Poker ICM Calculator
Use this ICM calculator to turn chip stacks into prize money. Enter each player’s chips and the prizes still to be paid, and it shows what every stack is worth under the Independent Chip Model, plus how an ICM chop compares with a chip chop for a deal. It works at final tables, on the money bubble, in Sit & Gos and in satellites, for up to 20 players.
For why chips and prize money stop matching as a tournament goes on, and how that changes your strategy, read our guide to ICM in poker.
| Player | Chips | ICM value | Chip chop |
|---|
Based on the Malmuth-Harville model, which treats every player as equally skilled.
How to Use the ICM Calculator
Nothing is filled in for you, so the numbers are always your own.
- 1Chip stacks: one row per player still in. Add a player for up to 20, or remove a row with the cross.
- 2Prizes still to be paid: the prize for 1st, 2nd and so on, from the payout list. On the bubble, enter only the places that are paid, and for a satellite enter one prize per seat.
- 3Calculate: the results appear, then update as you change any number.
- 4More options: keep money back for the winner in a deal, switch the chip chop method or enter the prizes as percentages of a prize pool.
What Your Results Mean
The headline compares the chip leader’s share of the chips with their share of the prize money, which is where ICM differs most from a plain split by chips.
| Result | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Chips | Each stack and its share of all the chips in play. |
| ICM value | What the stack is worth in prize money under ICM, and its share of the money still to be paid. |
| Chip chop | What the player would get in a deal split by chips, using the method chosen under More options. |
| Deal line | Who gains most from an ICM chop compared with a chip chop, and who gives up most. |
| ICM deal | Shown instead of ICM value when you keep money back for the winner: each player’s fair share of the rest. |
ICM Examples: Final Table, Bubble and Satellite
ICM matters whenever busting out costs prize money, not only at the final table. These three spots show how it changes what a stack is worth.
Final Table: 4 Players, $10,000 Left
Four players are left at a final table, with $4,000, $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 still to be paid. Their stacks are 200,000, 100,000, 60,000 and 40,000 chips.
| Player | Chips | Share of chips | ICM value | Share of money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | 200,000 | 50% | $3,269 | 32.7% |
| Player 2 | 100,000 | 25% | $2,673 | 26.7% |
| Player 3 | 60,000 | 15% | $2,206 | 22.1% |
| Player 4 | 40,000 | 10% | $1,852 | 18.5% |
The chip leader holds half the chips but only 32.7% of the money, while the short stack’s 10% of the chips is worth 18.5%. Everyone is already sure of $1,000 and nobody can win more than the $4,000 first prize, so ICM squeezes the big stacks and lifts the small ones.
How these numbers shape push and fold decisions is covered in our final table strategy guide.
Money Bubble: Same Stacks, 3 Places Paid
Now keep the same stacks and the same $10,000, but pay only the top three: $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000.
| Player | Chips | 4 places paid | 3 places paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | 200,000 | $3,269 | $3,728 |
| Player 2 | 100,000 | $2,673 | $2,773 |
| Player 3 | 60,000 | $2,206 | $2,045 |
| Player 4 | 40,000 | $1,852 | $1,454 |
One player will now leave with nothing, so the short stack drops from $1,852 to $1,454 while the chip leader rises to $3,728. Losing a chip costs a short stack more than winning one gains, which our bubble play guide turns into practical adjustments.
Satellite: 6 Players, 5 Seats
In a satellite every seat is worth the same, so enter one prize per seat. Here 6 players are left for 5 seats worth $1,000 each.
| Player | Chips | Share of chips | ICM value | Chance of a seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | 30,000 | 30% | $984 | 98.4% |
| Player 2 | 24,000 | 24% | $972 | 97.2% |
| Player 3 | 21,000 | 21% | $962 | 96.2% |
| Player 4 | 15,000 | 15% | $923 | 92.3% |
| Player 5 | 6,000 | 6% | $676 | 67.6% |
| Player 6 | 4,000 | 4% | $484 | 48.4% |
With equal seats, a stack’s ICM value ÷ the seat value is its chance of winning a seat. The leader has 9,000 more chips than Player 3 but only a 2.2 point better chance of a seat, while Player 6 still gets one 48.4% of the time with 4% of the chips. Our satellite strategy guide explains why this makes big stacks fold hands they would play anywhere else.
