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ICM calculator
Everyone wants to go home and somebody suggests a chop. Put the stacks and the money still on the table in here and it works out what each player is actually owed, next to the straight chip split you were about to agree.
Stacks left
Money left
482 · 314 · 204
Players
3
Chips
94,000
Prize pool
1,000
| Stack | Chip chop | ICM | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48,000 | 511 | 384 | −126 |
| 31,000 | 330 | 340 | +11 |
| 15,000 | 160 | 275 | +116 |
Adds up to 1,000 — the whole 1,000 still to be paid.
The same calculation the Poker Hawk apps run at a live final table. ICM assumes every player is equally likely to win a chip, so it prices stacks and not skill — treat it as where the conversation starts.
Questions people ask before they trust the number
What is ICM in poker?
The Independent Chip Model turns chip stacks into money. It asks how often each player would finish in each paying position given their stack, then pays out that average. It is the standard basis for settling a tournament early, because chips at a final table are not worth their face value in cash.
Why is an ICM deal different from a chip chop?
A chip chop splits the remaining prize money in proportion to chips. That systematically overpays the big stack, because the chip leader cannot win more than first prize no matter how many chips they hold, while short stacks are already guaranteed a share of the money left. ICM prices that in, so it moves money from the leader towards the shorter stacks.
Is an ICM chop the fairest way to end a tournament?
It is the standard and it ignores one real thing: skill. ICM assumes every remaining player is equally likely to win a chip, so a strong player is usually happy to take less than their ICM number and play on, and a weaker one should take the deal. Treat the figure as the honest starting point for the conversation rather than the end of it.
Run the whole tournament, not just the deal
In the app this calculator sits beside the live clock, with seats, stacks and payouts tracked as the night runs — so at the final table the stacks are already filled in. Players are free, forever.