Quick facts by PokerStrategy
- A kicker is used as a tiebreaker when two or more players have the same rank hand.
- Kickers can be the deciding factor in hands that include high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, and in a very particular situation, four of a kind.
- Selecting hands with higher kickers is an important part of poker strategy.
- Kicker strength becomes irrelevant when the board contains higher cards, a situation known as a counterfeited kicker.
What Is a Kicker in Poker?
A kicker in poker is a card that can be used as a tiebreaker in the event that two or more players have the same ranked hand.
Kickers can technically exist on the board. However, the board cards are shared and will not change the outcome of a tie, so the term kicker is more often used to describe a player’s hole card(s).
Kickers are frequently crucial to the outcome of hands, especially in Texas Hold’em, both in live games and online poker. For example, if two or more players have the same pair at showdown, the player with the higher kicker wins the pot.
Let’s take a more detailed look at what a kicker card is, some poker kicker examples, and how to take them into account when it comes to your poker hand selection.
How Kickers Work in Poker
In poker, it’s always the best five-card hand that wins. Some hands require five cards to complete, such as full houses, flushes, and straights. Other hands can be made with fewer than five cards, and this is when kickers come into play.
For example:
In the hand A♣ A♠ A♦ T♠ 9♣, the ten and nine are technically kickers for the trip aces.
Whenever two or more players have the same ranked hand that is less than five cards, the player with the higher kicker will take the pot.
This most often occurs with hands like high card, pairs, two pair, and three of a kind. It’s also possible when four of a kind run out on the board.
Poker Kickers With a Pair
Let’s take a look at a common poker kicker example to see how tiebreaker pots can be decided:
Player A: A♣ K♣
Player B: A♥ 9♦
The board is A♠ J♦ 7♥ 5♠ 3♣
In this hand, both players have a pair of aces. The winner is determined by the kickers. Player A has the king kicker, which is higher than Player B’s nine-high kicker, so they win the pot.
The actual best five-card poker hand in this situation, with the kicker included, is A♠ A♣ K♣ J♦ 7♥
Poker Kickers With Two Pair or Trips
The same principle applies when it comes to two pair or three of a kind. The kickers will play to make the best five-card poker hand. Here’s a similar example to the one above, but with trips instead of a pair:
Player A: A♣ K♣
Player B: A♥ 9♦
Board: A♠ A♦ J♦ 7♥ 5♠
Player A’s best five-card hand: A♠ A♦ A♣ K♣ J♦
Player B’s best five-card hand: A♠ A♦ A♥ J♦ 9♦
Here, both players have trip aces, the jack kicker on the board has players, and each player’s hole card kicker has players. Player A wins the pot with the king-high kicker.
Poker Kickers With Four of a Kind
It’s impossible for both players to make four of a kind if one player uses at least one of their hole cards. It’s only possible for both players to make four of a kind if it runs out on the board. In this case, the hand will be decided by the highest kicker.
For example:
Player A: K♣ T♥
Player B: Q♣ J♦
The board is 5♦-5♣-5♥-5♠-8♣. Player A has the winning hand with quads and their king-high kicker because the best five-card poker hand is 5♦-5♣-5♥-5♠-K♣.
Split Pots and Kickers
In the event that both players have the same kicker in their hole cards, or that the kickers on the board play, the poker hand tiebreaker rules state that the pot will be split.
There are several ways this can occur, but most frequently it happens when high cards are out on the board and players have lower cards in their hands.
For example:
Player A: A♣ 3♣
Player B: A♥ 5♥
Board: A♠ A♦ K♠ 9♥ J♦
In this case, both players have trip aces, but the kickers in their hands do not play because the kickers on the board are higher. The best five-card poker hand for both players is A♠-A♣-A♦-J♦-9♥ (or A♥ instead of A♣), so the pot is split.
Whenever the hand cannot be decided with kickers, the pot is split evenly among the remaining players.
Counterfeit Kicker
If the board runs out in a particular way, it can make a player’s kicker obsolete. This is known as counterfeiting. Specifically, in the case of kickers, it occurs when a higher card falls, which means the hole card kicker no longer plays.
In a similar example to the above, this time Player A has a stronger kicker.
Player A: A♣ T♣
Player B: A♥ 5♥
Board: A♠ A♦ K♠ 9♥ J♦
On the flop and turn, Player A was ahead in the hand, as their ten-kicker would have played at showdown to beat Player B’s five-kicker.
However, the jack on the river counterfeited the kicker, as the best five-card hand for both players is now A♠ A♦ K♠ Jd with the A♣ or A♥. This again results in a split pot.
Importance of Kickers in Poker Strategy
Kickers aren’t so important when you’re drawing on five-card hands like flushes and straight, but you’ll still have to be wary of higher cards.
Having said that, kickers are a hugely important part of poker strategy, one that is often underestimated by newer players.
Being involved in a pot with the lowest kicker can cost you a lot of chips. It’s tough to get away from trips or even a top pair hand when faced with bets. If your opponent has the same value hand with the higher kicker, you could end up paying them off.
When the situation is flipped and you have the highest kicker, you’ll often be able to extract value from players who have weaker kickers and are unable to fold their trips or pairs.
Kickers come into play more often than you think, especially in Texas Hold’em, where many hands are won or lost with pairs.
That’s one of the reasons hands like Ace-King and Ace-Queen are so strong. You’ll have opponents who are playing aces with weaker kickers dominating. When you both hit an ace, it’s nearly always going to cost them chips.
If you want to practice kicker strategy, consider playing on some of the softest online poker sites, where players are more likely to make common mistakes.
Kicker Mistakes to Avoid
Here are some of the common mistakes players tend to make when it comes to kicker cards in poker:
- Not understanding the rules around kickers and tiebreaks in poker.
- Ignoring the value of kickers when it comes to hand selection.
- Losing chips postflop with weaker kickers.
- Failing to get value from opponents who have weaker kickers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a kicker decided in poker?
A kicker is used as part of the poker hand tiebreaker rules. Kickers decide who wins the pot if two or more players have the same rank hand at showdown.
What is the highest kicker in poker?
The highest kicker in poker is an Ace. Kickers work in order of the card’s value.
Why is a “kicker” called a kicker in poker?
The term refers to the fact that a higher kicker can “kick” the hand into the winning position.
Can a straight have a kicker in poker?
No, a straight is a poker hand that already contains five cards in sequence. It does not and cannot have a kicker.
How many kickers are used in poker?
A kicker is any card that is not included in the rank of the hand but is used as a tie-breaker. This can be one or more additional cards.