In a bomb pot, everyone antes, there's no betting before the flop, and the flop comes straight away. Many home games play the odd bomb pot for fun. This game plays every hand that way: Texas Hold'em where every pot starts big and every hand begins on the flop.
How a hand plays
- Everyone antes. Each player puts in the same ante. There are no blinds.
- Two cards each. Dealt face down as normal.
- No preflop betting. The flop comes straight away.
- The flop. Round of betting, starting with the first player to the left of the button.
- The turn and the river. One card each, with a round of betting after each.
- Showdown. Best five from your two and the board, as in no-limit Hold'em.
Nobody can fold before the flop, so every player sees it.
How it plays differently
- Every pot is multiway. With everyone in, the flop is usually played by the whole table.
- The pot is big before anyone bets. Compared to normal Hold'em, the pot is larger relative to the stacks, so players get all in sooner.
- Hands are random. Nobody chose to play their cards, so anyone can hold anything. A player with 7 2 can flop two pair.
An example hand
Six players ante 5 each, so the pot is 30 before the flop. You hold J♣ 10♣ and the flop is Q♣ 9♦ 4♣: an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw.
In normal Hold'em you'd be against one or two players. Here you're against five, and someone probably has a queen. A good draw like yours plays well in a big multiway pot: if you hit, you get paid by several players.
Tips
- Top pair is weaker than usual. Against five or six players, somebody often has two pair or better.
- Strong draws are worth more. Big pots and many callers make drawing to the nuts profitable.
- Be careful with second-best hands. With so many hands in, the second-best flush or straight loses a lot of chips.
- Pick an ante you're happy to lose. Every hand costs it, whatever you're dealt.
Play it
Play Bomb Pot on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. The host sets the ante. To add the odd bomb pot to a normal game instead, see how to run bomb pots at a home game. Bink tables can deal one every few hands for you.