[Spaceman Spiff]

For my next home game, I'm going to start off with a cash game for a couple hours before it's tourney time. My plan so far is to make the cash game just a 1/2 limit game with a kill. But I want to make sure I've got this kill game idea down first. Someone set me straight if I have this wrong.

If a player wins 2 pots in a row, it will trigger the kill. For that next hand then, the limits go to 2/4, and the player that won the 2 pots has to put in an extra blind of $2. I think I've got that right.

All right, my question comes in with the blinds. In the normal 1/2 portion of the game, the blinds are $0.50 and $1. When a pot is killed, the killer has to also post $2. When this is done, do the normal blinds still post $0.50 and $1? And then is the kill blind live?

Here's the way I have it envisioned in my head, but I don't know if this is right. Say you've got A as the button, B as the SB, and C as the BB. Player E, 2 to the left of the BB, killed the last pot and posts his $2. Now, does action start with Player F to E's left? And he must call or raise the $2? Or does action start UTG with D, but he knows that an automatic raise is effectively coming from E's kill?

Any help?

[jojobinks]

the blinds post as usual, and the killer's double blind is effectively a raise. action would start as usual with the UTG player. he can call the raise to 2, raise to 4, or fold. the killer can raise when the action gets to him, regardless of previous action in the round.

and yeah, the limits are doubled to 2/4 on all streets after PF.

[gwilkx]

believe it or not, the rules for kill pots vary by casino. for example, at the Palms, the SB and BB stay the same, the killer posts 2xBB, and anyone who wants to come in has to call the 2xBB that the killer posted.

however, most of the places that i've played, the SB and BB are raised as well. in a $4/8 with a full-kill, the blinds become $4 and $8 (normally would be $2 and $4), and the killer has to post $8. at the MGM, anyone at a 4/8 table can request to play with a kill (or a half-kill) and the casino will do it as long as everyone currently seated at the table agrees.

some places give the killer the last action (just an option to raise, really), regardless of their position, while others make the killer play in turn. in all cases that i've seen, the UTG player is still the first to act pre-flop. if the blinds weren't doubled, the UTG player has to come in for the amount posted by the killer, and the big blind has to call the difference b/w the BB and the killer's post in order to see the flop. things are much simpler when the blinds are simply doubled.

gw-

[R Deckard]

In the California and Las Vegas rooms where I've played a kill game (mostly 4-8 kill), I've never seen the SB and BB bets double on a kill pot. When it's their turn, they simply add more chips to equal the increased small bet amount if they want to call.

Also, the killer is always the last to act on the first round (i.e. he has the last option to raise after the small and big blinds have acted), unless someone has raised in front of him, at which point he acts in proper sequence.


So in your scenario, Player E has just won his second pot in a row. He takes the inverted Kill button (which he won in the last pot) and flips it over so that the word "Kill" is now exposed. He places his $2 blind on top of the Kill button in front of him. It is now a Kill pot--limits are $2 and $4. Player B (SB) however still posts only 50¢, and Player C (BB) posts $1. Player D (UTG) acts first, and if he doesn't raise the $2 bet to $4 then player F acts, then A, then B (who must add $1.50 to call), then C (who must add $1 to call). Player E then acts and may check or raise. If he raises, then play proceeds normally (i.e. action is to the next player to his left).

[SpaceMonkey]

In all the kill games I've played, blinds are posted as normal, and the player who killed the pot has to post 2xBB. Action starts UTG, and all limits are doubled from the start. i.e. at a 5-10 game, blinds are still 2/5 and the "killer" posts a blind of 10. Limits are now 10/20 and all bets must be made accordingly. At Foxwoods and Mandalay Bay, the "kill" player acts in turn, not last.

[Nugzy]

So when a player wins a pot, he also wins the "inverted kill button"? And then if he wins the next pot, he turns over the kill button and places it with his forced double bet?

What happens if he wins the third pot in a row?

[Ramstone]

He keeps the kill button, natch, and posts his kill (it doesn't triple/quadruple etc)

Like a poster above, I've never seen the blinds increase, its just a more expensive limp for them.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Thanks everyone, good info. Sounds like one of the classic poker "it depends" situations!

I can see both sides on making the killer act in turn or getting the last action. He's already posting a double blind, so you'd think he at least deserves last action preflop. But then again, the magnificent bastard just won 2 pots in a row, so I'm probably not feeling too sorry for him either if he has to act in turn!

[Captn_All_In]

So what exactly is the purpose for a "kill" button game? Is it to increase the winnings of the person who has the kill button? Or is it so the others have a chance to get thier money back? It seems as though if the guy holding the kill button gets another good hand he is only going to suck more money out of his opponents. If this thinking is wrong (or if someone could point me in the proper direction for the theories behind a kill button) please let me know!! Thanks!

[Spaceman Spiff]

Best explanation I've seen is that it allows you to get some hands in at a higher level without having to play that level for a full game. Now that's not exactly a big deal when we're going to be playing 1/2, but I guess I could see it for higher levels. Sounds like it's fairly common in 4/8 games. Makes sesne. 4/8 is fairly low level, but with a kill you can play some hands at 8/16 which seems to be closer to mid-limit.

For my game, I'm just thinking of it more as a pot sweetener if we do get some kill pots.