Bomb pot rules: how bomb pots work on WPT Global

A bomb pot is a special hand that skips preflop. Every player first posts a forced ante much bigger than usual, then the flop is dealt right away and all the betting happens after the flop. The pot is big from the start, everyone takes two random hole cards to the flop, and the action is usually lively.

Where to play

Only Bomb-type tables trigger bomb pots:

Name in the app	Meaning
Bomb NLHE / Bomb NL	No-limit Hold’em table with bomb pots
Bomb SD	Short deck table with bomb pots

Regular NLHE and Short Deck tables never spring a bomb pot on you.

When bomb pots trigger

When you join a Bomb table, the app shows a Bomb pot overview pop-up in this format:

Bomb pots will occur randomly every ~20 minutes. Bomb pot amount is 10BB per player.

The numbers above are just an example. Go by the pop-up at your table. Third-party reviews mention a common setup of roughly once every 12 minutes, with 8 antes per player, which works out to about 5 per hour. You only need to understand two things:

• every ~N minutes: a bomb pot triggers randomly about every N minutes, not on a fixed schedule.
• amount is X per player: how much each player posts. Hold’em tables list it in BB (big blinds), and short deck tables list it in Ante.

Before a bomb pot, an orange Bomb Pot and Next Hand! alert appears, meaning the next hand is a bomb pot. Check that you have enough chips on the table.

How the bomb pot hand plays

1. Every seated player in the hand automatically posts the amount shown in the overview pop-up.
2. Each player is dealt two hole cards as usual (also two in short deck).
3. There’s no preflop betting. The three flop cards are dealt right away.
4. From the flop on, betting follows the normal order: check, bet, call, raise, and fold all work the same.
5. The turn, river, and showdown work the same as in a regular hand.

Since nobody gets to filter hands preflop, everyone’s range in a bomb pot is very wide. Made hands on the flop get outdrawn more often than usual in these pots, so don’t fall in love with one pair too early.

Not enough chips

If your available balance doesn’t cover the bomb pot, you’ll see:

Your available coin balance is below the minimum buy-in for this game

Your available balance is below this table’s minimum, and you need to top up your chips before you can keep playing.

FAQ

What is a bomb pot?

In a bomb pot, everyone posts a large forced ante before the flop. Preflop betting is skipped, the three flop cards are dealt right away, and play starts on the flop.

Which WPT Global tables have bomb pots?

Tables labeled Bomb NLHE (Hold'em) or Bomb SD (short deck) in the lobby and your stats. Regular NLHE and Short Deck tables never have bomb pots.

How often do bomb pots happen, and how much do I post?

It depends on the table settings. A common setup is roughly once every 12 minutes. When you join a Bomb table, a Bomb pot overview pop-up shows roughly how many minutes apart bomb pots occur and how much each player posts. Hold'em tables use big blinds (BB) as the unit, and short deck tables use antes.

What happens if I don't have enough chips for a bomb pot?

The app shows Your available coin balance is below the minimum buy-in for this game, which means your available balance is below this table's minimum. You need to top up your chips first.

For how short deck rules differ, see short deck rules. For what other table buttons mean, see the UI glossary.

References

• GipsyTeam: WPT Global Review (bomb pots about every 12 minutes, 8 antes per player)
• Pokerfuse: WPT Global Review 2026 (about 5 bomb pots per hour)
• WPT Global website: Texas Hold’em (bomb pots as a featured table type)