out.....I did end up winning but not before the chips switched around having me like 4 to 1 in chips. I tend to like finishing it out, I mean we play to win the game....obv a whole other story if your talking like Sunday storm or million kind of money where its like thousands between the two spots.

Come to think of it I don't recall if there was ever a time a decided not to take a deal that I didn't end up better than the deal would have come out to.....and sometimes take deals if its a weekday game thats just running long, I'm tired etc or a really juicy cash game is running that I'd like to get into

.

taban13 · May 26, 2014

If the game goes with small prize pools that you can go and deal with friends, but if the game goes big then no, as they say-nothing personal just business.

guutox · May 26, 2014

ICM or Chip chop what's best deal?

mycophile · May 26, 2014

The ones I play are generally pretty small tournaments, ~$30 buy ins with about 50 players on average, so prize differences aren't *that* great. But still, an extra $50 or $100 for higher spots isn't bad. I just get the feeling they'd be gunning for me in future tournaments kind of thing. Not that the card room I play at is shady or anything, just don't seem to ever have the balls to tell people "No thanks." Personal thing I guess, I don't like letting people down.

XXPXXP · May 26, 2014

If the way is acceptable
I would accept the deal most of the time.
normally, ICM deal is fine.

PS: would accept 99.999% on a fair deal, on any of the satellite tournament.

XXPXXP · May 26, 2014

guutox said:
ICM or Chip chop what's best deal?

personally, prefer ICM.
Chip value sometimes is closed to ICM
but if there is one extremely big stack
like big stack with 100000 chips, others have 100
looks like ICM is much better, cost you get more when you are in 100 stack...

DenverDave · May 26, 2014

TO your friends in the tourney, that is a tough one. You can either opt out, or bust them out. That is poker. You are only hurting yourself by soft play. And if they don't get that, then they are either not real poker players. Or real friends. I say bust them out. I used to play bar freerolls and have had my sons bust me out. And I busted them. No hard feelings.

If you are not making deals, then yes you may have a target on you. And that is good for you. Those "friends" will try to beat you and that usually means playing looser than they already do. Yes, sometimes they will suck out with a crap hand. That is poker. Let them come at you. If you are better than they are, the odds are in your favor.

Hang in there and let us know how you do ok?

Peteyweestro · May 26, 2014

I agree, play to win because if they are real players or better yet real friends it shouldn't matter at all.

AtiFCOD · May 26, 2014

mycophile said:
Ahoy, fine CardsChat folk. New to this site, though not new to poker by any means. Personally play both live and online. Not sure how to start off other than just diving right into it. So, this is my first post/thread. HUZZAH.

I play live poker pretty often, tournaments mostly, and it seems every time we get down to a final table, everyone else wants to make a deal. Granted, most of the people are "friends" as far as I can tell whereas I generally keep to myself. I've found that I don't play my "A" game when I'm against people I know. I guess it'd be considered "soft playing." Would feel bad if I took someone out, etc, even though that's .. the entire point of the game. Anything more than just acquaintances at the table is "too much" for me. But yes, I'd personally prefer to always play until the top finisher, but don't want to seem like the only asshole who doesn't want to agree to a deal. I've *always* agreed to a deal when everyone else wanted to as well for that reason alone. Wouldn't want a bounty or something the next time, etc. It's kind of a tight-knit group of people, generally only bringing in 100 or so regulars.

But yep. Thoughts/personal experience with it?

I think deal is very important. Playing poker is fun, but it becomes serious if there is a lot of money to discuss. Poker is about skill and luck, but at the end, all players are usually good. They wont make big mistakes, so the luck factor becomes bigger and bigger. Usually coinflips decide who to win.
So I think if we are at discussable position (plus we are not short stack, we are tired, we see that other players as good as us or better, we are not deep stack etc...), there can be a deal.
But of course I can understand the thinking of players who wants to win the tourney.

I made only a few deals (sometimes it's impossible cos other players dont speak english...). The biggest one is a 60K GTD tourney at PS. There were 3 players left. I was at second position. Considering it was at 3 am after 7 hours of continius playing in tournaments, one player was good the other one seemed to be a hobby player but had no fear of risking his chips, I hadnt been in such big money before, the stack sizes were similar...we made a deal.

MadMaddie · May 26, 2014

The tournaments I get to play in sound a bit like the same. We get about 100 players in them but sometimes just 50 or so. Lots of the people know each other and show up for alot of the tournaments.
I only had a chance for a deal twice and I agreed for both times but it only happened once because of one other player didn't want to do it.
I think it works better for me because it sort of goes with the atmosphere and I like the other players to like me on the table. I think it works out to my advantage overall.

comedyboy · May 26, 2014

you have no friends at a poker table

mycophile said:
Ahoy, fine CardsChat folk. New to this site, though not new to poker by any means. Personally play both live and online. Not sure how to start off other than just diving right into it. So, this is my first post/thread. HUZZAH.

