A predetermined hand the place all gamers contribute an equal quantity to create a considerably bigger pot earlier than any playing cards are dealt. In a normal Texas Maintain’em sport, for instance, as an alternative of blinds being posted by solely two gamers, each participant on the desk is perhaps required to deposit a hard and fast sum. Then, the hand is performed as normal, with all gamers having pre-invested within the end result. This creates a high-action, risky scenario the place the pot is considerably elevated from the beginning.
The attraction stems from the elevated pleasure and potential for bigger payouts. It injects a component of unpredictability, as each participant is incentivized to play the hand aggressively because of their pre-existing funding. Traditionally, these conditions usually arose spontaneously in stay video games as a option to liven issues up or break up a interval of sluggish play. They’ve since develop into formalized variations, typically featured in televised poker occasions or supplied as a structured possibility in sure poker rooms.