Friday, 29th March 2024 13:56
Home / Uncategorized / PCA 2015: Chasing chopportunities

Chopportunity (n.) — a set of circumstances making it possible for a hand to end in a tie between two or more players, thereby resulting in a split pot.

Following the action over the last couple of levels in the PCA Main Event, there have been a couple of dramatic spots this afternoon in which all-in players managed to survive after a particular set of community cards ensured a split pot.

It’s a situation commonly described by EPT Live commentators as providing “chopportunities.”

Prior to his elimination in 15th place, Scott Baumstein was at risk and dominated with Aâ™  Qâ™  versus Kevin Shulz’s A♥ K♦ . The flop brought three nines and a couple of chopportunities for Baumstein should the case nine or another ace fall.

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Scott Baumstein

The fourth nine indeed appeared on the turn, and Baumstein was safe for a short while longer before departing.

It was later at the feature table that Rami Boukai was all in with A♣ 7♥ versus Shyam Srinivasan’s A♥ Jâ™  . A 9♥ 4♦ K♣ flop and 4â™  turn again brought about chopportunities in the form of a few different river cards, with the 9♣ falling on fifth street turning out to be one of them.

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Rami Boukai

Boukai has since doubled through start-of-day leader Eugenio Mattar when his ace-ten flopped two pair versus the latter’s ace-jack, crippling Mattar who was subsequently knocked out in 12th by Schulz.

Opportunities to use “chopportunities” are relatively rare, although when occasions do arise it can be an especially useful term to employ. Spotting EPT Live commentator Marc Convey a while ago, we flagged him down to see if he could recall the term’s origin.

“It might have been Hartigan,” answered Marc. “I think we were both in the booth.” When told he was the first we remembered actually using the term, Marc allowed it as a possiblity he could have come up with it, though wasn’t prepared to make such a claim.

Should we share the credit, then? Chop it up? We asked James Hartigan.

“It was a viewer, actually,” explained James, going on to explain how a tweeter to the show — using the hashtag “#EPTLive” — had first recommended the verbal shortcut to to elide “chop” and “opportunity,” and the idea took hold.

We’ll divide up the credit further, then, between the EPT Live viewer who coined the term and Hartigan, Convey, Matt Broughton, and Joe Stapleton who have helped popularize it.

There are 11 players left as they begin Level 27. Exactly $4,827,680 of the prize pool remains up for grabs, to be divided among these 11 — more than half of the total prize pool $7,915,200. The next two to fall will earn $91,420 apiece, while $1,491,580 is scheduled to go to the winner.

Quite the chopportunity for each.

Follow all the action from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure on PokerStars Blog. Everything from the Main Event is on the Main Event page and check out reports from here on the PokerStars blog as well. Follow the live stream, too, at EPT Live.

Martin Harris is Freelance Contributor to the PokerStars Blog.

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