Hey guys,

I don't know if this happens for anybody else...I haven't played in any Casinos, but in every one of the Charity Poker rooms I play they allow the BB and SB to "chop" the pot if it is just down to heads up between them. Each of the blind players take back their blinds and the button is moved and the next hand is played.

I would say that a high 90% of players actually do chop with any hand (they say if you are gonna chop you should do it with all your hands, not just some...bad form if you sometimes chop and sometimes don't).

So, is "chopping" a +EV play since the blinds are normally a big money losing position, or should I not participate and just play my normal game? I would say I am a pretty tight player and much prefer having position if that influences your answers. This is for $1/$2 BTW.

Thanks,
-TG

If the BB and SB are the most losing positions, you should always chop because you don't even have to pay rake then

+ you might get more hands/h where you have position

If it's better for you to be on their good side, then play their games and chop. I also play 1/2 at charity rooms, and they get superstitious about chops - saying that it's bad luck not to do it. (Oh, and literally EVERYONE has a story about when they chopped with aces.) If your reputation is important to your winrate, or there is a drop for the rake instead of a %, then chopping is the way to go.

I never chop though - mostly for how goddamn tilted they get if you don't. You can get paid off by one-pair type hands so often against a SB who gets tilted when you don't chop. FWIW, I tell them I don't chop because I've had people angle-shoot me before with chops after we both looked at our hands - "Do you want to chop?" "Sure." "Well I don't." - which actually did happen. It's better to have a story to tell than just saying "I don't chop."

EDIT: Keep in mind that the behavior in the second example is super anti-social. Sometimes poker players, myself included, forget that it can be +EV in life to have friends at the table, even if its -EV to your poker.

And you went on and folded your 0.5bb to his bb? or did you fold your 1bb to his raise which you wouldn't have if he'd just raise?

Doesn't matter if he's trying to angle or whatever if he's raising you're either folding because your hand is crap if it isn't you can continue normally.

Right, but if he knows my hand in the BB is air, then he can raise with ATC and know I'm folding. It's only a free BB, and it will only work once, but it's more about the principle of him trying to angle me.

And its irrelevant anyway, because I'm not too pissed about when it happened; it was a friend who did it half-way jokingly. I just need a story to tell so I don't look like the internet, assbergers, value fiend who is 100% about EV in every spot.

Unless you say "I have air, let's chop" he won't know if you have AA or 27o

But you're right about the EV value fiending

You can always go like, chopping is only fine if you didn't look at your cards before asking, if they're looking they're trying to get out cheap with air and when they have something they won't chop so it's not hard to spot those guys I guess??

with the rake at most casinos chopping is +EV simply because it is -EV for both players to play BvB.

OK, I have been chopping. It sounds like that's at least OK to do if not outright +EV.

Thanks guys.

Better off to chop unless your paying session and therefore no rake is taken from pots then you can play the blinds.

However in lower stake games your obviously going to lose money in the longrun from simply being in the blinds.

Cliffs. Chop if you can

If I'm in the BB I'm never chopping. If I'm in the SB then definitely yes.

Somehow after 2000 hands, SB and BB are my most profitable positions on PT3... So for me I guess no ... Any theories on why this could be, other than 2000 hands isn't enough?

You're running good. There's really no way for anyone to be profitable from the blinds over a long sample unless you're playing complete droolers.

I don't get it. Why would you chop BB? I would rather fold my SB than have to chop my BB. So much money to be made against spiteful players playing out of position.

Because it would be unsportsmanlike to chop your SB and play your BB.

You suck at the other positions? Chances are it's just a lolsmall sample size or you are doing something seriously wrong in all the other positions. Over a large sample there is no way the blinds should be your most profitable position.

This. The biggest reason to chop is to avoid paying rake on the hand. Most BvB pots will be tiny so will be raked relatively highly. You will need a big edge over your opponents to make it profitable not to chop.

It is really poor form if both sides want to chop to only chop against the person you would be in the SB with. if they both want to chop you either chop both or neither. Different story if one doesn't want to chop, then do whatever you want.