High Hand in home games (1 Viewer)

[RiverAce01]

Curious how everyone here that does high hands runs them. My group has been interested in doing it but my main question is...whats your minimum qualifying hand? I know in casinos it's usually AAAKK but in a home game I feel like that would be tough. What do you usually do? I'm thinking of doing something like J's over 10's or something around there.

If it doesn't get hit during the game, do you keep it and accrue it towards the next time you play or do you give everyone their money back?

Just curious how people do it for tips on how to run one. My usual gang of players like the idea of adding a little more $$ to the night

 

[Mental Nomad]

Here's what we've been doing for about six months now (weekly game):

The jackpot pays out a share to any winner who has a qualifying hand of Jacks Full (or better). Payouts:

Straight Flush - whole jackpot
Quadruple - 1/2 jackpot
Full House (Jacks Full or higher) - 1/4 jackpot

To qualify, the hand must be made using both of the player's hole cards. This means that if there are three of a kind on the board, and you hold one of them for Quads, your other card must be higher than the remaining board cards, or else a board card is in your hand and you don't qualify.

The hand does not need to go to Showdown; if a qualifying hand makes a bet and everyone else folds, that player can show their winning hand and claim their Jackpot. Note that the hand must qualify with the board cards that were already dealt at the time the hand ended - cards that "would have come" if someone called don't qualify for a jackpot.

The jackpot is funded by 25c pulled from the pot every time we see a flop. No flop, no drop.

Any unclaimed jackpot rolls to the next game. If we're ever playing a game other than No-Limit Holdem, the jackpot is not in play and no drop will be pulled to fund it.

I seeded the jackpot with $10 out of my pocket. It hasn't gone much below that; it's often in the $20 to $50 range. It got as high as $182, once. That was the only time it broke $100.

We've had a lot of full houses quarter the pot, and a fair number of quads halved it. We have yet to see a straight flush take the whole thing down. When it happens, I may seed the pot again. (I did hit the pot for quads when it was $182, so I'm ahead of the game.)

Everyone has really liked having the jackpot. A few people had doubts when they first heard about it, but they've all liked it after talking through the rules, and everybody is positive about it after playing for a night.

 

[BGinGA]

^ Plus rabbit-hunting fees are charged and added to the jackpot. (y) :thumbsup:

 

[detroitdad]

plenty of discussions on this BTW.

No qualifier, doesn't have to go to show down, you just have to show your hand. Any game we play qualifies.

We pay out at the end of every night.

 

[DJ Mack]

Unfortunately the crew that likes the concept really only gets together about once a quarter anymore. That makes it hard to do rolling jackpots between sessions. It's been turned into the BONer pot - best of the night where it starts with any boat, must show. In the rare instances that there's not a single full house all night it pushes. I think that's happened once.

 

[detroitdad]

got to have pron in the thread.

 

[joseywales]

In our game:

minimum is a full house - which can win 75% of the HH pot.
Quads or better to win 100% of the pot.
only one hole card has to play
pots, or the 25%, carryover to the next game as necessary
Hand must go to showdown - I don't care for that rule, but that's what they wanted. A player, who I suspected had a full house, checked to me on the river and I folded. It was cheap to stay in, I missed my flush and I knew the river gave him the boat. I was down for the night and thought, why not protect the HH pot, in case I can hit HH later and stem my losses. Mostly, I wanted to make a point. The table was split over what I had done, but we still have the showdown rule. I realize the HH will change the game somewhat, but the showdown rule changes it more than I care for. YMMV.

 

[courage]

The games you play also affect the qualifier.

 

[RiverAce01]

got to have pron in the thread. View attachment 129611

I would really like to have something like this made, but obviously most places have a required minimum on plaques and I would only need 1. If we do a HH in my games Im just going to use an encased chip

 

[chipjoker]

We do a $5 buy-in to the high hand, no qualifiers so that it gets paid out each game. It has to go to show down though.

 

[joseywales]

I should add.

we play no limit hold'em only.

we take .25 from each hand that sees a flop - interesting when you count the HH pot and realize how freakin slow the game is going! I'm tempted to propose a 2 deck, back shuffle, but their minds might explode!

 

[churlbut18]

So if it doesn’t go to showdown, then you have to finish dealing the board to find out?

 

[v1pe]

So if it doesn’t go to showdown, then you have to finish dealing the board to find out?

Usually it just doesn't qualify. So there's some strategy to play passively if you have a monster like Quads+ to make sure your get to showdown and quality for the HH.

 

[churlbut18]

Usually it just doesn't qualify. So there's some strategy to play passively if you have a monster like Quads+ to make sure your get to showdown and quality for the HH.

But if you raise with a monster draw and everyone folds, you’d want to chase to see the turn and/or river to see if you can complete the HH right, if you don’t incorporate the showdown rule?

 

[joseywales]

But if you raise with a monster draw and everyone folds, you’d want to chase to see the turn and/or river to see if you can complete the HH right, if you don’t incorporate the showdown rule?

If there’s no showdown rule, yes.

 

[Shaggy]

But if you raise with a monster draw and everyone folds, you’d want to chase to see the turn and/or river to see if you can complete the HH right, if you don’t incorporate the showdown rule?

If there is a showdown rule, this hand doesn’t qualify because it didn’t make it to showdown. No jackpot.

