Poker Tie Breakers
One of the most common ways to break a tie in poker is to use a kicker card. A kicker card is a card in your hand that is not necessarily involved with the poker hand you are using to win. For example, if you have two pairs, the fifth card that is not matched up is the kicker card.
Kicker cards are used in all varieties of poker, but they take on the most significant in Texas Hold’em. Because Texas Hold’em is a communally based game, there is a strong chance that two different players will make pairs using a card on the board. In this case the second card acts as the kicker and determines the winner. There is a small chance that the kickers of each player would be identical. If this is the case then it is not possible to decide a winner and the players split the pot.
Another definition of the kicker is used in draw varieties of poker. In draw pokers, the kicker is a card retained by a player in the hopes that it will be purposeful later in the game. When it comes time for the players to reveal their hands, this retained card functions in the traditional sense of the kicker to determine the winner.
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