Chop or Play For The Win?

Gutshot Gus · 2026-04-04T10:30:21-0400

I was recently in the Monday $90 Turbo No Limit Hold'em tournament at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth Va.
You buy in for $90 and pay an "optional" dealer add-on for $10 to receive 10,000 more in tournament chips. So you have $100 in the game.
The game is 12 minute blinds with big blind antes.
After all is said and done $70 per player goes to the prize pool.
This game ended up with 50 players and a $3,500 prize pool.
1st-32%=$1,120
2nd-21%=$735
3rd-14%=$490
4th-11%=$385
5th-9%=$315
6th-7.5%=$263
7th-5.5%=$193

We we got to the bubble with 8 players left, there was a suggestion for everyone to contribute $20 for the bubble to put the bubble ITM.
This was pocket cash and not prize pool money and everyone agreed and off we go.
After the bubble went out we were upon the second break and the possibility of a chop was suggested.
With $3,500 prize pool and 7 players that made the chop $500 each.

I was way below the curve and down to around 4 BB. Blinds were 8,000-16,000 with 16,000 ante.
I thought about the deal and I would have to finish in the top two to do better than $500 and realistically did not see that happening so I took the chop and everyone else agreed, so game over.

I have always heard to never take the chop and just say "I'm here to play, no thank you".
I thought that in my situation that taking the $500 was a better deal. Should I have taken the chop or played on and hoped for a run to a top two finish?

Also is the deal with everyone chipping in $20 for the bubble normal?

monkeytilter · 2026-04-04T10:50:54-0400

They did you a big favour here and it shows why blindly applying general "wisdom" can be very foolish, even if you think you have a giant skill edge you can't really apply it with 4BB - take that offered chop 8 days a week!

eberetta1 · 2026-04-04T11:50:45-0400

You did well accepting the chop. Usuaĺly, a big mouth or high roller says never accept a chop. I tend to think those are true gamblers and I am not, for the most part, that type of risk taker.
I have never seen that type of deal for the bubble. Very friendly game.

TeUnit · 2026-04-04T15:38:11-0400

If you think you have the edge, if its not life changing money, or if you are not in a hurry - then no reason to take the deal.

MK_ · 2026-04-04T15:55:40-0400

Well first of all I've never heard of anyone chipping in for the bubble to get paid....., it's called the bubble for a reason lol,

... I think in your case with 4bbs you probably got a good deal, but the people with average or better stacks got a terrible deal...

personally I like short handed or hu play so all things being equal I'll play as long as it takes😎👍

Sunz of Beaches · 2026-04-04T20:36:16-0400

Wow that place must be softer than butter.

This is imo a snap deal if you understand basic math. Those medium to big stack who agreed on that must be very new to the game of poker and i also never heard of people chipping in for the bubble to get paid.

Gutshot Gus · 2026-04-04T22:17:21-0400

Sunz of Beaches said:
Wow that place must be softer than butter.

This is imo a snap deal if you understand basic math. Those medium to big stack who agreed on that must be very new to the game of poker and i also never heard of people chipping in for the bubble to get paid.

That was only my second time there and on the first time there I got to ITM and a bubble chip was going on, although a chop did not happen.

This is the only place that I have ever been to that this has happened. If you are short stacked it is like twenty bucks insurance to get back your buy in and a bit of gas money.
With 8th place being the bubble and $100 tournament fee add the twenty for a total of $120 and get back $160.
I don't understand the fat stacks going along with this, and don't really understand why a fat stack would want to chop.

For either of these things to happen it has to be a unanimous consent by everyone involved.

ramdon p358 · 2026-04-04T23:21:28-0400

It depends on the tournament; if it's a prize that could change my life, I'd definitely make a deal.

SPANKYSN · 2026-04-05T01:31:25-0400

Gutshot Gus said:
I was recently in the Monday $90 Turbo No Limit Hold'em tournament at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth Va.
You buy in for $90 and pay an "optional" dealer add-on for $10 to receive 10,000 more in tournament chips. So you have $100 in the game.
The game is 12 minute blinds with big blind antes.
After all is said and done $70 per player goes to the prize pool.
This game ended up with 50 players and a $3,500 prize pool.
1st-32%=$1,120
2nd-21%=$735
3rd-14%=$490
4th-11%=$385
5th-9%=$315
6th-7.5%=$263
7th-5.5%=$193

We we got to the bubble with 8 players left, there was a suggestion for everyone to contribute $20 for the bubble to put the bubble ITM.
This was pocket cash and not prize pool money and everyone agreed and off we go.
After the bubble went out we were upon the second break and the possibility of a chop was suggested.
With $3,500 prize pool and 7 players that made the chop $500 each.

I was way below the curve and down to around 4 BB. Blinds were 8,000-16,000 with 16,000 ante.
I thought about the deal and I would have to finish in the top two to do better than $500 and realistically did not see that happening so I took the chop and everyone else agreed, so game over.

I have always heard to never take the chop and just say "I'm here to play, no thank you".
I thought that in my situation that taking the $500 was a better deal. Should I have taken the chop or played on and hoped for a run to a top two finish?

Also is the deal with everyone chipping in $20 for the bubble normal?

