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TIES AND SPLIT POTS

Since Holdem uses five community cards, shared by all players, it’s not unusual to have two or more hands of the same rank competing at the showdown: two full houses, two flushes, sometimes even two straight flushes.

It’s only a tie if all five cards are identical. Suits don’t count in the rankings. One suit does not outrank another.

For example, say the board is 4 4 4 4 7 . Every player still active in the pot (anyone who hasn’t folded yet)has four 4s.

The tie is broken by the fifth card. Anyone holding an Ace in their private hand has an unbeatable hand. If two players hold an Ace, they split the pot.

If no one holds a card higher than a 7, then all active players split the pot.

Full houses are ordered by the rank of the triplet. That means 3,3,3,4,4 will beat 2,2,2,A,A. In poker variation that don’t use community cards, the rank of the pair never enters into a comparison of two full houses. Not so in Holdem.

Let’s say we have a flop of 2 2 7 Q K . One player has a K 2 , another has Q 2 , and a third player has 7 8 .

The player with the 7,7 has the best hand, 7s full of deuces (7 7 7 2 2 ). The second best hand is deuces full of Kings (2 2 2 K K ), and the worst hand of the three full of Queens 2 2 2 Q Q .

Another frequent occurrence is two players having the same two pair. For example, say you have A J .I hold A T and the board is A 5 4 4 9 . We both have two pair, aces over fours.

RANK OF POKER HANDS

Straight flush	Five cards of the same suit, in sequence	An example is 10 9 8 7 6	Rank is determined by the highest card. A royal flush, such as A K Q J T , is the highest straight flush.
Four of a Kind	Four cards of same rank, with the fifth	An example is 3 3 3 3 7	Rank is determined first by the highest quads then, if the quads are on board, by the rank of the fifth card.
Full House	Three cards of one rank and two of another	An example is 3 3 3 7 7	Rank is determined by the highest triplet, then, if two players have the same triplet, by the rank of the pair.
Flush	Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence	A J 9 4 2 is an example	Rank is determined by the highest card, then, if the highest card is on the board, by the second highest card.
Straight	Five cards in sequence, not all of the same suit	An example is J T 9 8 7	Rank is determined by the highest card.
Three of a Kind	Three cards of the same rank, the other cards that don’t form a pair	An example is K K K Q 8	Rank is determined by the triplet. If two players have the same triplet, then by the rank of the highest odd card, then the rank of the other odd card.
Two pair	Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and an unmatched cards	K K 9 9 A is an example	Rank is determined by the triplet. If two players have the same largest pair, then by the rank of the other pair. If both pair are the same, then by the rank of the odd card.
One pair	Two cards of the same rank and three unmatched cards	A A K Q 4 Is an example	Rank is determined by the pair, if two players have the same pair, then by the rank of the highest odd card, then the second highest odd card, then the third.
No pair	Five cards without any pair, not all of the same suit, not in sequence	A T 9 4 2 is an example	Rank is determined by the rank of the highest card, then the second highest, then third highest, etc.

But your five-card hand gives you A A 4 4 J , beating my A A 4 4 T .

The fifth card, called a “kicker,” breaks the tie. Holdem is often referred to as a game of kickers. It’s that tie-breaking role of the kicker that’s being referred to. It happens more often than you might think.

Note that in the above example, if the last card on the board had been a King rather than a 9, we’d both have a King kicker and would split the pot. You don’t go beyond the five-card hand to break ties.

Sometimes, no one can beat the poker hand consisting of the five cards on the board. An example would be a board of K K K K A .

Another example is a board of A K 7 4 2 , and no one holds a Heart in their hands. Whenever this happens, it’s a tie and all active hands split the pot. Note that if anyone hand a Heart they would have a higher flush than the board.

Entering a Public Cardroom / The Play of the Game / The First Betting Round

The Flop / The Last Two Cards / Some Overrated Concepts