Chopping the blinds?

[Wyrm2]

I was reading a trip report or something of the sort and one of the people made reference to chopping the blinds after everyone folded. Do the two blinds just pick up their blinds? If so, is this required or just proper B&M etiquette (you can see that I don't play much B&M [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )?

[crockpot]

you understand it correctly. i wouldn't say it's really B&M etiquette. what usually happens is that the small blind asks to chop whenever his cards are terrible, and raises when they're good.

my advice is to ask the players next to you if they want to chop the blinds ahead of time, so it doesn't seem like collusion when it happens.

[ArchAngel71857]

Yes, this was my trip report. Chopping is when each player gets his blind back. You can't do it online, so i was unfamiliar with the situation. Welcome to the forum.


-AA

[NoChance]

This is an interesting topic. I had always played only in live games until I found online games in July. Because of this, I have always chopped the blinds. In fact, the first time it happened to me online I was looking for a "chop" button and could not find it.

Now I rarely play live. All the books teach you to steal the blinds when you can, etc. After playing online where chopping is not an option, I have learned to do as the books say and steal if possible.

However, this past weekend I went and played live. The topic of chopping came up and there was interesting discussion. Basicly these were the two situations:

1. Full table. I had agreed to chop any hand I received, including pocket aces.

2. Short handed. During the early morning hours, I was stuck playing with 4 other players. I think in this situation it is crazy to chop. I mean really, if chopping were allowed in a 5 handed game, then too many hands would simply be chopped. Often it comes down to the last two people.

Does any of this sound logical? Should there be a difference in my thinking when the table is short handed? If so, at what point does it change, how many players?

[Nottom]

It really all comes down to how much the rake is. In certain situations even the best headsup player in the world might be better off chopping.

[Dov]

The whole concept of 'chopping the blinds' is about not letting the house get all of the money. They can't take a rake if there is no pot, so chopping the blinds prevents the rake.

If you do play with only 2 players, ideally you would want a very small rake. Since you will always be playing with the maximum rake at a full table, you will have to win a much higher percentage of pots than is normal just to beat the rake. In addition if you happen to chop the pot, only the house wins.

Usually you can get a rake reduction by the time you are down to 6 people or less. This helps to alleviate the pressure from the house and leaves the game beatable. This is why many players won't chop below a certain point.

I make it a point to ask the person next to me if they chop as soon as I sit down. I also double check to make sure they always chop. The first time I get raised by someone who says they chop, I fold (Unless I have AA or KK). The next time I just play as if they don't chop and usually reraise just to make the point.

You will make many enemies quickly at the table if you say that you will chop and then fail to do so on every hand. That is considered bad etiquette. People will start to play specifically against you as well, which is not good.

I hope this clears things up a little, and if I got anything wrong, I hope someone will let me know.

Good Luck Everyone,

Dov
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[KSU78]

Yes, I have seen that a few times. But, for the most part, it doesn't happen very often. Either the player chops or he doesn't. Once it gets below a certain number, usually 5 players, there is no more chopping. In jackpot games, a player how who holds a potential jackpot will usually say he wants to check it down, ie. no betting after the flop and beyond. The proper etiquette is to return the other player's money after checking it down.