Chop
It is very common is cash games for the blinds not to play against each other when all the other players at the table have folded. This is called a “chop”. The idea is that the blinds have random cards, they were “forced” to post the blind and stand to win or lose very little. Also, and this is probably more important, the house will not take a rake or drop from the pot if the player’s chop. They just take their blinds back and the next hand is dealt.
Now there are a couple of things involving a chop you need to know. First, be sure the card room rules allow a chop, some do not; but every well run poker room allows the chop. If our local room does not, have a chat with the poker room manager, they will earn a lot more player good will by allowing chops rather than not.
Second, it is good poker etiquette that if you chop then you always chop and if you don’t then never do. Either position is fine but don’t be checking your hole cards and then deciding whether or not to chop. You do or you don’t that is the correct position to take.
Sometimes you might hear the remaining players at the end of a tournament “chopping up” the prize pool. This is more often referred to as making a deal. We talked about tournament deals in a previous post.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #117
