Squid Game Poker
Playing the squid game tonight? Tap the winner of each pot, see who still needs a squid and how long the round should last, and let it work out who pays.
Example filled in: six players, a squid worth 5, the last player pays. Change anything.
Step 1: Who is playing?
3 to 10 players. Tight, average and loose only change the odds shown, not the game: mark the nit and see who ends up paying.
Step 2: What is a squid worth?
Step 3: Which rules are you playing?
One squid each. The last player without one pays everyone else.
What is the squid game in poker?
It is a side game played on top of a normal cash game. Everyone starts with nothing, and winning a pot earns a marker, the squid. When only one player is left without a squid, that player pays everyone else an agreed amount, and a new round starts. The point is action: as Upswing notes, it effectively adds antes to the game, so waiting for a good hand costs more.
Squid game rules, and how much they vary
There is no standard version. This is what sources describe, and tables mix them freely, so settle these before the first hand. The tool has a setting for the first three.
- One squid each, or a pool. The simple round ends when one player has none, and they pay everyone. Progressive games set a number of squids instead: each pot takes one, repeat winners included, and when they run out anyone with none pays each holder for every squid held. Reports give that number as players plus three, players minus one and players minus two. If everyone holds one, nobody pays.
- What several squids pay. In a pool game most reports pay per squid. Pokertally describes a version where the payment rises with the count (one, four and nine big blinds for one, two and three squids), and a forum post describes multipliers at five and ten squids. The tool offers per squid, doubling and squared.
- Split pots. Pokertally says most squid games give no squid for a chopped pot, and that most nit games let both players clear. Pick one. With a squid to each winner, a split on the last squid in a pool gives one to every winner, and the round ends on that pot.
- Showing your cards. Many home games require it to collect, and a player who forgets misses the squid. GipsyTeam's report of a Triton cash game has the winner show their cards, and Pokertally's nit game page says a walk usually does not count. In the tool, a pot only counts if someone taps it.
- When it stops. Some tables play one orbit and everyone without a squid pays then. The End round now button does that.
The tool opens on the simple round: one squid each, the last player pays each of the others one squid value, and a split pot gives no squid. Each new round starts with everyone at zero. Change any of it on the first screen.
The squid game and the nit game
The nit game, also called the stand-up game, is the same round turned around. Everyone starts with a button, winning a pot sheds it, and the last player still holding one pays the others. Lee Jones, writing on Poker.org, calls the squid game "a relatively recent, and extreme, version of the nit game". Whether you collect a marker or get rid of one, the sums below are the same. A nit is a very tight player, and the name says who it is built to catch.
How long does a round of squid last?
If every player is equally likely to win each pot, a round is the coupon collector's problem stopped one coupon short: you need all but one of the players to have won. The average is N times (1/2 + 1/3 + ... + 1/N) pots. That gives 8.7 pots six-handed and 16.5 nine-handed, but the tail is long, because the last few holdouts have to win a pot themselves.
| Players | Average pots | Half are over by | 9 in 10 are over by | Chance you pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 4 | 33.3% |
| 4 | 4.3 | 4 | 6 | 25.0% |
| 5 | 6.4 | 6 | 9 | 20.0% |
| 6 | 8.7 | 8 | 13 | 16.7% |
| 7 | 11.2 | 10 | 16 | 14.3% |
| 8 | 13.7 | 13 | 20 | 12.5% |
| 9 | 16.5 | 15 | 23 | 11.1% |
| 10 | 19.3 | 18 | 27 | 10.0% |
Exact, not simulated, and only under its assumptions: one winner every pot, every player equally likely to win each one, and every pot counts. Split pots, walks that do not count and unequal players all change it, usually by making it longer. These are pots, not hands of a real night.
