Bomb Pots

Bomb Pots Are the New Straddle

Get It In Already

Big Pots More Often

Bomb Pots are a riveting rule variation electrifying the action and helping build massive pots every time you sit down to play. Introduced by PokerBros not that long ago, Bomb Pots make the classic game more engaging by initiating two flops before the action unfolds with a forced ante. Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the table, this article unravels the complexities of Bomb Pots, and gives you yet another reason to sign-up today as a member in one of our clubs that we represent as agents. You can connect with us on Telegram or WhatsApp to join a club with the best union deals available.

PokerBros announced the addition of Bomb Pots to the software in 2021.

What is a Bomb Pot?

PokerBros is unique among apps in that it offers the ability to spread Bomb Pot games. It added this feature to the app in late 2021. If you are new, or haven’t paid attention much to the poker scene in the last five years, you may even wonder what a Bomb Pot is. Bomb pots started in casino games as a way to soften the impact of the time charge, which is the fee players pay in land-based poker games to the poker room for sitting at the table. Time charges are good because the dealer doesn’t rake the pot and the chips all stay on the table, so fills are needed less often. However, it is evident to players the large amount of money coming off the table, and in these games, players typically don’t earn rakeback. In the past, the ‘time pot’ was common where players just anted the time charge, or double the time charge, and the winner of the pot pays the time. This increased the action, and the person paying the time won a pot is not too upset in having to pay since they just won a pot.

Bomb pots added a wrinkle to the time pots. With a Bomb Pot, players ante a pre-determined or randomized amount like a time pot, but instead of playing the hand out like normal, two flops are dealt out before the action even begins! This is especially popular in 6-card games where players hand-select too much at times. Bomb pots are the lubrication a game needs to get someone stuck and steaming. Typically, these pots are among the largest of the game since they encourage multiway action.

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What games on PokerBros allow Bomb Pots?

Bomb Pots are an option available to every club or union when they create games, and in any hold’em or Omaha game (4-card, 5-card, 6-card). While Double Flop Omaha is extremely popular on PokerBros, Bomb Pots can create sporadic Double Flop action on normal single board games. A game can be customized to occur any prescribed number of hands up to 100. Frequently this number is set to one less or one more than the table seat max, or double that number.

Run It Twice Please

Since the action in Bomb Pots can become absolutely mental, many players are happy to run it multiple times in big Bomb Pots. The software allows you to run it 2 or 3 times multiways in all-in situations. This can reduce variance for you, but the idea of being able to reduce variance is why so many people get involved lightly in Bomb Pots. They can cause players to be thrown out of their rhythm and play much worse than normal chasing that win against that player they just can’t stand!

Craving Only Bomb Pots?

One of the best features is being able to set a table to Bomb Pots every single hand. While this sounds ridiculous at first, the games actually offer a greater edge to skilled players, and tactics become a lot more chess-like. The games still play bigger than you would think from their blinds, but many players prefer a game with all Bomb Pots, because you always have a decision, rather than just seeing a bad hand and throwing it away. With one less street, and the ability to make a lockup hand with something you would never otherwise play, these games break up the nitty monotony every online poker player has faced.

It’s Not Just Fun, It’s Safer

The biggest concern in decentralized/distributed app poker games like PokerBros is security. While it is true that it is easier to stay fairly anonymous while playing these KYC-free app games, there are many ways you can avoid collusion and cheating. Bomb Pot games require a lot of attention to play, and the action happens so fast it’s difficult to multi-table when playing. This reduces the edge of horse stables sharing bankrolls across tables, and since people mostly commit with lockup hands, it’s much harder to gain an edge with just the knowledge of a couple of cards. Furthermore, many people like to just play heads-up and short-handed at higher stakes to make teamplay impossible in this format.

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It is counter-intuitive, but a game with more known information, and more hole cards is avoided by teams. This information comes from club owners who are much more adept and swift than your traditional regulated online poker rooms where people play for real money.

