Bomb Pots -- good or bad? (2 Viewers)

[detroitdad]

So this happened at a home game I play at sometimes. I wasn't present but I talked to both sides, and this is what went down..

It was late, lots of action all night, lots of rebuys, so deep stacks. Double board bomb pot was called, $10 ante, full ring. 3 players eventually got it all in (1 being the host) before the river card, so the pot was $1500+. On the river, the dealer (self deal) put the river down then questioned himself whether he put the bottom row 1st or top row 1st. Our rule is - you have to deal the cards consistently row wise for flop, turn, and river. One player (in the hand) said he did it right, another player (in the hand) said he did it wrong. The dealer couldn't remember, and he was not in hand. They looked to the host for resolution, he declared it was right (I don't know if he saw it dealt or not). However, his ruling made himself and 1 other the winner splitting the pot, leaving 1 loser. However, if the cards were switched, it would make the original loser player the winner scooping, and the other 2 (including the host) losers. The person was furious. They left immediately, and later texted the host he ran a crooked game. Never seen the player again.

That doesn't have anything to do with a bomb pot. If he is a cheat, he would do it no matter what the game was.

I think bomb pots and dealers choice games are awesome. I'm not saying that your saying this. I hear it all the time. That there isn't any strategy to some of the games. I completely disagree with that. It might not be a NLHE strategy. But there is definitely a strategy to playing them.

 

[toynoob]

Never participated in one but it sounds kind of annoying. I wouldn't want to do it more than once in a night and even then... getting stacked in a single hand of clown poker at any point in the night would be irritating.

Someone suggested it one time I think at a charity room - I objected because I didn't want to do it on my button. No one brought it up again.

Button would be the best time to do it Mike! Large pot and you have position on the table

 

[RichMahogany]

Button would be the best time to do it Mike! Large pot and you have position on the table

Disagree. You lose your button privileges and have a random hand vs 8-10 other random hands

 

[toynoob]

Disagree. You lose your button privileges and have a random hand vs 8-10 other random hands

Still have 2 streets to play

 

[dkersey]

I think the moral of the story is: if you are going to play games which are more complex AND generate massive pots, you better be careful and do it right, or don't do it at all.

I wasn't there that night, but in the past, there are lots of extra-curriculars going on, such as alcohol, people coming and going, story telling, and side conversations. Overall, its a very loud environment. There were a few degenerates at the table wanting to do bomb pots every orbit. At that rate, it felt like a $10 donation each round, because I wasn't willing to risk my entire stack.

 

[RichMahogany]

Still have 2 streets to play

Sure but you don’t have the advantage of raising to chase out random hands that might hit the flop hard pre flop. By the time action gets to you post flop you could already be way behind.

Doesn’t mean I won’t play a bomb pot on the button but I see why others wouldn’t want to

 

[WedgeRock]

I don't disagree with the article, but if you realize that KK PF in a normal game is not the same as KK with an 833 flop in a bomb pot, maybe you don't get stacked.

At @mike32's house we did it for $2 PF (4xBB) every hour, but it was always a hand of PLO.

We also played regular PLO as part of the rotation. In a regular hand, you were limited to an opening bet of $2 and it wasn't unusual to see everyone call. In a $2 bomb pot, you could open to $14 (7-handed) and get a little more respect.

And (to quibble with a point of the article), because it was PLO, it's rare that someone is playing for stacks, at least on the flop.

If players adjust to the nuance of the bomb pot, it doesn't have to be a game killer.

 

[Frogzilla]

Bomb pots are NOT flips. Plenty of skill involved. Perhaps even more skill involved than regular no limit, if given deep enough stacks from a properly small ante size. Postflop can get tough when ranges get wide...like BB v BU or heads up.

 

[DoubleEagle]

$20 flip at the Alamo. We probably could have got 2 tables going

View attachment 344563

Me losing!

 

[gopherblue]

Bomb plots...bad.

Bomb pots...meh.

 

[Steve Birrer]

For the bomb pot proponents can you please explain to me where the strategy comes in when you have a full ring with that much money in the middle AND you already have seen the flop?

ANY draw hand is going to have huge pot odds to continue.

 

[detroitdad]

For the bomb pot proponents can you please explain to me where the strategy comes in when you have a full ring with that much money in the middle AND you already have seen the flop?

ANY draw hand is going to have huge pot odds to continue.

It's called "nut peddling". Drawing to second and third bits is based strategy.

 

[Sprouty]

I didn't mind the bomb pots at Mike's but I did notice that there was little action after the flop which makes sense as no one knew where they were at. It seemed like the pot size at the end was actually smaller due to this.

