Cash Game High Hand Kitty: Input Needed (1 Viewer)

[craytron]

I need input from this amazing think-tank of enthusiasts.

I run a small cash game of .25/.50 blinds. We like to run a High Hand Kitty for 5 bucks each at the beginning of the night. If no one wins it - then we roll it over to the next night. Here's the current rules we have for this:

High Hand Kitty is kept by the host. A high hand kitty will be established for all players who want to participate.
Winning Hands: 4 of a kind, Straight Flush, Royal Flush
Eligibility: A player must contribute $5 before the winning hand to be eligibile for the high hand kitty. A player that acheives a winning hand (4 of a kind or higher) that did not contribute that night at time of buy in is not eligible and will not win the high hand kitty.
Payout: Payout of the high hand kitty is immediate on resolution of the hand. The kitty is then open for buy-ins for all players to participate.
Rollover: If no eligibile players achieve a winning hand, the kitty is rolled over to the next game night and added to again by players wanting to be eligible to win.

The question has come up recently. Does a player have to go to showdown to win the high hand kitty? So I'm looking for input on the following scenario based on my rules above and everyone's experience in previous casino, poker room, and/or home games:

If I have AA and the flop is AA2 and I go all in and everyone folds, can I flip my cards and win the HHK?

 

[Lemonzest]

I don't think a person should have to go to showdown. Reason being...this really devalues your strong hands. The once in a blue moon you actually get quads or a straight flush now you can't bet it ...you essentially have to check every street to ensure you win the high hand money....that doesn't sound very fun to me.

The rules should just be that you have to show your holes cards when the hand terminates. High hand payout should be awarded regardless of what street the hand ends. That is my 2c.

I love the idea of a 5 dollar buy in and having it roll over. I may look to institute something similar...super fun idea!

 

[grantc54]

The rules should just be that you have to show your holes cards when the hand terminates. High hand payout should be awarded regardless of what street the hand ends. That is my 2c.

That is what we always do when we have a high hand. The only caveat is that you need to have 5 cards (so the flop has to be out) without any rabbit hunting.

Thanks,
Grant

 

[BSteck]

I've been thinking about doing something like this too and have been reading up on old posts.

Another thing you might want to consider: What happens if the winning hand (ie quads) are all board cards? Does everyone left in the hand split the kitty? Do you qualify if you only use one of your hole cards or do you have to use both hole cards?

 

[churlbut18]

This is how we do it...

High Hand:
$X each up front, everyone pays same
no qualifier so it pays out each night
best hand that night wins
no showdown, but must show hand
hand based on cards at hand’s end
no rabbit hunting to see if hand’s made
hand has to be made already
only need 1 hole card to play
don’t have to be present to win
rabbit hunting fees charged, added to HH

 

[Rhodeman77]

I do a high hand every week. Players don’t have to show down. Don’t have to use both whole cards. Just show the hand to qualify.

I run it a little differently. I pay it out every game at midnight. I have dry erase board and the first full house of the night gets it started. Once someone makes a better hand they cross the previous persons name off and write their hand.

I don’t want to be holding peoples money for weeks on end waiting for quads or better.

We play $1/2 and take $2/pot as long as the pot hits $20 from the start of the game until midnight. It is usually a little over $200 each week.

Also hand has to be made already if it shown before showdown. If running the board/turn/river more than once only the first run counts for making a high hand.

 

[craytron]

I've been thinking about doing something like this too and have been reading up on old posts.

Another thing you might want to consider: What happens if the winning hand (ie quads) are all board cards? Does everyone left in the hand split the kitty? Do you qualify if you only use one of your hole cards or do you have to use both hole cards?

So that one we have already resolved with my crew. We decided you have to use at least one of your hole cards and there has to be a clear single winner. I need to add that clarification to the rules as well.

The split pots is a good question. I think we figured that was such an edge case we would just deal with it when/if it ever came up. But I'd love to hear opinions or previous experiences.

 

[craytron]

I do a high hand every week. Players don’t have to show down. Don’t have to use both whole cards. Just show the hand to qualify.

