To chop or not to chop (apologies to Shakespeare)

[rhoudini]

If I am playing a regular tournament within my average buy-in, I would never chop or make any deal whatsoever. If I believe I can beat the average field of this regular buy-in range and if I think I have good chances of winning the tournament, I will not spend focus and energy thinking about chopping or trying to convince others of doing it.

However, I would chop in some specific circumstances:

1. If I am playing a bigger event where the prizes are really big and the score would make a huge difference in my life, maybe a Sunday Million or a WSOP event, for example.
2. If the situation demands, like I am really tired because the tournament took a lot more time than expected.
3. If I believe I am an underdog vs. a skillful great player who is better than me.
4. If we are really short stacked in the Heads-up, like in turbos or hypers, where the tournament would be decided in some random all-in. If I can't play to realize my theoretical edge, why not to chop right away?

 

[Gritz18]

This made me wonder about chopping and the different approaches to it. When is it worth doing? Under what conditions would you chop at a final tournament table (live or online)? Or are you a "never chop, play to the end" player?

I've never played live, and even online tournaments I've never played in a big tournament.

But I remember one time I was playing a freeroll and I ended up arriving at HU, and the villain offered me to make a deal, as I was almost tied in chips with him, I ended up agreeing to make the deal.

The funny thing is that I had never made a deal, and I ended up fumbling with the buttons and the deal ended up not coming through, the villain must have been very angry with me, as a result I ended up winning the tournament.😁

But answering his question, I'm in favor of making a deal, as the deck is not forgiving, things can change quickly, so it's better to guarantee a little more.🙂

 

[Popescu97]

When you have a good cashout the chop it's indicated in my opinion,but if not, you can go throught the final

 

[Goggelheimer]

I don't think that I would make a deal, fighting for the win is so much more satisfying and makes the real deal.
The emotions, that you made it as underdog to win the heads-up, are really great.
These feelings are worth it not to chop.
Furthermore, if it is a bounty tournament, you keep the bounty that was on your head,
and this is mostly a real game changer on the payouts.
To the example given, once a decision is made there is no way back
he wanted to play to the so he should stand to his decision.

 

[WrongUsername]

sometimes chop is fine others not depend always on the situation.

 

[belizebum]

I have only chopped on a few occasions. The times when I am more than likely to chop is if it's been a long tourney, getting tired and I am ready for it to be over. Done it a few times when heads up and we are close to even in chips. I have been in a full final table and had a few players want to chop immediately. Most players said no and I understand that. Heck we just started the FT, time to win some chips. If the majority wanted to chop, I would probably just say sure unless I had a huge chip lead.

 

[ADRI7HO]

By the way, there are ICM calculators for the chop that you can use to calculate whether the chop is worth it, but as a chipleader I would not gladly choose the chop either, and usually the new chipleader would not choose it either.
But I think this is more typical of the small buyin tournament, because at the final table of a big tournament (say wsop main event) as the chip leader, I would accept the deal with a little less prize but for the championship title and the WSOP bracelet.

 

[makisaa]

I prefer to play the game and enjoy my course, because I sweated to reach that position, and I want to play as far as I can go.

 

[Rumengh]

This is quite an interesting question. In general, I never split especially when there are three or four players fighting for the top spot. Most players think so too guess why? Everyone wants the victory and it all depends on the chips, the second after the chip leader may want the second place but the third and fourth never. Of course, everything is strictly individual and largely depends on the prize pool. I would split between two if the tournament has a good prize pool and we both take more or less a decent amount without much difference holding roughly the same size chips.

 

[Reload]

I never chop, if I'm there to play, is till the end even if I lose. Chopping for me is not compatible with being competitive, if you think that you don't have enough time to finish a competition, don't enter it.

 

[lauestla]

I don't like to chop. I generally enjoy playing so I don't want to reduce the game time.

I would make an exception for a game lasting a very long time, 8 or 9 hours for example.
As I don't like to play tired, I would chop in those particular circumstances but only at the final table.

 

[Bummy]

Personally, I'm in favor of not to chop. In my opinion, when you do this, it means that you are either afraid of losing, or you don't want to win... It's like giving up and for me it's not a very interesting option.

 

[Luvart]

I don't like chopping. I never suggested chopping in a tournament that I've played. Now to be honest, if you re at the final table of tournament and we have remained 3-4 players and we are all of the same skill level, it's not bad to suggest a chop. Also another option is if I've been playing a tournament for long long hours and I am at the final table. But again I don't think that I would ever chop.

 

[A kiravio]

I think I would also consider my condition if I were very tired and insecure about my ability to concentrate (don't say you never felt like it was over) Maybe it would be very good agreement between the finalists... but if someone limps badly, ignore him.

