Even though you won't see much of it on television, it is not uncommon for players at the final table to agree on a "deal". They might split the total first and second place prize money instead of playing heads up with so much on the line. They might make a decision on distributing the prize money and simply "play for the bracelet" or whatever other badge of honor the first place player may receive.

Deals are not usually sanctioned by the tournament, and depend on the honor of the particpants. And so it has been online, but online you are not in handshaking distance with your opponents. So, online deals were far from stable, and seldom made.

Now, Party Poker brings the art of the deal into the world of online poker. You can see which multi-table tournaments will allow for deal-making ahead of time by checking in the poker Lobby section. If deal making is allowed at the final table of the tournament, it will say 'Final Table Deal Making Possible' in the top bulletin board message.

The way Party implements the deal making, no one has to take a deal. In order for a deal to be made, all of the players at the table must agree on the deal. And, players can make a deal for all, or only a part, of the remaining prize pool. So, you can "lock in" some gains by making a deal, but still have something to play for.

If you are playing at the final table of a tournament, there will be a box that let's you show interest in making a deal. There is also a display of how many players are interested, so you can gauge the desires of the table, but remain anonymous yourself. Once everyone is interested in a deal, the process of negotiations begins.

This may be an example of Party Poker leading the way, and we may find deal-making showing up at other poker rooms in the not too distant future.

Click here to visit Party Poker now.

This page was last updated on March 15, 2006.