Chop?

When I first started playing live poker I was quite confused when one time, while I was in the big blind, it folded to the guy in the small blind who turned to me and said "chop?" What he was asking was if instead of him completing the blind (for a dollar in this case)  and playing the hand, whether I'd prefer just to take my big blind back (and he'd get his small blind back) and we could move on to the next hand - a practice commonly known as chopping.

Chopping is usually seen as a good thing to do - it speeds the play up and it keeps things friendly. Other players don't have to wait while two guys contest a small pot. Once I got the concept, I usually chopped in this situation.

Some guys live by a "I never chop" creed. I guess the chop offends their uber-competitive nature.

I once witnessed a hand where it folded to the small blind, who then asked the big blind if he wanted to chop. "No way!" said the big blind, figuring the small blind was weak and just wanted to save a dollar.

"Okay, fine." said the small blind, who then raised it to $25!

The big blind did not know what to make of this move, but I think he was afraid he'd look foolish if he folded, so he called.

The flop came down king high. The small blind moved all in and the big blind called. The small blind turned over his cards - AA! He had offered a chop with pocket aces! The big blind had a king, of course, and the turn and river didn't save him. This was one of the strangest hands I have ever seen and since that day when ever anyone offers a chop, I take it.

The last time I chopped my opponent showed me that he had Qd 6d. I laughed and showed him my Jd 7d. Imagine the trouble I would have been in if diamonds hit the board. Of course what would have been bad for me would have been good for him - perhaps he is this very moment writing a blog about why one should never chop - but the main point is that chopping keeps the game friendly, and when your opponents are having a good time they are more likely to play looser.

It also saves you a blind.