Unions That Offer Bomb Pot Poker

All major club unions, including the ones we primarily represent players in (Diamond, Panamericana, RGS, Paradise, Pacifica, etc.) offer Bomb Pots in their ring games. Some unions specialize in them. Union Panamericana, for example, offers the best 10-20+ 6-card PLO Bomb Pot games, with various forms of Bomb Pot games running at or around that level. Waiting lists can get very long, and the action can make the games play high stakes.

Basic Bomb Pot Strategy – Some Tips From the Tippy Top

Now that you know how things work, we can offer some basic strategy that applies to all Bomb Pot games. Here are a few tips:

1. If you are playing a game in which the Bomb Pot is on a hand interval, you need to be paying attention to the counter on the table. Players who are stuck and steaming are more likely to fold in marginal spots just before a Bomb Pot.
2. Position matters more than normal, but sometimes it’s in reverse. Since the pots are larger to start, in early position you get the right of first bluff to try and win the pot with a lead. This is because when you want to bet, especially in 6-card PLO, you will want to have a lockup hand or a strong draw to the nuts on both boards. If you have this hand, then it means people behind you are much less likely to bet themselves. You want to charge them to see if they can bink quads with bottom set.
3. Straight draws without a flush draw of some kind are not good. If you have the nut flush on the top board, and a wrap to a straight down below you might be loving life wanting to stick it all in. This is a costly error potentially, especially multiway. About 1/4 of the time your flush will get beaten up top.
4. Weirdly, because of the vertical aspect ratio in portrait mode of PokerBros, the perspective makes the top board appear slightly larger than the bottom board. This means players tend to overvalue the top board, even though their claim to the pot is equal. This is a psychological factor anecdotally noted by many winning players.
5. When playing a Bomb Pot game that is nothing but Bomb Pots you mustn’t play like you would in a normal game with an occasional one. That’s because people trend towards equilibrium when they play a larger sample. They become more predictable, and in most cases that means they play tighter. That’s not to say these games lack action, but to convey the idea that Crazy McCrazy to your right should get 3-bet less frequently. There’s fewer people trying to get even in one hand. It becomes more of a chess match, where you should try to outmaneuver your opponents through strategic planning and foresight.

Intermediate Strat

We’re not a poker training site, but we are pros and former pro poker players. We won’t give away all the keys to the castle, but here are a couple to get in the front door:

1. A merged bet sizing on the flop in position reveals a lot about those out of position. 1/4 sized flop stabs or c-bets also don’t give away your hand because they don’t know if you want them in, or want them to fold. Most of the time you want them to fold, but not that much more than call. It’s only two streets, but the polarization of ranges on wet boards is more than you’d expect from the second board.
2. Don’t play the thin value game on the river. Pot or not. You are playing to scoop, or get them to fold. There’s not many spots where you can soul read their exact hand and know they will call some, but not all of the pot.
3. All double board games, including Bomb Pots, have the ability to three-quarter or 5/6ths your opponents. If you are deepstacked, it’s ok to check behind when a check-raise will cost you a lot of money. Frequently OOP (out of position) it is correct to check your whole range on the river. Don’t fall for their trap!
4. Don’t just flat raises pre-flop. Your 3-betting range should get wider in double flop games, because position is more powerful in big pots. Just make sure you pay attention to SPR (Stack to Pot Ratio), and those pesky short stacks looking to bushwhack you with a backraise all-in.
5. Avoid the nits. If you play a Bomb Pot only game, make sure there’s at least 40% VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money in Pot) required. Don’t let nits out-nit you. Make them curse themselves for being rakeback mindset cowards.

Advanced Bomb Potting

We said we wouldn’t spill all of the beans, but we can give you one tip:

1. Play better, tilt less.

Ultimately winning in Bomb Pots comes down to not being a chicken, and not tilting. It can be hard to draw the line between the two when the action gets wild.

Conclusion

Bomb Pots are an exciting addition to poker that can create huge pots and offer a different strategic challenge compared to regular hands. They require an adaptation in the way you approach the game, with special attention to hand selection, position, and bet sizing. While they can be a lot of fun, it’s important to not get carried away and to keep solid poker fundamentals in mind. Managing your bankroll, observing your opponents, and making good decisions will always be key elements of successful poker play, whether you’re playing traditional hands or diving into the explosive action of Bomb Pots.