In the long run I do not think it hurt our game as the article concluded.

The cool thing about the home games around here is that everyone has their own little "bonus game" and or variation from host to host.

 

[Frogzilla]

For the bomb pot proponents can you please explain to me where the strategy comes in when you have a full ring with that much money in the middle AND you already have seen the flop?

ANY draw hand is going to have huge pot odds to continue.

So how do you play against the draws? And what will you bluff? If you never bluff will you get action? If you are OOP do you lead or go with a checkraise? How are your opponents approaching these situations, and what’s the proper counter strategy?

 

[WedgeRock]

For the bomb pot proponents can you please explain to me where the strategy comes in when you have a full ring with that much money in the middle AND you already have seen the flop?

So how do you play against the draws? And what will you bluff? If you never bluff will you get action? If you are OOP do you lead or go with a checkraise? How are your opponents approaching these situations, and what’s the proper counter strategy?

Pot, motherfucker.

 

[Ethan]

Bomb pots feel like Omaha with a lower learning curve. More gamble without need to learn new rules. Strategy so close to Hold’em rec players skirt the burden of study/adjustment. Thinking players can take advantage until BPs die or BP play standardizes.

Take the article’s example. Against 8 other (uncharged) players, an overpair on the flop is deceivingly overvalued. A low SPR does not scream shove. Proper play in an average ABC game is to draw / bluff catch. Hands worse than overpair won’t commit stacks. Perhaps draws on wet boards. I don’t like my equity against an average villian’s all-in range. I imagine this seemingly easy spot is often misplayed.

You’ve stuck with me this far - I ask you this... What is the likelihood BPs would cease at a table full of EV maximizing players that can choose whether or not they’ll participate each time the BP arises? (We give players the option to play before each BP hand). An optimizing player should opt out until (s)he has position. We play out of position due to implied odds opportunities. Low post flop SPRs kill implied odds so we shouldn’t play unless we are on an easily exploitable table, right?

Edit: i showed my wife this thread. Her only comment was, “Just flop the nuts”.

 

[DerberAlter]

Useful analysis:

https://www.pokernews.com/strategy/bomb-pots-need-to-be-defused-34345.htm

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/bomb-pot-limit-cg-special-every-half-hour.41775/

 

[Gobbs]

It's called gambling addiction. You should see the degenerate flips at meetups.

I get that. That is just pure gambling and total luck. Bomb pots seem to try to combine poker and flips and accomplish neither, IMHO.

 

[RainmanTrail]

I'll play any form of poker. If you think bomb pots take all the skill out of the equation, shoot me a PM and I'll reserve you a seat at my next home game

 

[Gobbs]

I'll play any form of poker. If you think bomb pots take all the skill out of the equation, shoot me a PM and I'll reserve you a seat at my next home game

That’s the problem, it doesn’t take all the skill out of the game, just a large part of it. It often plays like the late stages of a tournament, which, let’s face it, is not the best poker.

 

[Eloe2000]

We did one for $2 every half hour in my last cash game. Player feedback was positive, it was fun. I wouldn’t want to pay much more than $2 though.

We haven’t done bomb pots in a while but I liked this timer idea so we tried the half hour bomb pots. Oddly, even though there was a lot of action in general last night every bomb pot hand ended up being a real dog and I don’t think we even had so good as a straight on a bomb pot. Go figure. I guess I should just let it die out that way naturally.

 

[MatB]

Bomb pots are fun. 1 every hour seems to not upset everyone and keeps the degens happy

Kk preflop. Looks very different on a 338 flop bomb pot 9 handed.
If you don’t fold that then ..... erm... you’re doing nothing wrong! Erm... Keep up the good work?

 

[mooremo]

I travel to Ft. Hood TX quite a bit and play in one of the card rooms there. The only game running normally is $1/$2 NLHE. When a table opens the first hand dealt is double board bomb pot. It is always dealt from the DB position. That person gets to determine what the ante is ranging from $10-$25. Once that hand is over, then the $1/$2 NLHE begins from the same dealer position. The DB then travels to the left and the bomb pot button travels one position right, when the DB comes around to that spot it is bomb pot again. It is that way the rest of the night. There are several regulars that will not play a bomb pot hand, so they sit out. I have seen several $2K plus pots after the flop

I added the bomb pot to my home game, not every rotation but 5-6 times a night. Some people hate it, some love it. It will probably settle in at 2 times a night, $5 ante.

 

[WedgeRock]

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/bomb-pot-limit-cg-special-every-half-hour.41775/

Anyone else read @DerberAlter's adaptation? Keeps the bomb pots from putting stacks at risk. Also makes it hard to protect your hand.