I run it a little differently. I pay it out every game at midnight. I have dry erase board and the first full house of the night gets it started. Once someone makes a better hand they cross the previous persons name off and write their hand.

I don’t want to be holding peoples money for weeks on end waiting for quads or better.

We play $1/2 and take $2/pot as long as the pot hits $20 from the start of the game until midnight. It is usually a little over $200 each week.

Also hand has to be made already if it shown before showdown. If running the board/turn/river more than once only the first run counts for making a high hand.

Wow.. I LOVE this idea.

How do you rake the chips for it? Do you just set them aside? have a rake box? cigar box that follows the cards around?

 

[Rhodeman77]

Wow.. I LOVE this idea.

How do you rake the chips for it? Do you just set them aside? have a rake box? cigar box that follows the cards around?

I have a chip rack I keep next to me, and grab $2 either preflop on by the flop once there is $20. As the $1’s build up I throw them back in the pot and take a $5 out.

The players love it too. When someone has a higher hand the get excited to cross the other players name off. Lots of good natured trash talking that happens.

 

[bsdunbar1]

I have a HH for our weekly 1/2 cash games.
I rake $1 out of the pot for every $50 in the pot. ($200 pot rakes $4)
Ours is a LOT more restrictive.

Quads or better
Use Both hole cards
Must go to show down
Must be min $20 in the pot

Even with our restrictions it has been hit 8 times in the last 13wks
It carries over from week to week regardless of who plays when.
The money collected tonight is not eligible until the next game so there is always a HH to try and hit.

 

[bsdunbar1]

I have a spare cup holder that we "toss" the rake into all night.
Everyone loves to hear the "ding" of the chips being thrown in there.

 

[Lemonzest]

I think making it rollover is important. That to me is the fun part... then after a few weeks you have a decent sum there and winning it would be exciting.

 

[bsdunbar1]

I think making it rollover is important. That to me is the fun part... then after a few weeks you have a decent sum there and winning it would be exciting.

Ours has got as high as $654 - That is exciting and really pulls additional cash game players in.

 

[craytron]

I have a spare cup holder that we "toss" the rake into all night.
Everyone loves to hear the "ding" of the chips being thrown in there.



View attachment 169805

Love the pic! That's a great idea. I guess I was overthinking how to keep/organize the rake.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Here are my official HHJP rules from my 25c and my 25/50c NLHE games:

The jackpot pays out a share to a winning hand which is 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 as high as any of the remaining board cards, or else a board card is your "kicker" 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 play continued 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. We use the same jackpot at Two Bit Poker and at the weekly Clubhouse 25c/50c game. It's fair to use the same pot at both games, so long as both are playing regular No-Limit Texas Holdem and both are contributing 25c per flop. 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.​

We've run this for just over a year, now. I have a little wooden treasure chest we through chips into. At the start of each game, during buy-ins, I dump the cash from the chest and we buy it in as chips. If someone hits, we pay them from the box... they can put the chips in play or, at their option, the jackpot winning can be "off the table" (in their pocket and not in play.)

At the end of the night, whatever's left in the jackpot gets cashed out like everyone else; the cash goes into the treasure chest until next game.

The Jackpot runs as low as $20 or so if getting nailed a lot, is often in the range $50 to $100, and has gotten as high as $192. Getting quartered with a fullhouse doesn't seem to keep it from growing in a game, but halving it with quads certainly does. It's near $100 right now.

We have seen zero qualifying straight flushes, so the box has never been emptied. I initially seeded it with $20. When someone finally hits, i hope they do the same... if not, I'll volunteer a few bucks to seed it, and invite others to do the same... everyone has been a big fun and loves the jackpot. I think everyone has had a couple of paid full houses.