 

[km1n]

I rarely chop maybe if it is a great tournament or something big i enter via satellite that wont usually play and are the chips equitative but only in that instance i like to play to the end

 

[PoKeRFoRNiA]

I normally chop unless someone is a dickhead. In your situation, the guy asks to chop after refusing throughout the tournament and then when shit hits the fan, then he wants to chop? No thank you.

I normally chop. I had a situation where it was a free tornament where winner takes all $10k. We were down to 3 players. I had 45% of the chips from the big blind, small blind had 45% of the chips, button had 10%. Blinds were extremely high. I ask if theyre ok with chopping. Small blind said no. He thought of this as a weakness and went all in on my blind with J8o. I instant called with QQ from big blind, took his entire stack, and then won the tournament bcz next hand, majority of shortstack's chips were big blind. Karma is a bitch. Its why I am usually lenient with chops if its reasonable.

If someone refuses to chop, then I will play until that person is knocked out. Once that person is knocked out, unless I am massive chipleader, I will ask one more time to the table if theyre willing to chop. If another person says no, then I am done negotiating for chop. I will play all the way.
All of this is live btw. Online is different.

 

[Luvepoker]

I tend to not chop but will chop if it is good and fair.

My last chop was something like 12 ways. Not kidding. The structure at this casino event was hash late with the blinds doubling every 15 minutes. I was amounting the chip leaders but with the next blind lever about to start and I was running into the blinds with about 7 BB my bigger stack really did not mean much. People asked for a chip chop, and I was getting something like 4th place money, so I took it.

Overall, I would rather play down to the win, but I would agree for a chop say if there were a few left and they gave me an amount of funds that made it worth my wild.

As for what happened to @nabmom I would tell him to stuff it after saying no and now wanted to chop after you took a massive lead.

 

[Anna Brito]

If I ever find myself in this situation cut it or don't cut it regardless of my position I cut it;

 

[ramdon p358]

It depends on the amount of money at stake, if it is a tournament with more than $10K I would definitely make a deal to ensure a good amount of money.

 

[ledsmith]

I would agree to chop if the prizes were huge, and when chopping I would receive a considerable amount. Unfortunately, I have not yet been lucky enough to play the final table with huge prize money. And with a prize money of a hundred dollars, I don’t see the point in dividing.

 

[fundiver199]

By the way, there are ICM calculators for the chop that you can use to calculate whether the chop is worth it

On most online sites the chop is calculated by the site software according to ICM. On pokerstars players can choose ICM or equal, but I have never seen anything other than ICM being agreed upon. And as the chip leader I would certainly never agree to anything but ICM. So if the opponent(s) want to chop equally, then we just play out. Manual negotiations are for high stakes online games and live games only. If the final table in a big SCOOP event wants to chop, then an employee will come into the chat and facilitate the negotiations. But for all the regular everyday MTTs, its automated, and players simply click a box to accept the deal, or they dont.

 

[A kiravio]

On most online sites the chop is calculated by the site software according to ICM. On PokerStars players can choose ICM or equal, but I have never seen anything other than ICM being agreed upon. And as the chip leader I would certainly never agree to anything but ICM. So if the opponent(s) want to chop equally, then we just play out. Manual negotiations are for high stakes online games and live games only. If the final table in a big SCOOP event wants to chop, then an employee will come into the chat and facilitate the negotiations. But for all the regular everyday MTTs, its automated, and players simply click a box to accept the deal, or they dont.

Correct 👍

 

[ADRI7HO]

On most online sites the chop is calculated by the site software according to ICM. On PokerStars players can choose ICM or equal, but I have never seen anything other than ICM being agreed upon. And as the chip leader I would certainly never agree to anything but ICM. So if the opponent(s) want to chop equally, then we just play out. Manual negotiations are for high stakes online games and live games only. If the final table in a big SCOOP event wants to chop, then an employee will come into the chat and facilitate the negotiations. But for all the regular everyday MTTs, its automated, and players simply click a box to accept the deal, or they dont.

That's right.

 

[mattiebumpo]

I am usually in favor of chopping because by the time you get down to the final 4 or 5 players, the stacks are usually all short and it comes down to a lot of luck. The prize money is usually concentrated in the top 3 spots so that is when I prefer to chop, but I have agreed to chop at higher numbers. I think at one event we chopped at 20 because it was late and we were all playing the next day in a larger event. As a recreational player, any win is better than a loss for me. If I am tired or if it is a good deal for me based on ICM, I am much more likely to chop. It also helps if the other players are pleasant and not jerks.

 

[antonis32123]

Personally at a online tourney I would chop , I would like to chop , make a deal and share the prize . Bad beats or mistakes can happen , I prefer safe play at this stage , win sth guaranteed , gamble less at this stage. Even if the other player is an as**** I would still want to make a deal with him