However, a kicker also won't decide the winner when you and your opponent has the same hand e.g. We already mentioned when a kicker doesn't play e.g. Here is a summary of when kickers do and don't count in poker: Hand Type Similar to a straight and flush, kickers do not play as a straight or royal flush require 5 cards. You will win this hand as your Ace kicker players after the four Queens.
There is no kicker with a straight because a straight is made using 5 cards. So there are no kickers when you have a set, because it's impossible for your opponent to have three cards of the same rank, but a kicker can count for an ordinary three of a kind where only one card is used from your hole cards. Take this example of having 99 on an A9642 board, you have three of a kind (or set) on this board but it's impossible for anyone else to also have 99. Note the difference between an ordinary 3 of a kind and a set – a set is when you make three you of a kind using the two hole cards whereas an ordinary three of a kind is when you have three of the same card using only one of your hole cards. You have the best five cards in this scenario because the K ♥ plays after the three Aces.
Three of a kind:Ī kicker with three of a kind is determined in the same way as one pair. Therefore the pot will be split since neither the 7 ♠ nor the 2 ♦ are played and both players have the same hand.
Two pairĪ single card kicker plays with two pair only when you do not make two pair with both of your hole cards. For example: In this case, you have your opponent out kicked with the hand of a pair of Aces with King kicker vs a pair of Aces with a Queen kicker. The community cards: A ♣ T ♦ 7 ♠ 5 ♠ 2 ♦.With one pair a kicker is used when your second card is better than your opponent and the remaining cards on the board. the 5 ♥ and the 7 ♠ are both lower than the other 5 cards on the board and therefore the pot is split. The community cards: K ♦ Q ♦ 9 ♣ 8 ♥ 3 ♣.We ignore the 3 ♠ and the 2 ♠ on the board since they are lower than the other 5 cards.Īnd now, let's take this situation where one of your kickers doesn't play: The community cards: K ♥ Q ♣ 8 ♦ 2 ♠ 3 ♠.Take your two hole cards and five community cards, then start with the highest-ranking card and compare to your opponent while ignoring the two weakest cards of the 7 total.Īn example of where a high card kicker plays: When both players have a high card, all cards can be counted as a kicker. Here is a list of the hands in poker and how/if a kicker is played: High card:Ī high card plays when neither player has a pair or better. Well think about it for a minute, and then if you can't work it out, have a read of the list below. So you might be wondering who wins in this scenario:
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flush vs full house or Ace-high flush versus King-high flush) but when both players hold the same hand rank, a kicker must come into play to separate the winners from the losers by making a 5-card hand. Winners are usually determined from the rank of a hand (e.g. One key point to keep in mind is that the best 5-card hand wins in poker. Both players have a pair but AK has the better 5-card hand of AAKJ9 vs AAQJ9 where the K/Q, J, and 9 count as kickers. a player with AK will outkick an opponent's AQ on a AJ932 board. At first, it can be quite a confusing concept to wrap your head around but once you have an understanding of what a kicker is, it's actually quite simple.Ī kicker is a card in poker that decides the winner if two or more players are tied with the same hand rank. One questions I hear all of the time from poker players new to Texas Hold'em is “what is a kicker and when does it count?”.