A high hand bonus is a small pot of money that goes to whoever shows the best hand in a set window. It's a casino staple that's easy to copy at home, and it gives players a reason to stay in pots they'd otherwise fold.
How it works
Players contribute a small amount to a separate pot, set aside from the game. During each window, usually an hour, you note the best qualifying hand that's been shown. When the window ends, that player takes the pot and a new window starts.
Funding it
There are two common ways:
- A flat contribution. Everyone adds the same amount at the start, such as 5. Simple and predictable.
- A small cut per hand. Take a small amount from pots over a certain size. Less predictable and more work for the dealer.
Whichever you pick, keep the jackpot money away from the game chips. A separate bag or a labelled cup avoids mix-ups.
Make it optional
The cleanest approach is for the bonus to be opt-in. Players who don't contribute can't win it. That avoids the situation where someone is paying in without having agreed.
Rules to write down
This is the part that decides whether the bonus is fun or a headache.
- Minimum hand. Casinos set a high bar, such as aces full of deuces. A home game can set it lower. A full house or better is a reasonable place to start.
- Both hole cards. Many rooms require the hand to use both hole cards, so a hand made entirely from the board doesn't count. It's a sensible rule, because a board that plays would otherwise be a win for everyone.
- Showdown or shown. Does the hand have to reach showdown, or just be tabled? If someone wins uncontested with quads and nobody sees them, can they show them for the bonus?
- Minimum players or pot size. Some rooms require a minimum number of players dealt in, so a heads-up pot can't win the bonus.
- Ties. Most groups split the prize. Others say a tied hand doesn't qualify, and the older holder keeps it.
- No winner. Does the pot roll to the next window, or to next week?
- Leaving early. If the current leader leaves before the window closes, do they get paid on the way out? Decide in advance.
- Wild cards. If you play any, count hands at their natural value only.
Keep it simple
You don't need all of those. For most groups, a good starting rule is: opt-in with a flat 5, an hourly window, full house or better, tied hands split the pot, and rolls over if nobody qualifies.
Tracking
Write down the current leading hand and who holds it, somewhere everyone can see, such as a sheet of paper in the middle of the table. When the window ends, pay out and clear it.
For the final settlement, treat the money the same as any side game: a player who paid in adds it to their buy-in, and the winner adds the payout to their cash-out. Here's the method, and our free calculator handles it.
A note on legality
Running a jackpot with a collected pot can be treated differently from a friendly game in some places. This isn't legal advice, but check what applies where you live before you run one regularly.