# In poker why is a kill game called a kill game?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-poker-why-is-a-kill-game-called-a-kill-game/576427>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 29, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-poker-why-is-a-kill-game-called-a-kill-game/576427 "2011-03-29T20:38:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-poker-why-is-a-kill-game-called-a-kill-game/576427/1 "2011-03-29T20:38:17Z")

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In limit Omaha or Hold 'Em, it is not uncommon to have [Kill Games](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_game_(poker)). These are games where, when a player wins two pots in a row that meet a certain minimum relative to the blinds or, in High/Low games, someone scoops a single pot, the kill is activated. The next pot, that person has to post a Kill Blind - a larger blind - and the next hand plays at the higher level.

There are different rules and varients such as Half Kill that come into play, however while limit poker afficianados can rattle off what a Kill Game is, nobody I have spoken with or asked online can seem to tell me the origin of the term.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

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**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-poker-why-is-a-kill-game-called-a-kill-game/576427/2 "2011-03-31T03:17:19Z")

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Maybe the only person who knows the origin was, in fact, killed? 🙂