 

[craytron]

Here are my official HHJP rules from my 25c and my 25/50c NLHE games:

The jackpot pays out a share to a winning hand which is 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 as high as any of the remaining board cards, or else a board card is your "kicker" 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 play continued 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. We use the same jackpot at Two Bit Poker and at the weekly Clubhouse 25c/50c game. It's fair to use the same pot at both games, so long as both are playing regular No-Limit Texas Holdem and both are contributing 25c per flop. 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.​

We've run this for just over a year, now. I have a little wooden treasure chest we through chips into. At the start of each game, during buy-ins, I dump the cash from the chest and we buy it in as chips. If someone hits, we pay them from the box... they can put the chips in play or, at their option, the jackpot winning can be "off the table" (in their pocket and not in play.)

At the end of the night, whatever's left in the jackpot gets cashed out like everyone else; the cash goes into the treasure chest until next game.

The Jackpot runs as low as $20 or so if getting nailed a lot, is often in the range $50 to $100, and has gotten as high as $192. Getting quartered with a fullhouse doesn't seem to keep it from growing in a game, but halving it with quads certainly does. It's near $100 right now.

We have seen zero qualifying straight flushes, so the box has never been emptied. I initially seeded it with $20. When someone finally hits, i hope they do the same... if not, I'll volunteer a few bucks to seed it, and invite others to do the same... everyone has been a big fun and loves the jackpot. I think everyone has had a couple of paid full houses.

I really like this structure. You get the immediate satisfaction, but maintain a rollover. I do think a rake every flop might make more sense than the way we have been doing it. However I have been devilishly waiting for someone to NOT contribute to the HH kitty one night and then win it and get NOTHING! But a small rake makes more sense.

 

[churlbut18]

I do a high hand every week. Players don’t have to show down. Don’t have to use both whole cards. Just show the hand to qualify.

I run it a little differently. I pay it out every game at midnight. I have dry erase board and the first full house of the night gets it started. Once someone makes a better hand they cross the previous persons name off and write their hand.

I don’t want to be holding peoples money for weeks on end waiting for quads or better.

We play $1/2 and take $2/pot as long as the pot hits $20 from the start of the game until midnight. It is usually a little over $200 each week.

Also hand has to be made already if it shown before showdown. If running the board/turn/river more than once only the first run counts for making a high hand.

Do you require the winner to be present at midnight? Or if their name is the last name on the board that night it’s theirs regardless of whether they played past midnight?

 

[Rhodeman77]

Do you require the winner to be present at midnight? Or if their name is the last name on the board that night it’s theirs regardless of whether they played past midnight?

I require them to be present at midnight to claim the money. It helps keep the game going and the chips go into their stack as well so it gives everyone a chance to win some of it if they do stay longer.

Last weeks winner was planning on leaving at 11 but stayed the extra hour to win it.

 

[DoubleEagle]

I think making it rollover is important. That to me is the fun part... then after a few weeks you have a decent sum there and winning it would be exciting.

With a rollover, seems you open yourself up to hard feelings when someone who has been contributing regularly can’t make he night it is won.

Edit: sorry to post in an old thread.

 

[Lemonzest]

With a rollover, seems you open yourself up to hard feelings when someone who has been contributing regularly can’t make he night it is won.

Edit: sorry to post in an old thread.

meh tough titties imo. as long as everyone is aware of how it works I think its fine. more motivation to show.

 

[craytron]

Whoa.. blast from the past! I ended up dumping a high hand all together. Got sick of managing a separate pot all the time and it just didn't really seem to be a draw for anyone. I initially did it to keep people coming back. But by stepping up my chips, table, chairs, food, and all the other great ideas in this forum - a high hand kitty wasn't really necessary. So... not keeping one for now.
Still lots of good rules and ideas in this thread for others who want to do it though.

 

[DoubleEagle]

I’m going to try it tonight, but no rollover. Goal is to keep people from leaving early.

 

[DoubleEagle]

meh tough titties imo. as long as everyone is aware of how it works I think its fine. more motivation to show.

Great for the host. He is always there. Not so great if you can’t attend every time.

 

[Lemonzest]

I’m going to try it tonight, but no rollover. Goal is to keep people from leaving early.

Have fun! Im jealous that you are playing tonight!

 

[DoubleEagle]

I’m going to try it tonight, but no rollover. Goal is to keep people from leaving early.

No interest.