"Kill" games: How do they work, and how do you play differently?

[Grisgra]

Heading off to Foxwoods in an hour or so, and thought I'd check 2+2 for some quick tips on kill games. Unfortunately, a search came up with nothing I could use -- probably used the wrong terms, but I dunno.

So I'm hoping I can get a quick response -- I might tryout the 5/10 kill at Foxwoods, how does it work? I know that the stakes double if X happens (a pot > $100?), but what happens next, and strategy considerations . . . I'm in the dark.

Help?!

[KowCiller]

The determining factor for what triggers a kill pot is different everywhere you go. Where I play, the same player has to win 2 hands in a row. Other places (foxwoods I think?), it gets triggered from a $100+ pot.

As for strategy considerations go, try to figure out which players look at kill hand with fear (do not like the higher stakes) and which ones view it as a way to gamboool it up. That can help you narrow/widen the range of hands people are playing with on the kill.

Some people will nearly always raise their own kill. It helps to spot those things too. Kill games are great if you're one of the few good players at the table. They allow you to get smaller stakes players in a higher stakes game.

Good Luck, let us know how it goes.

KoW

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Usually to have a kill pot in hold'em, you must win two pots in a row. Then the killer posts a double sized blind (from whatever position he is in, even if this overrides his normal blind). The stakes are doubled (full kill) on that hand, and until the killer loses a hand.

Generally, if you have the "no kill" button, meaning you won the last pot, and if you win again, you will have to kill it, you should play considerably tighter. It should be obvious that if you win again, you will be posting a double sized blind, therefore your pot odds are not what they appear to be.

Also, when it's a kill pot, there is often proportionally more blind money in the pot. This may seem like it has implications, but beware, you will only steal the blinds in a kill pot 0.00000000000000000000001% of the time, so get that out of your head right now.

The general strategy of the moron public seems to be quite different from the theoretical ideal play in a kill game tho... to elaborate..........

When Raisey McRaise, Action Jackson, Cappy McCap etc have the "no kill," their strategy is to make it a kill NO MATTER WHAT.

Once it IS a kill, the same players seem to all play EXTRA STUPID because it's a kill pot.

It's true, it's true!

Other than these things, basic hold'em strategy doesn't change much in kill pots, it's just another pot at double the stakes. One good kill pot could wind up making your night tho.

al

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Usually to have a kill pot in hold'em, you must win two pots in a row.

At Foxwoods, it's pot size. Get a loosey-goosey 5/10 kill table and you're playing 3-blind 10/20 most of the time.

[Lawrence Ng]

Bah, you said everything already... /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Rams_Law]

[ QUOTE ]
Usually to have a kill pot in hold'em, you must win two pots in a row.

At Foxwoods, it's pot size. Get a loosey-goosey 5/10 kill table and you're playing 3-blind 10/20 most of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

So two in a row does not kill the 5/10 at FW? Also, does the $100 pot size apply to killed pots also? Seems like if you get any action in the killed pots inertia could keep it a 10/20 game for a while. That's why I tend to stay at the 4/8 (also because the 4/8 is soooo soft I want to hug it and squeeze it and call it George...[/obscure Looney Toones reference])

[toots]

No, two in a row does not kill 5/10 at FW. And yeah, the $100 pot size applies to kill pots also, so you're exactly right. One way out is a chopped pot won't kill.

I find that the games tend to run hot/cold. Some LAG sits down, and it's 10/20 about 2/3 of the time until he goes broke, then it goes back to a tight 5/10 table until the next LAG sits down.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

[ QUOTE ]
I want to hug it and squeeze it and call it George

[/ QUOTE ]

from the abominable snowman...

Yeah, I got it. Love those old looney toons!

al

[rookieplus]

BINGO

You nailed that one. There is "kill inertia" in the FW HE 5-10 game. Last time I was there, more often that not, the pot was a kill. This game is also (from my limited experience with it) incredibly soft.

I will echo the comments about reading players in kill pots (at FW) - some are very shy in kill games, some are hyper aggressive. It's easy to identify who's who especially when some of the shy ones are openly complaining about all the kill pots.