ICM Calculator

What is ICM in poker?

ICM, the Independent Chip Model, is the math that converts your tournament chips into real cash value based on the remaining payouts. It matters because chips are not worth their face value: the chips you can win are worth less than the chips you can lose, since busting costs you a pay jump. This calculator takes every player's stack and the payout structure and returns each player's true equity in dollars. For the strategy behind it, read ICM Explained and the ICM glossary entry.

How to use the ICM calculator

• Enter stacks and payouts: add each player's chips and the prize for each paid place. The equity table updates instantly.
• Read the ICM tax: the "vs chip chop" column shows how ICM moves value from the big stacks to the short stacks compared with a naive chip-count split. This is why chip leaders should apply pressure and covered stacks should tighten.
• Check the risk premium: pick a Hero and a Villain to see how much extra equity ICM demands before calling an all-in. That number is ICM pressure made concrete.

ICM equity vs a deal

If you want to stop and split the remaining prize pool rather than play it out, the fair split is each player's ICM equity, which the ICM Deal Calculator is built for. This tool is the wider view: equity for every stack, the ICM tax, and the risk premium that changes how you should actually play the spot. To drill ICM final-table ranges, use GTO Ranges+.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my ICM equity lower than my chip percentage?

Because chips lose value as you accumulate them. A big stack holds a large share of the chips but cannot finish better than first, so a slice of its chip value shifts to the shorter stacks, who are closer to a pay jump. That gap is the ICM tax.

What is the risk premium?

The risk premium is the extra equity, beyond the chip-EV break-even, that ICM requires before a call is profitable. Near a pay jump it can be large, which is why correct ICM play folds hands that would be automatic calls for chips.

How many players does it handle?

It is built for final tables of up to ten players, which is where ICM decisions matter most. Enter stacks and payouts for the players still in.

Does ICM assume all players are equal skill?

Yes. The Independent Chip Model assigns finishing probabilities purely from stack sizes, so it ignores skill and position. It is the standard baseline for tournament equity and deals even though real edges exist.