 

[WedgeRock]

IMO, with no showdown rule, you make your hands based on what you have at the time the hand ends.

If you flop a monster draw and everyone folds, you don't qualify because all you have is a draw. You play the best 5 cards you have at the time. You don't get to rabbit hunt the turn and river to see if you got there.

 

[Rhodeman77]

If there isn’t a showdown required the hand has to be made already to get paid.

I also agree that having to get to a showdown is annoying. If the group wants to have bigger HH money then make the qualifier higher or take more money each hand.

I recently started playing in a game that has a bad beat. Any full house that loses (must use both hole cards) wins. They take $3 from every pot that hits $30. It usually get hit when there is trips on the board and two people have a pocket pair.

The BB is at $4k now which is split into 2 funds. So when it gets hit next the person that takes the BB will get $2k and then the reserve fund is split into 2 creating a new $1k bad beat jackpot and $1knreserve fund.

 

[churlbut18]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[churlbut18]

Does anyone use high hand when playing a mixed game rotation? If so, do you just default to the 1 hole card required (vs. 2) because you’re now mixing in Pineapple, Omaha, Big-O, etc... where the number of hole cards vary?

Do these other games skew the HH outcome because you’re likely to make a better hand with more hole cards? If so, do you limit HH to only the hold’em hand’s?

 

[detroitdad]

Does anyone use high hand when playing a mixed game rotation? If so, do you just default to the 1 hole card required (vs. 2) because you’re now mixing in Pineapple, Omaha, Big-O, etc... where the number of hole cards vary?

Do these other games skew the HH outcome because you’re likely to make a better hand with more hole cards? If so, do you limit HH to only the hold’em hand’s?

yes. I don't require two cards to be used. In our dealers choice games we rarely play any NLHE variants.

 

[v1pe]

Does anyone use high hand when playing a mixed game rotation? If so, do you just default to the 1 hole card required (vs. 2) because you’re now mixing in Pineapple, Omaha, Big-O, etc... where the number of hole cards vary?

Do these other games skew the HH outcome because you’re likely to make a better hand with more hole cards? If so, do you limit HH to only the hold’em hand’s?

High hand would hit more often, but no difference really as far as who might hit one. I would just increase the threshold of what qualifies. AAAJJ+ or something like that perhaps.

 

[Josh Kifer]

Hrm. I need to find a high hand plaque....

 

[BGinGA]

I also agree that having to get to a showdown is annoying.

It's way beyond annoying, it artificially alters the game for no valid reason:

there's some strategy to play passively if you have a monster like Quads+ to make sure your get to showdown and quality for the HH.

Imo, it's a stupid policy that forces players to evoke a -EV hand strategy, which could easily be alleviated with a simple no-showdown-required rule. Casinos do it to save time/money and create bigger jackpots (which draws more players, theoretically), but a friendly home game should have no such silly agenda.

 

[Rhodeman77]

So after reading this thread I have decided to add a High Hand Jackpot for tomorrow’s game.

The game is 25/50c $60-$200 buy-in Hold’em and PLO mixed game by time. I will be putting $20 in it to start the pot. $1 from any pot reaching $20 will be added to the HH jackpot.

Any player that is at the game by 7:30 (game starts at 7) and stays until midnight can win it. Highest hand of the night at midnight gets the cash. No showdown required, just show your high hand. Only need 1 card in Hold’em to make a hand.

The game goes until 1:30 so hopefully whoever wins it will put into play

This should help get players to show up on time at the start of the game.

I figure the HH should be between $100 to $120 for the night.

If the players like it I will keep doing it. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

 

[detroitdad]

So after reading this thread I have decided to add a High Hand Jackpot for tomorrow’s game.

The game is 25/50c $60-$200 buy-in Hold’em and PLO mixed game by time. I will be putting $20 in it to start the pot. $1 from any pot reaching $20 will be added to the HH jackpot.

Any player that is at the game by 7:30 (game starts at 7) and stays until midnight can win it. Highest hand of the night at midnight gets the cash. No showdown required, just show your high hand. Only need 1 card in Hold’em to make a hand.

The game goes until 1:30 so hopefully whoever wins it will put into play

This should help get players to show up on time at the start of the game.

I figure the HH should be between $100 to $120 for the night.

If the players like it I will keep doing it. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Your talking a one dollar max rake per 20+pot correct? I like it.


I kind of like that format. Right now I charge ten bucks per player for the HHJP. Not everyone participates.

Raking a dollar for every 20+ pot feels like it could work.

Thoughts @ChaosRock @mike32 @Sprouty @Azcat @WedgeRock @Marc Hedrick

 

[Rhodeman77]

Yes, taking $1 from every pot that hits $20 to fund it (plus the $20 I put in to start).

 

[detroitdad]

Yes, taking $1 from every pot that hits $20 to fund it (plus the $20 I put in to start).

Cool, make sure you post how it plays out.

 

[WedgeRock]

Thoughts @ChaosRock @mike32 @Sprouty @Azcat @WedgeRock @Marc Hedrick

Not that we have trouble hitting $20 pots, but you could do 25c per $5 in the pot that sees a flop, up to a max of $1. That way a $10 pot still gets raked.

 

[rjbf65]

A crew I play with has a quad pot. $10 for the tourney and $1 for the quad pot. Usually a 2 table tourney. Rarely gets over $100. I once hit quads two hands after another player hit it and emptied the pot.