Chop with an existing pot
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 953
Odd situation.
$1/$2 PLO
Player missed the small blind but comes back to post a dead small blind in the Hijack position. Cards are dealt, everyone folds (including the Hijack). The blinds both declare that they want to chop.
The problem is that there is the dead small blind from the Hijack in the pot.
1. Can the blinds chop if there is a pot?
2. If they chop, who gets the dead dollar?
My initial reaction is that the blinds cannot chop because there is money already in the pot. It is little different than one player raising, another calling and them deciding to chop after the blinds fold. Players cannot chop with money in the pot. However if a chop is allowed, my gut tells me that the small blind gets the extra dollar (odd chip going to worst position).
Obviously this is not a big deal. It is only a dollar and a really rare and strange situation, but I am just wondering what those with intimate knowledge of the rules think.
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 2,876
Highly, highly, highly casino dependent so I would default ask unless I know the rules. What would I do if I ran the casino though? Give it back to the person that posted it if there is no preflop rake. If there is preflop rake, take the rake from the dead sb.
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 8,543
In most casinos you can’t chop in this situation. However I have been in California where there is one limper and it folds to the blinds and they all agree to chop and it’s allowed (I think because of the drop system there everyone realizes playing it out is dumb). But in casinos I play on the east coast I am fairly sure it needs to be played (though I can see some dealers allowing the chop to happen anyway).
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 17,407
I remember a situation like that where the blinds asked the dealer if they can chop and he responded along the lines of “no, but if SB folds nobody will stop BB from giving him $1 or $2 back”.
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 10,844
IMO you let the Blinds chop and leave the dead SB out there for the next hand. This would probably be problematic with a Gaming authority, but really shouldn't be an issue if worked through logically.
What I've seen before is the Dealer gets the SB in the middle and the Blinds chop. GL