Why tight players end up paying
Equal chances are the wrong picture at a real table. You cannot win a pot you did not play, so the tool lets you mark players tight, average or loose, and shares out the pots in proportion to hands played, taking the middle of our style bands: tight 10 to 14% of hands, average 18 to 22%, loose 25 to 32%. That proportion is an assumption, not a measurement, so treat what follows as the shape of the effect and not as a forecast.
| One player among average players | Chance they pay | Equal share | Squid values a round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tight, 6-handed | 31.1% | 16.7% | -0.87 |
| Tight, 9-handed | 24.2% | 11.1% | -1.18 |
| Loose, 6-handed | 9.4% | 16.7% | +0.44 |
| Loose, 9-handed | 5.3% | 11.1% | +0.52 |
The last column is the average result of a round in squid values, for the simple round: plus one from the loser, unless you are the loser and pay all the others. It only counts the side game, not what a player gains or loses in the main game by playing extra hands to win a squid.
Why is it called the squid game?
We could not settle this, so here is what is said. One player's account on Substack says the side game was inspired by the South Korean TV series. GipsyTeam, reporting on a Triton cash game in London in 2023, credits Chinese high rollers with the name. Pokertally's guide says it went viral on a livestreamed cash game. None of them cites a primary source, and they are not all talking about the same thing. Treat any confident origin story, including these, as a story.
Running it at the table
Enter the players and what a squid is worth, then tap the winner of each pot. The board shows who still needs a squid, how many pots the round should have left, and each holdout's chance of being the one who pays. When the round ends it works out the payments and keeps a running total, with the fewest payments to clear it. For the rest of the evening's money, the settlement calculator takes it from there. Other side games are in the 7-2 game and what is a bomb pot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the squid game in poker?›
It is a side game played alongside a normal cash game. Everyone starts with nothing, and winning a pot earns a marker, the squid. When only one player is left without a squid, that player pays everyone else an agreed amount. Then a new round starts. Rules vary a lot from table to table, so agree them first.
What is the nit game in poker?›
The nit game, or stand-up game, is the same idea turned around. Everyone starts with a button, winning a pot sheds it, and the last player still holding one pays the others. A nit is a very tight player, and tight players are the ones it catches. Lee Jones calls the squid game "a relatively recent, and extreme, version of the nit game".
How long does a round of squid take?›
With equal chances, a round takes 8.7 pots on average six-handed, 16.5 nine-handed and 19.3 ten-handed, and half of nine-handed rounds are over in 15 pots. The sum is N times (1/2 + 1/3 + ... + 1/N). Real tables run longer if only shown hands count, or a walk does not.
Why do tight players lose the squid game?›
Because the round ends only when nearly everyone has won a pot, so the player who plays fewest hands is the one left. If pots go in proportion to hands played, one tight player at a six-handed table pays 31.1% of the rounds, not the 16.7% an equal share would give. That proportional share is a model, not a measurement, and the tool lets you change who is tight.
Why is it called the squid game?›
Nobody we could find can settle it. One player's account says the side game was inspired by the South Korean TV series. GipsyTeam credits Chinese high rollers with the name. Pokertally's guide says it went viral on a livestreamed cash game. We could not confirm any of these against a primary source.
Does a split pot count?›
It depends on the table. Pokertally says most squid games give no squid for a chopped pot, while its nit game page says most games let both players clear their button. The tool has a setting for each.
Do you have to show your cards to get a squid?›
Many home games require it, and Pokertally's nit game page says a walk usually does not count. A pot only counts here if someone taps it, so the table decides.
How much should a squid be worth?›
Whatever the table agrees, and big enough to matter. Pokertally suggests one to three big blinds a squid. Remember the loser pays it to everyone, so a value of 5 at a nine-handed table costs the last player 40.
What happens if a player leaves mid-round?›
Agree it first, because the rule varies. PokerNow's online nit game says a player who leaves their seat while holding a Nit chip forfeits, pays every participating player the Nit amount, and the round ends at once. The tool offers two choices: the player leaves and owes nothing for this round, or, with no squid, pays each squid holder now as if they had lost. Either way any squids they hold leave with them, and the round goes on without them. In a one-squid-each round it ends if that leaves one player without a squid.
Related tools
A chip counter for games with real cards: stacks, legal raises, side pots, undo.
Who pays whom after a home game: minimum transfers, PokerNow ledger import.
Printable rider sheets, a live hand ranker, and the exact odds of what wins.
One hand, worked through.
Occasional strategy emails: one interesting hand, broken down with equity and range against range. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Unlimited AI hand reviews and every cheatsheet: PRO from $9/mo