So when you know you're getting close to the to the point you're going to stop chopping, you do the only thing you can and give people the best warning you can. Just like he did.

Your games have a lot more chopping and I'm going to guess most of those people walk in to the casino knowing theyte going to chop no matter the lineup. In games where the regulars never chop you often get situations where a recreational player sits in and wants to chop. It often creates a spot where there is only one odd chop going on

I'm redoing my answer.

The reason this situation never happens to me, in my games, is because no one chops and I'm better than average, so a very specific set of circumstances has to happen.

1. The guy to my left has to be good enough that it's more profitable for me to chop than I can win by playing

2. He has to be dumb enough to make the offer

If you were playing in a game with zero chops, and the worlds best limit player sat on you left and wanted to chop with just you, then there is no reason to not agree.

This is getting off topic, but I am kind of curious. I figure that even if I am a much better player than the player in the BB, it would still be to my advantage to chop my SB, because the advantage of position headsup on every street is so great. Of course the BB has to post more to start out with, but I still don't like the spot. I guess you disagree, because you only dislike it if someone is better than you? If someone is equally skilled, would you still prefer not to chop your SB?

I'd just assume anyone making me the deal isn't very good, politely decline, and make them prove they know to play the blinds.

Technically you should probably chop with people slightly worse than you but it never offered

lol, sounds like a good game. You think pissing off rec's by selectively chopping (from their perspective) has anything to do with that?

It is certainly not everyone's policy. I've seen it plenty of times, but in a full game, the majority of players either chop or they don't. They don't have some strategy based on who else in the game is chopping and how skilled they are.

everyone wasn't literal. Yes people do base their decisions on who else is chopping in the sense that if you're not chopping both ways then someone is getting the raw end and won't agree. I've obviously worded wrong. I play in largish, time games. No one chops, no one ever even asks because you won't be able to convince anyone to chop just their bb. The only people who chop, are the people who want to chop, and are ok with taking the raw end. if they're just willingly doing there is nothing wrong with taking. The catch 21 is that as soon as you ask the other person is likely to assume you're bad and just decide to steal your BB all night

Even my well-mannered and genteel sensibilities would not have been the slightest bit perturbed by what Rob's opponent did. Giving Rob advance notice that he would no longer be chopping was the stand-up thing to do. And he even told him why.

It is unfair to expect him to continue chopping in position and to continue not chopping out of position.

Unfair in an absolute sense or relative sense?

People continue to chop IP all the time in the SFBA. So whether it's fair or not in the philosophical sense, it's certainly popular enough to be a social norm at least here.

Or just, you know, play poker instead of chopping. Why people feel the need to chop the blinds is beyond me especially when it is only fair when everyone does it. If not then you have someone who is always the BB in these chops and someone who is always the SB, you need to complete the circle for that not to be the case.

In California, games are dropped. So in "no flop no drop" rooms, if the blinds agree to chop no rake is taken, and if they don't agree, full drop is taken.

This gives pretty big incentive to chop, even for the BB.

My policy on chopping is. Hey you want to chop fine we can chop. You don;t want to chop fine we can play.

My preference would be to always play (at least when not in rooms with the So Cal take the rake up front policy). I think chopping is silly. But quite honestly I think its sillier to get worked up about it.

If there is this much chopping, I want a table change.

Nothing unethical about chopping or not chopping or changing one's mind for any reason during the game so long as the players on your left and right know what you're doing before the hand in question is dealt.

Actually two weeks ago I played a time rake for the first time. I was actually a little surprised chopping was even allowed. I realize if you play blind vs blind, there is still potential for a jackpot drop and dealer toke, but I thought the whole reason for chopping was so that the rake didn't have be split by just the two blinds. So I never chopped(and to be honest it was kind of a pain to tell the players next to me when I sat down until I had been a the table long enough so others at the table would confirm to the guys next to me that I was a 'non-chopper'). Ironically, at 10/20 LHE I played for 12 hours and I would guess I got into about 10 blind vs blind situations, and every single time I was in the small blind. When I played 2/5 the one time it happened I was finally in the BB. When I was playing 1/2 which was raked, I chopped.

Slightly off topic, but I find that at up to 2/5 stakes, sb vs bb is one of people's biggest weaknesses. Obviously I don't tell this to everyone but I've seen sb fold a6o because he's out of position and bb fold stuff like 97s to 3x.

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Don't get upset when someone changes their mind on chopping. Advanced warning, no warning, only if they see aces, whatever, who cares. The ev of a pleasant experience at the table outweighs any chopping / non chopping ev and it's not close.

This goes for just about everything, such as disputes on who got small blind's change etc.

Live poker as a fun, recreational pastime is dead enough as it is. And that is bad for us and has cost me significantly more money than some dude deciding to play his big.

You think someone deciding not to chop anymore when they look down at aces contributes to a pleasant atmosphere at the table?

Yes. I do.

A guy who has been chopping blinds and then decides to raise out of the blind with pocket aces is cheating.

I didn't know that. Which casino considers it cheatinng?

Just because you think it's unethical doesn't make it cheating. Yes, he is taking advantage of a player he has made an agreement/arrangement with, but it's not cheating. He's not breaking any rules.

I think your reaction to said circumstance will dictate the atmosphere of the table, and I also think intelligent, winning regs do not understand the ev of a happy table.

Each table has an available win rate. It's not as simple as oh in 2/5 I'm at 9.7bb/hr. One table probably has a $30 hourly. Another has a $120 hourly. Granted these are all short term and difficult to realize but long term your goal should be to be at the $120 tables and those are tables where people are friendly and having a good time. Tables with good vibes.

Creating a table with a good vibe is like dating a confident woman. It takes time. It takes build up. Once you get to the end you will be happily rewarded. One f**k up, one wrong line, one late pick up, you're out. It's over.

Alot of people think one dude on tilt makes a great game or one drunk whale makes a great game but they just dont realize how high vpip gets and how low fold equity gets when everyone at a poker table is laughing / talking / drinking etc. Our goal as winning players is to not let the small stuff get us and try to either create or at least maintain this type of atmosphere. It used to be commonplace and is now all but dead.

When some small minded fool has chopped with me for the last hour and then says "no chop" all of a sudden bc he has aces and wants to play the high hand or whatever I laugh and either play my hand or say "sorry bud I wish I could give you action but I've got 72o" or whatever.

One argument, one pause in a game, one crappy comment, these can all change the vibe of a game and make some 100% vpiping whale decide that 11pm is a good time to call it a night. Instead of him talking / laughing it up and dumping till 3am.

Your reaction to someone who reneged on a chopping agreement should be "sure, let's play some poker" and smile and either fold limp or raise while taking a swig of your beer.

How exactly they renege matters.

If they say before the hand, "I'm not chopping any more," cool, let's play some poker.

If they say after they look at their hand, "I'm not chopping this hand," that's not cool, but whatever, let's play some poker and I'm probably not going to chop with them any more.

In case people in this thread are unaware, chillrob is primarily a LHE player so losing the blinds is kind of a big deal.

Like in 1/2 NL I raise and take the blinds and the house drops $1 so the dealer pushes me $2 and I tip $1 and anyone who hasn't dealt to me before always pushes it back pointing out the pot is only $2 and then I'll lol and throw it back and then anyone who hasn't played with me will berate me for tipping half the pot and then I proverbially swig my proverbial beer and advise them to make my pots bigger next time.

But in LHE, one big blind per hour would be what pros expect in tougher games.