When Should You Chop?

There is no question that winning a poker tournament is a hard process.

You are competing with dozens -- maybe even hundreds -- of other players for cash and glory. Depending on the size and structure of the tournament, you may even be entitled to win a valuable gold and diamond bracelet.

If you play in tournaments long enough, you will find yourself in a situation where you have made the final table. That is when the choppers will speak out.

Somebody (usually the person with the least number of chips at the table) will suggest a chop. Most of the other players will probably agree with him. They are tired, the dealer is weary, and a chop means everyone at the last table will be in the money.

The rule is that if one player does not agree to the chop, it doesn't happen. The policy of most casinos is to prevent the other players from pressuring the one who does not want to chop into agreeing with the majority.

Think of a jury. Eleven of the jurors want to either convict or acquit a defendant. You are the lone holdout. Do you agree with them or do you stand by your convictions?

I was playing in a tournament in Phoenix, AZ. at the Talking Stick Casino about a year ago. It was a tough tournament that began at noon and we were still playing at 8 p.m.when we made the final table.

My chip stack put me in third place and I was ready to play. I knew most of the other players at the table and knew I could beat them. One of the players held up his hand and said, 'Let's chop.'

The other players began nodding. Two of them said they needed to get home. They looked around the table to see if everybody agreed. When the action came to me, I shook my head.

'I came here to see who is the best,' I said. 'If we chop, that question won't be answered.'

Well, this response did not go well with a couple of the other players, but they had no choice. They had to play.

I ended up winning the tournament. Several of the other players were not friendly when we were paid off, but one of the dealers came up to me.

'I admire your stand,' he said. 'You did the right thing.'

Interestingly, Talking Stick wrapped up its Winter Point Challenge on April 2. A total of 163 players were striving to win part of the $40,000 prize pool.

Amazingly, the tournament ended with a 22-way chop. The top three players each was paid $2,000, while 19 others received $1,488 each.

To me, that is just lazy poker at work. Take the money and run. Forget about discovering which player is the best.

While chops may be okay in some situations -- a player has a sick wife or child at home and needs to leave, for example -- in most cases, I will vote against a chop.

The prize should go to the best. A community chop is only a lazy way to end a tournament. If you make a final table, remember this when somebody suggests a chop.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).