A kill game is a little different than playing with a straddle. It's specifically advertised as a kill game in advance, so it's usually full of good players who occasionally like to play higher limit. A kill game has tougher players than the same limit game without the kill, on average.

The kill is activated by one of two circumstances:
1. The same player wins two hands in a row. When that happens, the next game is played at the kill limit, usually double the original stakes.

2. A player wins a pot that's bigger than a predetermined limit, usually ten times the size of the big bet. The next hand is played at the kill limit.

In each case, the player who won the pot, called the "Killer," posts a big blind twice the size of the usual big blind, regardless of his position at the table. If you were playing $3-$6 and you were the Killer, you'd post a blind of $6 instead of $3, and the game would be played at the $6-$ 12 limit. If a different player wins the kill hand, or the pot is not big enough to trigger a kill, the next hand reverts to the original game limit.

When a player wins a hand, he is said to "have a leg up." To show this, the dealer gives him a button that says, "Leg Up" on one side. This helps everyone remember and identify him as the winner of the last hand. If he wins the next hand, he turns the button over, revealing its second side, where it says, "Killer."

If you have a leg up, you have to ask yourself this question: "Do I, or do I not, want to win this next hand so we can play a kill game with me as the Killer?" I think you should lean towards wanting a kill game if you can meet two of the four following criteria:
1. You're slated to be in the big blind the next hand anyway. In this case you can kill for only an extra $3 instead of the full $6.

2. You're in late position. Players tend to call less often before the flop in kill games, which in turn makes a late position steal raise more likely to be successful.
3. The game is short-handed. With few players, a raise from the Killer will give almost everyone the wrong odds to play. If you also happen to be in late position, or even in the small blind, a raise is a good move.

4. You're one of the best players in the game. It's impossible to cover every conceivable situation in a book this size. But if you're a great hold em player, or at least one of the best in the game, you'll know how to outplay your opponents. Playing for twice the usual stakes will be all the better for you.

The above advice applies only if you have a truly undecided hand when you have a leg up. If you have A^AV or 742V, you'll know instantly what you want to do. It's those hands in the middle that you have to think about. So know yourself. Do what you think will work best for you. If you're really undecided, throw the hand away. Don't bet that you know what you're doing when you really don't.

• Poker – Straddles, Kills, And Overs Ii (0)
• Poker – Straddles, Kills, And Overs (0)
• Playing With An Ace In Poker Part4 (0)