Chop?  Sometimes when people get to the money or the final table a deal is struck and the top heavy first, second, and third place money is distributed between the final table or maybe the final six.  If you find yourself in a final table conversation about chopping whether it’s internet poker or live poker here’s some tips.

Do Chop:

1.  You are outmatched, outwitted, outclassed, out of your league.  If you are suddenly looking at the sucker on the table and it’s your own reflection in that guy that is about to rob you blind’s sunglasses… chop.  Do chop if you are so drunk or so stupid that you will get kicked out of the tournament like this guy.

Don’t Chop:

1.  If you are watching King high scoop a pot over queen high that was bet on every street and neither player thought they were bluffing or making a hero call.  You might want to wait until these genuises hit the rail.

Do Chop:

2.  If you are out of time.  Look we all got schedules to keep even poker players that chose their living because they don’t have a schedule sometimes have to abide by the schedules of others… doctor’s appointments, closing time at the mechanics, a meeting with your Ed Hardy dealer, or a dentist appointment are just a few examples where you do have to abide by a time line and a calender.

Don’t Chop:

2.  If you know one of your opponents has somewhere to be… or do chop and use that bit of knowledge as leverage in the negotiation… and yes, chopping conversations are purely negotiations.

Do Chop:

3.  If they are offering you first place money.  You can’t win any more than that.  If you are giving up a trophy or a bracelet to get first place money, find out how much the item is worth and ask for that amount of money.  Buy yourself a cheaper one and enjoy the money.  If they are letting you negotiation a bracelet as part of the chop clearly your tournament isn’t televised and get over your own hubris in playing for a trinket.  You play poker to win money.  Sometimes you win in the negotiation and that’s part of the game.

Don’t Chop:

3.  If you have a mountain of chips.  You opponents all have mole-hills.  Hold out for first place type money.

Do Chop:

4.  The blinds and antes have overwhelmed any element of skill or play.  It’s a shovefest and you might as well play roulette.  If you like fate or chance determining a poker tournament so be it.  If you don’t like your edge in skill to be removed chop… and don’t tip off your opponents your skill advantage has been impeded but campaign for a bigger piece of the pie.

Don’t Chop:

4.  There are teeny-tiny stacks remaining.  They don’t deserve equal compensation.  Eliminate them and move on.  Chop when the teeny-tinys are gone.

Do Chop:

5.  If you are tired.  You don’t feel like playing any more and you think the deal is fair to you.

Don’t Chop:

5.  If you want to keep playing, you are having fun, and the money doesn’t mean much to you (probably a lower buy-in tournament).  Still, you keep score by your money, so don’t overlook the chop negotiation as part of the game, because it is, and if you don’t realize that your opponents hold an edge.