I play live poker pretty often, tournaments mostly, and it seems every time we get down to a final table, everyone else wants to make a deal. Granted, most of the people are "friends" as far as I can tell whereas I generally keep to myself. I've found that I don't play my "A" game when I'm against people I know. I guess it'd be considered "soft playing." Would feel bad if I took someone out, etc, even though that's .. the entire point of the game. Anything more than just acquaintances at the table is "too much" for me. But yes, I'd personally prefer to always play until the top finisher, but don't want to seem like the only asshole who doesn't want to agree to a deal. I've *always* agreed to a deal when everyone else wanted to as well for that reason alone. Wouldn't want a bounty or something the next time, etc. It's kind of a tight-knit group of people, generally only bringing in 100 or so regulars.

But yep. Thoughts/personal experience with it?

in a tournament there are no friends only opportunities to increase your stack

comedyboy · May 26, 2014

in a tournament you have no friends only opportunities to increase your stack and position if you feel bad eliminating a friend then buy him a drink afterwards with your winnings

HomeBrewer · May 27, 2014

Do not be afraid to decline a deal. I would hope that everyone would understand you want to see the tournament through to the end. There are also other options... You can always chop up a majority of the prize pool and play for the remaining in an agreed upon payout. This allows the game to continue. Plus there is nothing like playing a heads up match for the overall tournament victor.

fordman427 · May 27, 2014

Maybe ask them to kick some money back, then you will have something to play for

ccocco · May 28, 2014

I will be honest and a bit hard but in the game there is no family or friends especially when it comes to money ... lol

teepack · May 28, 2014

The first time I cashed in a live tourney we had played it down to the final six. I was second in chips at the time. We played for about 30 minutes without anybody going out. One guy suggested we chop. Everybody else agreed until it got to me. I wanted to keep playing, but acquiesced to the will of the table. We each wound up getting more than $1,200 out of an $80 buy-in, so it was a good payday. In retrospect, I wish I had held out and asked for $1,500 for me and the guy in first and let the other four have $1,000. Considering that sixth place was only going to pay $450 or so, I'm pretty sure the other four would have been glad to take $1,000. Next time I'll be more prepared.

vic75 · May 28, 2014

My opinion is that any deal should leave aside money for the eventual winner a lot of the poker sites do this but mostly in the bigger tournaments if your chip leader with 3 players left at final table then i would play on no deal it's all about winning a tournament you got that far so play it out till the end

dead homie · May 28, 2014

the tourneys i use to to play we almost always made a deal, since most of the money went to first place, we would all get just a little less than 2nd place.

zarzar78 · May 29, 2014

i will 99% of the time accept a deal in the final table, but when there s one or two players that have a really small stack compairing to other, i will definitely decline the deal, waiting to get them busted and dealing for a better piece of the prize pool

mycophile · May 29, 2014

teepack said:
The first time I cashed in a live tourney we had played it down to the final six. I was second in chips at the time. We played for about 30 minutes without anybody going out. One guy suggested we chop. Everybody else agreed until it got to me. I wanted to keep playing, but acquiesced to the will of the table. We each wound up getting more than $1,200 out of an $80 buy-in, so it was a good payday. In retrospect, I wish I had held out and asked for $1,500 for me and the guy in first and let the other four have $1,000. Considering that sixth place was only going to pay $450 or so, I'm pretty sure the other four would have been glad to take $1,000. Next time I'll be more prepared.

That's how they generally chop them up at the poker room I play at. I haven't seen a single deal end with an ICM agreement, always an even split. It's funny how the short stacks are generally the ones who bring up chopping though. Lol

Final table deals

mycophile

Rock Star

BluffMeAllIn

4evrInmyheart RIP xoxo :(

taban13

Visionary

guutox

Rock Star

mycophile

Rock Star

XXPXXP

Legend

XXPXXP

Legend

DenverDave

Enthusiast

Peteyweestro

Rock Star

AtiFCOD

Legend

MadMaddie

Rock Star

comedyboy

Rising Star

comedyboy

Rising Star

HomeBrewer

Visionary

fordman427

Rock Star

ccocco

Rock Star

teepack

Legend

vic75

Legend

dead homie

Rock Star

zarzar78

Rock Star

mycophile

Rock Star

About CardsChat

Our Community

Our Site