Playing at the Lodge puts you in the action for cash games that often include unique rules and big action.
Enhancements to the standard cash game at the Lodge include bomb pots, the stand-up game, and the small blind button bonus game. This article takes a look at the small blind button bonus game, an added feature that can create big pots at the cash game tables.
Let’s dive right in.
What is the Small Blind Button Bonus?
The Small Blind Button Bonus is a poker mini-game meant to increase action in cash games by adding a kitty (pool of money) that can only be won by the player in the small blind.
How is the Small Blind Button Bonus Game Played?
The small blind button bonus calls for a predetermined amount of chips to be added by the player on the button before each hand. The player in the button position physically places the agreed-upon amount of chips on top of the dealer button before the hand begins.
If the player in the small blind wins the pot, that player collects the small blind button bonus. If any other player besides the small blind wins, the player that’s on the button in the next hand places another unit of the predetermined bonus amount on the button.
If several hands go by with the small blind not winning a pot, the bonus amount on the button can grow to a sizable amount. Any time the small blind players wins the pot, the bonus resets to the original amount in the next hand.
For example, let’s take a look at a recent $25/$50 cash game played on the Lodge live stream. Players in the game agreed to a $25 small blind button bonus.
When the game begins, Hai, who’s in the button position, places a $25 chip on top of the button. Brian M., in the small blind, is the only player eligible to win the bonus in the hand.
Brian M. folds preflop, however, and in the next hand he adds another $25 chip on the button. The small blind bonus is now $50.
Several more hands go by, with each player occupying the button position adding $25 more to the bonus. The bonus goes up to $250 before Efan 2.0 eventually takes a pot from the small blind.
Efan wins the standard pot, and also collects an extra $250. In the next hand, the bonus resets at $25, and the process begins again.
