Kill game

Purpose

Kill games are designed to mitigate wins achieved through dumb luck or flukes, as well as bad beats where a player wins despite making questionable odds-based decisions. Such players, often inexperienced, may win substantial hands through poor choices like raising or calling on low-probability drawing hands, frustrating more experienced players.

While these poor decisions tend to lead to eventual losses, kill hands accelerate that loss if the player persists in loose play, encouraging a tighter, more disciplined betting style. However, because kill hands occur infrequently, the overall table style remains looser than if kill stakes were normal. Among experienced players, kill games also heighten the thrill of risk, as a winning streak or a large pot leads to an even bigger next pot, sometimes encouraging looser play.

Triggers

Rules for activating a kill hand vary. One common trigger is when the last pot won exceeds a particular value, such as ten times the large bet (e.g., in a $20/$40 game, a pot greater than $400 activates the kill). Another common trigger is a single player winning two pots in a row. The kill may remain active for multiple consecutive hands; when triggered by pot amount, it stays active if the kill pot exceeds a certain value (often ten times the kill hand's large bet), though it may change players.

When triggered by consecutive wins, the kill typically stays on the same player if they keep winning. In split-pot games like high-low, if a player who won the previous hand splits the pot with another, that may activate a kill. If a pot is split and neither player won the previous hand, winning the next pot does not typically activate a kill. In high-low games, the kill is usually activated when one player scoops the whole pot, either by having both high and low hands or by having the winning high hand when no low qualifies, though some games require the pot to exceed a specified amount.

The kill blind

The player who activates the kill hand must post an additional blind called the kill blind, which can be posted from any position, including in the blinds or on the button. The amount is most often twice the normal big blind or small bet, known as a full kill; for example, in a $20/$40 game, the full kill blind is $40. The kill blind is usually a live bet, counting toward any bet to the player, and may grant the poster last action (the option) instead of the big blind.

For instance, in a five-handed game with player E holding the kill button and player A as dealer, the order of action is player D, dealer A, small blind B, big blind C, then kill blind E; after the first round, betting returns to normal. Three common options exist for a player in the blinds who must also pay the kill blind: they may pay only the kill blind and skip their scheduled blind; they may post both blinds with only the kill blind live, adding extra risk; or they may post the kill blind now and owe their scheduled blind in the next hand, similar to the moving button rule for busted blinds.

This last option can shift all blinds if a player triggers a kill while under the gun, requiring them to post the kill blind when the big blind was due, then pay the big blind in the next hand instead of the small blind, and finally pay the small blind on the third hand to catch up.

Variants

A common variant is the half kill, where the kill blind is 1.5 times the big blind instead of double, and betting limits adjust accordingly; for a $20/$40 game, a half kill gives a $30 kill blind and $30/$60 limits. Sometimes both half and full kills are used: a player might win two pots to activate a half kill, and winning the half-kill pot triggers a full kill. With pot amount triggers, a half kill might activate at ten times the normal large bet and a full kill at fifteen times, or if the half-kill pot reaches ten times the half-kill's large bet.

Another related concept is the double kill, generally triggered when a kill is already active or under circumstances doubling those of a full kill. In a $20/$40 game, if a kill activates at a $400 pot, a double kill activates at $800, whether from a normal or kill hand. If triggered by consecutive wins, a double kill activates when the same player wins four times in a row. Rules for double-kill blinds and limits vary: they may be triple the normal amounts or four times normal, so a $20/$40 game might have double-kill limits of $60/$120 or $80/$160, making pots potentially very large.