Using It as an ICM Chop Calculator
When players agree a deal, the two usual ways to split the money are an ICM chop and a chip chop. The calculator shows both side by side, so everyone at the table can see what each method pays them. For the final table example above:
| Player | ICM chop | Chip chop | ICM minus chip chop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | $3,269 | $4,000 | −$731 |
| Player 2 | $2,673 | $2,500 | +$173 |
| Player 3 | $2,206 | $1,900 | +$306 |
| Player 4 | $1,852 | $1,600 | +$252 |
Here the chip chop uses the most common method: everyone first gets the smallest prize still to pay ($1,000), then the rest is split by chips. A straight split by chips would give the leader $5,000, more than the $4,000 first prize, which is why most tables avoid it. On the bubble nobody is sure of a prize yet, so both methods give the same split.
Chip leaders usually prefer a chip chop and short stacks an ICM chop. To keep something to play for, enter an amount in Money left to play for: with $1,000 kept back for the winner, the leader’s ICM deal is $2,769 and the short stack’s $1,752.
How the ICM Calculator Works
The calculator uses the Malmuth-Harville model, the standard way to work out ICM. It works through every possible finishing order exactly, with no simulation, and rounds only for display.
- 1Chance of finishing 1st: your chips ÷ all the chips in play. With 50% of the chips you win 50% of the time.
- 2Chance of finishing 2nd and lower: for each player who could finish above you, take them out and share the next place by the chips left. This repeats for every paid place.
- 3ICM value: each chance × the prize for that place, added up.
- 4Chip chop: the smallest prize still to pay, plus your share of the chips × what is left once everyone has that prize. A straight split is simply your share of the chips × the money being shared.
- 5Money left to play for: it comes off the 1st prize before the deal is worked out, and the winner collects it at the end.
ICM treats every player as equally skilled and ignores the blinds, your position and how deep the stacks are. For push or fold ranges that account for these, use a solver; our ICMIZER review covers one of the most popular.
How We Tested It
Before publishing, we checked the calculator in four ways.
- Exact maths: 432 sets of inputs, from heads up to 20 players and including bubbles, satellites, percentage payouts, deals and mistyped numbers, matched a separate implementation exactly. For up to 6 players they were also checked against every possible finishing order.
- Published examples: it reproduces the ICM figures on Wikipedia's Independent Chip Model page ($25.69, $24.85 and $49.80) and in PokerNews' guide to deal making ($618, $485 and $397).
- Deals: both chop methods and the money left to play for always share out exactly the prize money on offer.
- Use on any page: 46 interaction tests passed on a normal page and on a test page built to break calculators, and the layout fits screens from 320 px wide.
ICM Calculator FAQ
Does the ICM calculator only work at the final table?
No. ICM matters whenever busting out costs you prize money, so it works on the money bubble, at a final table, in a Sit & Go and in a satellite. Enter one row per player still in and only the prizes still to be paid, for up to 20 players.
How do I use the ICM calculator for a Sit and Go or a satellite?
For a Sit & Go, enter the prizes for the paid places, for example $225, $135 and $90 in a $50 9 player game, or enter 50, 30 and 20 with a $450 prize pool under More options. For a satellite, enter one equal prize per seat: with 3 seats left for 4 players, enter the seat value three times. Our Sit and Go strategy guide shows how these payouts change your play near the bubble.
Why is the chip leader worth less than their chip share?
Because the most they can win is the 1st prize, while the shorter stacks still collect the lower prizes much of the time. In the final table example above, 50% of the chips is worth 32.7% of the money. ICM moves value from big stacks to short stacks for exactly this reason.
Should I always take an ICM chop?
Not always. ICM treats everyone as equally skilled, so a much stronger player gives up value in an ICM chop and a weaker one gains. It is still the fairest starting point when skill is close, and many deals use it with a small amount left to play for.
How many players can I enter?
Up to 20 players and 20 prizes, which covers final tables, two table finals, Sit & Gos and satellite bubbles. For big tournament fields, such as 100 players on the money bubble, typing every stack is not practical and exact ICM becomes far too slow, so tools use approximations instead.
Can I enter percentages instead of prize amounts?
Yes. Open More options, enter the prize pool and type the payouts as percentages, for example 50, 30 and 20 for a 9 player Sit & Go. The calculator turns them into prize amounts before working out ICM.