What do you do?
Omg I couldn't imagine. The chat must of been blowing up when you got knocked out. This is an amazing storyOne time I didn't and I'll never forget it. We were down to 3 people in a $600 buy-in Omaha 8 or better tournament. I was the chip leader and the others wanted to split. I said no and got knocked out first. It cost me thousands. Not saying I'll split it every time now but I'll think about it long and hard first.
Never been involved in any deals and rarely have made it to the final tables. I probably would not initiate one or accept one if its in violation of the tournament policy otherwise it depends on the chip count and other factors. Still would likely not either way because I would like to how far I could go towards first place.
I’ve never taken a deal at the very beginning of a final table, but there are times where I’ve agreed to deal when short-handed (most frequently when heads-up). The most common scenario for this is taking an ICM chop (/chip chop if heads-up) when up against good tournament regardless where I think everyone’s edge is pretty similar.
I think that the important thing is to never take a deal just because people are pressuring you into it (something I encounter a lot in live games), and only because you find it advantageous versus taking the time to play it out.