ICM chop

Splitting what is left of the prize pool by each stack's ICM equity over the payouts still to come.

Last updated October 16, 2026

What it means: An ICM chop pays each stack its ICM equity for the finishing places still paid, instead of its raw share of the chips.
How it is calculated: Work out each stack's ICM equity from the stacks left and the payouts still to be paid, as the ICM entry shows. It is the same calculation the ICM drills and the tournament table use to grade all-ins.
Worked example: Amy, Paul, Sophie and Tim hold 100,000, 70,000, 50,000 and 20,000 chips with $200, $120, $80 and $50 left to pay. The chip chop pays them about $154.17, $122.92, $102.08 and $70.83; the ICM chop pays about $140.84, $123.80, $108.96 and $76.40. Tim's short stack keeps far more than its chip share, and Amy's chip lead is worth less than it looks.
Why it matters: Judge a proposed deal against your ICM chop, not the chip chop. An offer at or above it is at least fair, so take it or push for more. A little under is ordinary leverage from a stack that covers the table. Well under gives away equity you are favored to win back by playing on, and the gap is biggest for a short stack near a big pay jump.