Making a final table deal - who wouldn't in this situation?

[boots]

Here is the payout schedule (top 4 only get paid): (borrowed from Lysis's post)

$4500
$2250
$1350
$900

down to the final table of a 77 player tourney, 90,000 in chips in play, $9000 in prize money, so chips are worth $.10 real money per T1 (ie, $50 per T500)

I am second in chip position, with T19000. There are 7 other players, chip leader to my immediate left has T20,000. after him and me, the next stack is T13000, then smaller stacks, on down to T4600.

The deal proposed is that we each take our exact equity - $.10 on the tourney chip dollar value. I'm happy to take $1900 /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif , which is almost second place money anyway, since the blinds are now 500-1000, and will be doubling on the next hand to 1000-2000, which will coincide with my big blind.

I figured the texture of this game, where blinds were attacked ruthlessly, would mean i could take a major hit if i chose to defend my blinds with a mediocre hand, and if i then attacked the short stack to my left, who had T4600, he'd be pressed to call me more frequently than i'd want him to, on account of his short stack.

Basically, if i had any extra equity based on the fact that i had a larger (although not dominating) stack, i felt that it was neutralized by my poor position relative to the button, and the size of the blinds....

comments?

[JayKon]

Personally, I won't deal. I did once and it left a bad taste. I suppose the real reason is that I really love top take 1st place - it's almost as good as sex.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

While a straight chip count deal like this can't be too terrible (unless the chips counts are really skewed), this method does noticeably favor the big stacks over the small stacks. Being a big stack, this was a good deal for you.

Basically, the further the stacks are from being even all around, the more this method favors the big stacks. Imagine if the chip leader had half the chips, T45K. This method would give him exactly first prize, and clearly his chips can't be worth that much. And what if he had T55K? Who would make that deal?

Similarly, a guy with almost no chips (e.g., T200) still has more than $20 equity in this prize pool. Even though he will get nothing most of the time you play it out, he will manage to double up a few times and finish 4th or higher much more often than one time in 45.

I always propose a straight chip count deal when I'm chip leader, as it sounds fair yet it favors me. And I always turn them down when I'm below average in chips.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Samson]

Sounds like a Good Rule Of Thumb to follow.

[curtains]

How much would it affect your decision to do a straight chip deal if the blinds were reasonably large, and despite having a below average stack, you were BB on the next hand?

[Greg (FossilMan)]

Very little.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[shaniac]

I play in a similar (if not the same exact) event and my goal is always to make it to the final table with enough chips to make the $.10 deal and end it right there.

If I have 4th place or better locked up, I'll make the deal.

The blinds are usually uncomfortably high relative to the average stack by the time we get there, so even a skilled player needs to get lucky. Making a deal (and even taking some of the top if you've got a big stack) can't be too wrong in that situation IMO.

shaniac8