The Online Actos Blog

A round in online poker can sometimes result in a tie or near-tie because players have the same cards. For instance, two players are each holding an Ace at the casino, and make a pair when an Ace materializes on the board. Two high ranking cards and two low ranking cards appear. This is a situation where the kicker comes into play because whoever is holding the five best cards, including those on the board, wins. The kicker is the other pocket card held by each player. If each has made an Ace pair, with no other pair for their other pocket card, then whoever is holding the best kicker wins the pot. If one player is holding an 8, and the other a 7, and board has an Ace, King, Queen, 5 and 2, then the 8 plays to win the pot because it is a higher card than the 7 held by the other contender.

Sometimes the kicker doesn’t matter because the poker cards on the board all play and produce a split pot. For instance, if there was a 9 and 10 out there instead of 5 and 2, then each player would have a pair of Aces, with King, Queen, and 9. Their hands have tied to split the pot.

The kicker can be crucial for winning sometimes. It can also turn a seemingly weak hand into the strongest. When the board combines to make two pairs, and neither of those pairs improves anyone’s hand, then whoever is holding the highest card gets the pot. For example, the board has two 2s, and on the river a 7 comes out to pair the turn card. There are two pairs out there, but no one is holding a 2 or a seven or higher pair. Whoever is holding the highest kicker in that situation is the winner.