“Fun” bomb pot story from Parx Casino in PA two summers ago.
Table has been talking about doing a bomb pot and everyone but one player seems into it. Explanation/debate continues to ensure until eventually the final player is convinced to jump in. I happen to be on the button, obviously a better spot to be for any bomb pot. We are 8-handed in a $1/3 $500 game and I have ~$600 effective.
Look down at my cards: AA - decent so far. Best position, best starting hand, $80 in the pot, though obviously we tread very carefully in a bomb pot (or any pot with 8 players to the flop).
Flop: A95 rainbow (decent flop).
SB leads for $20, kid in the bb calls, folds around to me, they both seem so weak that I decide that raising now will probably win me the $120 easily but nothing more than that, I decide to flat since I have position and can dictate terms on any blank turn.
Turn: J (so far so good - $160 in the pot).
SB checks, kid in BB now bets $80 and I decide to just end it here or, ideally cooler the kid hoping he has two pair or maybe even bottom set or something. I actually end up shoving to make it look weaker, putting ~$500+ into the middle, the Sb snap folds and the BB starts to wonder out loud:
“I really don’t think you have anything here... really feels like a bluff” (plan is working perfectly, I LOVE bomb pots!)... “I’m praying for a call and actually have my phone ready to record because it will be a juicy pot (one of the largest I will have ever played in a casino).
“ok, I don’t think you have much, I call” - ok the kid is drawing dead I assume vs the mortal nuts. I take my phone out as the river is an offsuit K - beautiful card. I reach to press record on my phone and from the corner of the table I hear the words “I hit the straight!” - shocked I look over, catching the dealer pushing the pot over to the kid. I’m so confused and am about to inform the dealer that he made a mistake when I realize that the kid floated the flop with nothing, picked up the straight draw on the turn, and called 2.5x shove with just Q high (he had QT offsuit).
Literally never felt so sick at the table. So yeah... love bomb pots!