You absolutely did the right thing...you probably got the best of any player in the deal...you are there to win money...going home broke, but proud of the fighter in you, defeats the purpose.
Contributing to the bubble player is fairly standard.

WladiYoga · 2026-04-05T02:45:55-0400

All right, so everyone put in 20$ of their own money into the bubble? Did I understand that right? If so, that's the first thing that's totally not normal. The bubble should be provided by the casino and before the tournament starts, I think. I understand, that everybody wanted to be kind and 20$ is not the world. Same thing with the chop, I mean, I don't know how equal the distribution in Blinds was between the other players, if most of them had approximately the same chip count, all right, I can understand, but if there was like one or two chip leader(s), I wouldn't agree for the chop, except again, everyone wanted to be kind to each other, because you're face to face, and it's not like a main event. But if for example I would have had 80 BB or more, I would counter propose a deal at most, or even disagree. You write, the Ante was 16K, same big as BB? you mean maybe 1,6K, right?
In the end of the day, you made the right choice, and actually, it would be crazy of you not to agrre to such a chop with your chip count.
If you had maybe, like 10-12-ish BB at least, you could try to win the tournament; if you had like 20 or more, then, yes, you should always disagree for the chop or even deal. Because it's not only about the money, but about who is the better player, it's a tournament, a competition, adrenaline, pride, intelligence and emotions.
But with 4 Blinds, again, I take that deal every day of the year.

Gutshot Gus · 2026-04-05T10:07:10-0400

WladiYoga said:
All right, so everyone put in 20$ of their own money into the bubble? Did I understand that right? If so, that's the first thing that's totally not normal. The bubble should be provided by the casino and before the tournament starts, I think. I understand, that everybody wanted to be kind and 20$ is not the world. Same thing with the chop, I mean, I don't know how equal the distribution in Blinds was between the other players, if most of them had approximately the same chip count, all right, I can understand, but if there was like one or two chip leader(s), I wouldn't agree for the chop, except again, everyone wanted to be kind to each other, because you're face to face, and it's not like a main event. But if for example I would have had 80 BB or more, I would counter propose a deal at most, or even disagree. You write, the Ante was 16K, same big as BB? you mean maybe 1,6K, right?
In the end of the day, you made the right choice, and actually, it would be crazy of you not to agrre to such a chop with your chip count.
If you had maybe, like 10-12-ish BB at least, you could try to win the tournament; if you had like 20 or more, then, yes, you should always disagree for the chop or even deal. Because it's not only about the money, but about who is the better player, it's a tournament, a competition, adrenaline, pride, intelligence and emotions.
But with 4 Blinds, again, I take that deal every day of the year.

The game is Big Blind ante. That is the BB post the ante for the table, which is same as BB.
This is common in tournament play. The reasoning is for one person (BB) to post the ante to save time and confusion.
Cash games don't have an ante but a lot of tournaments do, It can be cruel in the later stages and eat up a chip stack.
It forces play and speeds up the tournament.

The chop caught me by surprise. There were a couple of really fat stacks and it blew me away that they would agree to this.
Out of seven players left I was way below the curve and probably sixth in chips.
In my opinion there was not a snowballs chance in hell for me to finish in the top two and get above $500.
I jumped on the bandwagon fast and felt like I won the lottery.
The best that I could have possibly done was 5th and $315. I got an extra two to three hundred for the chop than I would have if the game played out.

The bubble usually gets zero money and is left wondering what if. Although I was not familiar with this procedure I jumped on the opportunity.
I was short stacked and could have very well went out on the bubble with nothing.
From my point of view, I was paying $20 to get $160.

steve01991 · 2026-04-05T10:14:00-0400

Gutshot Gus said:
I was recently in the Monday $90 Turbo No Limit Hold'em tournament at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth Va.
You buy in for $90 and pay an "optional" dealer add-on for $10 to receive 10,000 more in tournament chips. So you have $100 in the game.
The game is 12 minute blinds with big blind antes.
After all is said and done $70 per player goes to the prize pool.
This game ended up with 50 players and a $3,500 prize pool.
1st-32%=$1,120
2nd-21%=$735
3rd-14%=$490
4th-11%=$385
5th-9%=$315
6th-7.5%=$263
7th-5.5%=$193

We we got to the bubble with 8 players left, there was a suggestion for everyone to contribute $20 for the bubble to put the bubble ITM.
This was pocket cash and not prize pool money and everyone agreed and off we go.
After the bubble went out we were upon the second break and the possibility of a chop was suggested.
With $3,500 prize pool and 7 players that made the chop $500 each.

I was way below the curve and down to around 4 BB. Blinds were 8,000-16,000 with 16,000 ante.
I thought about the deal and I would have to finish in the top two to do better than $500 and realistically did not see that happening so I took the chop and everyone else agreed, so game over.

I have always heard to never take the chop and just say "I'm here to play, no thank you".
I thought that in my situation that taking the $500 was a better deal. Should I have taken the chop or played on and hoped for a run to a top two finish?

Also is the deal with everyone chipping in $20 for the bubble normal?

would of done the chop in your instance. Now if i was top 3, probably not

Gutshot Gus · 2026-04-05T10:48:24-0400

steve01991 said:
would of done the chop in your instance. Now if i was top 3, probably not

I agree.

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Chop or Play For The Win?

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