Bomb Pot
A hand where everyone antes in and the flop is dealt immediately, with no preflop betting.
In a bomb pot, every player posts an agreed amount — say $5 each at $1/$2 — and the dealer puts out the flop straight away. Nine players means $45 in the middle before anyone has made a decision, and betting begins on the flop. Some games deal two boards and split the pot between the winners of each, which doubles both the fun and the confusion.
Bomb pots flip normal poker logic. Nine-handed, your equity in the pot is rarely far from 11% no matter what you hold, because every hand runs into so many opponents. Top pair, a monster heads-up, is a bluff-catcher at best here. The hands that make money are the ones that can win a nine-way pot: sets, straights, flushes, and big draws that are happy to get chips in while they're still favourites to improve.
Example: you hold A-K on a K-9-4 rainbow flop in a nine-way $45 bomb pot. Great hand heads-up; here, somebody often has K-9, pocket nines, or a live draw. Bet for protection and information, but don't stack off for $200 behind without the nut end of the distribution. The pot is big because nine people paid in — expect somebody to have something.
Home games love bomb pots — usually one per dealer change — and they're a fine way to keep action players engaged. Just agree the rules first: the ante amount, single or double board, and whether bomb pots replace or interrupt the straddle. Then adjust: play for stacks only with hands that beat a nine-way field, and let everyone else torch their edge on top pair. The splash pot is the cousin where the house, not the players, funds the extra money.