A $300 buy-in no-limit hold ’em tournament held at bestbet St. Augustine, in Florida, wrapped up in a highly unconventional fashion. The event, which kicked off on March 22 and promised a $30,000 guaranteed prize pool, drew an impressive 340 participants. That turnout pushed the total prize money to $83,200, branding the competition as the St. Augustine Championship.
After Paul Mitchell (not the famed hair stylist) was eliminated in 16th place with a $933 payout, the remaining 15 players made a surprising decision: they opted to split the rest of the prize pool evenly. Each walked away with $4,461, a move that raised eyebrows across the poker world.
This isn’t the first instance of such a large-scale chop. A similar situation occurred during a $600 Ladies Event at Wynn Las Vegas the previous summer, where 15 finalists also agreed to divide the winnings equally, each receiving $4,032. That decision drew criticism from many in the poker community, and the St. Augustine outcome is likely to spark similar reactions.
Controversial Figure Resurfaces: David Hughes
Among the players involved in the Florida chop was David Hughes, a familiar name in poker circles. Hughes previously stirred controversy by winning a $250 Ladies Event at Seminole Hard Rock, a tournament intended for women, taking home $5,555. His participation and victory ignited debate over gender-specific events in poker.
With over $180,000 in recorded tournament earnings, Hughes found himself once again at the center of a contentious poker moment.
Tax Implications and Strategic Decisions
Some speculate that tax considerations influenced the decision to chop. In the U.S., tournament winnings exceeding $5,000 (after deducting the buy-in) are subject to a 24% federal withholding tax. By keeping their individual payouts below that threshold, players may have avoided immediate tax deductions.
Bigger Chops Have Happened
While the St. Augustine and Wynn events represent some of the largest recent chops, they’re not unprecedented. Back in 2010, a $400 deepstack tournament at the Foxwoods Poker Finals ended with a staggering 23-way chop.
Earlier this year, there was an 11-way chop at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. Unlike the Florida and Vegas events, that deal wasn’t evenly split. Local pro Carl Carodenuto, known as “Crazy Carl,” secured the largest portion, $44,000 out of a $368,280 prize pool, while the smallest share among the group was $15,450.
Online Poker Tournaments In Florida
The state of Florida currently does not authorize poker rooms to offer their services online. Therefore, online poker tournaments are only provided by legal FL poker sites operating outside the state.
Online poker sites offer a variety of poker games, including Texas Hold ’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, and several others. Tournaments vary by site, but you can usually find daily tournaments or weekly tournaments with bigger prize pools.
