Chops are common at final tables and are usually negotiated on either chip counts or an ICM calculation, with the second being fairer and the first being simpler.
They are permitted at most venues provided the tournament staff are involved and some portion is often left to play for. Rules vary by jurisdiction and some regulated events prohibit them outright.
The case for chopping is variance: a five-handed final table is a very high-variance spot, and locking in a large share of the difference between fifth and first is rational for anyone not playing with a large bankroll behind them.
Worth knowing before you agree: chip-count chops systematically favour the big stack over what ICM says is fair, sometimes by a substantial margin at a short-handed final table. If you are the short stack and someone proposes splitting by chips, asking for an ICM calculation instead is a reasonable and normal request.
Related terms in tournaments
- ICM — Independent Chip Model: the conversion from tournament chips into real money value.
- Bubble — The point at which the next player eliminated finishes just outside the money.
- Guarantee — A minimum prize pool the organiser commits to regardless of entries.
- Overlay — The shortfall an organiser covers when entries do not reach the guarantee.
- Freeroll — A tournament with no entry fee, or a situation where you cannot lose but might win.
Where an entry quotes a number, that figure comes from the computed sections of this site rather than from another glossary, so the definition and the derivation cannot drift apart. Each entry links to the page where the number is worked out.