The popularity of bomb pots has only continued to increase within the world of poker over time. And this is no wonder – they create a lot of action at the table!
These unique pots are commonly found on live tables and have even made their way into live-stream poker games. Finding them at online poker sites is not that common. Offering an opportunity for every player at the table to bet a substantial number of chips and see flop bomb pots create an engaging atmosphere that promotes excitement and action.
What You Need To Know About Bomb Pots
For those unfamiliar with bomb pots in poker, this game involves all players at a table contributing a predetermined number of big blinds pre-flop. A normal hand follows thereafter. Usually, about 5bb is added into the pot preflop, and then the flop is dealt with.
While bomb pots aren’t new per se, they have become more popular in the past years, as they have been featured on live streams of poker.
Bomb Pot Strategies
If you desire an added rush of adrenaline in your poker games, then partaking in bomb pots is something you should consider. However, everyone at the table will get a chance to observe the flop during such matches; as such, this forces one’s hand value downwards slightly.
Newcomers typically overestimate their hands during bomb pots as even formidable ones like top pair or overpairs like QQ-AA lose quite a lot of their significance since many players see the flop with random two cards. To succeed at such games, one must prudently assess one’s relative hand value on the flop and consider going all-in exclusively with the strongest made hands and draws. Stack Pot Ratio (SPR) and hand range analyses become very important – if you can get a read from bet-sizings of your opponents, you’re in a good spot to take advantage of that as well.
In games involving nine players with a 100bb buy-in before flopping, a considerable percentage of that amount inevitably comes into play—one playing under low SPR on the flop while also needing to go all-in frequently on the flop or the turn with strong hands. You can learn more about SPR and its strategic implications in poker at www.tightpoker.com/poker-strategy-position/.
During bomb pots, though, hand ranges lose their relevance since every player puts money in with any two cards, making it impossible to narrow their range accurately. Keep an open mind, ready to preempt your opponent’s moves and how aggressively or passively they like to play. Don’t pay off nits with overpairs and be ready to stack off against loose maniacs when the situation calls for it.
Double Board Bomb Pots
Bomb Pots are common in various poker games that utilize community cards. To increase the excitement, some more prominent poker games offer specialized pots, such as Omaha-specific ones or those with double boards. Even live streams utilize bomb pots to engage audiences and create big pots for great entertainment.
During standard bomb pots, players must adhere to the standard Hold’em structure with one board. However, certain poker rooms introduce additional features like double runouts or multiple boards. Having two runouts means more action, leading to larger pots. Nonetheless, players must win on both boards to take home the entire pot making it quite challenging and split pots are quite likely to happen.
In a double board bomb pot, dealers deal two complete runouts, which include two flops, turns, and rivers. The pot gets divided amongst the winners of each board; thus, one has to win both boards to take home the total money in the pot.
Conclusion
To elevate a lackluster poker game, consider incorporating some bomb pots into the mix. By creating bigger pre-flop pots, these hands keep everyone hooked until the flop appears and force players out of their comfort zones.
Guessing an opponent’s potential hand begins with analyzing how they bet on the flop with certain board textures. With smart adjustments, you can be sure the bomb lands on your opponents and doesn’t backfire.
