Choke is good, and Sam has nailed it. The very best shooters who seldom shoot a target w/o centering it can do remarkable things w/ no choke at all thanks to the hot core of any pattern. Choke can effectively increase effective pattern as range grows, but this is heavily dependent upon matching load and choke.
The plastic shot cup as changed the game for sure - tighter patterns from barrels w/ no constriction with quality loads - but the value of choke is still there at the longer ranges. Whether one should be shooting game that far is another matter altogether.
