The conclusion of a $600 buy-in Ladies Event at Wynn Las Vegas led to a controversy when the final 15 players decided to chop the pot. According to the Hendon Mob, the No-Limit Hold’em tournament had a field of 209 players, more than doubling its guaranteed prize pool of $50,000. A total of 27 players made it into the money, with a minimum cash of $1,187. At the time the chop was agreed upon, the most recent elimination had received $1,469 for a 16th-place finish. Following the deal, the remaining 15 players each secured at least $4,032, with the winner, Lisa Childers, taking home $9,868 and the trophy.
Many players and poker fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the tournament, with Lindsey Kludt, aka “Lindseyisrad” being particularly vocal on the microblogging site. Kludt, who finished second to Kyna England in the NAPT Ladies Event last November, also spoke to PokerNews about the chop.
I happened to meet one of the ladies today. Average stack size was 10BB. 15th was $1,600 and she got $4k for 8BB. Not a bad deal in my book. If you haven’t actually studied sub 10BB poker (or played on Ignition a TON), skill advantage is negligible. Calling them out for that just…
— Lilith Inanna (@LilithInanna2) June 20, 2024
“I prefer to stay and battle,” Kludt told PokerNews. “I think ending a game with a large amount of gameplay left feels like an easier way out when I prefer to stay and battle. There are many elements of shorthand gameplay and final table strategy that are vital to be successful.” She also stressed that chops like the one in question should be avoided to preserve competitive integrity, maintain tournament prestige, and encourage skill development.
“Not playing out the tournament takes away the opportunity to gain experience in those scenarios. If they chopped a certain amount but played out, I’d have zero reaction, as the money aspect with the structure makes sense.” Looking ahead, Kludt believes that avoiding large chops is crucial for the health of the women’s poker ecosystem.
“I am concerned [it will] create a standard that for the sake of unity and camaraderie, we have to say yes to a chop when maybe not everyone wants to. New players may not know better and think 15 ways is standard practice, and veterans may not be retained because they don’t want to be put in the position.” Kludt acknowledged that her original tweet “didn’t promote unity” and apologised.
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“I love to be surrounded by women in the poker community and look forward to ladies events at every opportunity. My hope is that moving forward, when a woman is faced with this proposal, she feels safer and more secure to say ‘no chop’,” Kludt concluded.
Many other poker players also shared their opinions on Twitter regarding the issue of 15-way chops, which are quite rare. As expected with a hot-button issue, the comments were polarized.
“Weird.. like 95% of the time when someone asks me to do some nonsensical bullshit chop, it’s a man,” @thegroupie claims.
Weird.. like 95% of the time when someone asks me to do some nonsensical bullshit chop, it’s a man! 🧐
— thegroupie (@thegroupie) June 19, 2024
“Wish I knew I could’ve asked for a 95-way ICM chop before I blasted off with a flush draw into a made boat in this thing two summers ago,” PokerNews photographer Rachel Kay Winter joked. “11 people made a great deal…what’s the problem?” Katherine Brandt argues.
Wish I knew I could’ve asked for a 95-way ICM chop before I blasted off with a flush draw into a made boat in this thing two summers ago. 😂
— Rachel Kay Winter (@RachKayPhoto) June 19, 2024
“Honestly I don’t like chopping. I get it but at the same time I still do it if the majority wants to. I think publicly posting people’s faces in a judgmental post for all of poker to see says a lot more about women in poker,” Jami Lafay wrote in response to Kludt’s post on Twitter.
Honestly I don’t like chopping. I get it but at the same time I still do it if the majority wants to.
I think publicly post people’s faces in a judgmental post for all of poker X to see says a lot more about women in poker.
Picture this, you see a door that says bash other…— Jami Lafay (@LafayJami) June 19, 2024
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With a Masters Degree in Journalism and Communication, Mrinal Gujare currently is cruising through an exciting genre of writing and editing at Gutshot Magazine. Apart from being an Editor, Mrinal is an avid reader and a former contemporary dancer. She is also perennially hungry for intriguing scoops from across the globe. No holds barred is the rule Mrinal follows in life.
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