Chopping Blinds - Time rakes?

[Lurshy]

With rakes coming out of each pot on the flop it is easy to understand why people chop blinds on those rare occasions with an opportunity to do so. I do so consistently.

This weekend I was playing 10-20 limit @ the Borgata which has a 5$/half-hour flat rake.

I was surprised to see everyone chopping blinds. I didn't say anything, but this was counter intuitive. With no house commission on each pot it not like you will earn back less than you risk if you win.

Is chopping at higher limits with time rakes customary? and why?

Thanks,
Lurshy

[Rick Nebiolo]

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Is chopping at higher limits with time rakes customary? and why?

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When time was collected in the smaller top section games in LA (e.g., 10/20, 15/30, 20/50) blind on blind play wasn't that common. Since it was an aberration most would chop to get on to the next "real" i.e., multi-way hand. OTOH, it was (and still is) also common to not chop if the game was five-handed or less.

Even though a player may have had an advantage in one on one play against his typical opponents many of these players tended to chop for game karma reasons. In these games about 40 to 50% of the field voluntarily enters the pot so you really aren't giving up much by chopping.

~ Rick

[chillrob]

I was suprised they do that at the Borgata timed games too, but most people do. It doesn't make much of a difference to me, and I don't want to make waves so I chop too. There are some regulars who never chop though, and I don't think many people begrudge them. If you don't want to chop, you should just tell people when you sit in that you never chop, so they don't think you decided not to chop a particular time because you had a really good hand. The only people who annoy me are the few who don't do anything consistently.

[Lurshy]

Thanks for the comebacks

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It doesn't make much of a difference to me, and I don't want to make waves so I chop too.

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This is the tact I took. It was an easy decision to make with a table captain on the button threatening to raise my BB if I wouldn't chop. He hadn't acted yet, I hadn't even looked at me cards, and chopping in my blinds had not come up though others had chopped and I didn't say anything. I told him it was up to the sb and we wound up chopping.