Two Pair Split Pot
When two players appear to have the same hand in poker, deciding who is the winner is not always easy. I’ve played for over 10 years and will show you how to determine whether there is a winner or if there it is a tie.
- A hand with two groups of paired cards in which one card from each of the pairs is a downcard and the second card from each part is an exposed card; a hand containing two split pairs. EXAMPLE: 'I raised with my split two pair and won on the showdown.' APPLIES TO: Online and Land-based Venues. About Poker Zone Privacy Policy Advertising.
- Then the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the pot selects two of the community cards to be replaced and removes them; two cards are dealt from the deck to replace them. There is another betting round and then the next surviving player in turn replaces two cards.
What happens if you have the same hand in poker? If two or more players have the same hand the high card determines the winner. For straights or flushes, the highest top card is declared the winner. For one pair and two pair hands, the highest kicker wins. If players have the same 5-card hand, it is a tie and the pot is split equally.
Buy the selected items together. This item: Vgo 2-Pairs Cow Split Leather Welding Gloves For Oven, Grill, Fireplace, Stove, Pot Holder, Tig $14.98 ( $7.49 / 1 Count) In Stock. Sold by Vgo Glove and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. If two or more players have the same hand the high card determines the winner. For straights or flushes, the highest top card is declared the winner. For one pair and two pair hands, the highest kicker wins. If players have the same 5-card hand, it is a tie and the pot is split equally.
Sometimes the basics are not enough and further explanation is needed. Let’s go through all the possible hands and show how a tiebreaker is handled for each and every possible situation in poker.
Poker Tiebreaker Rules
Having a tie in poker is actually a fairly rare thing. For the purposes of this article we will focus on ties in Texas Hold’em. However, the methodology works for any form of poker.
Who Wins If No One Has a Pair? High Card Tiebreaker Rules
The easy way to determine who wins if no one has even a pair is for everyone to put their hands in order from high to low. Then, simply start at the top and work your way down until the tie is broken. The highest non-tie card wins.
High-Card Tiebreaker Examples:
- AJT85 beats AJT82
- T8542 Beats T7653
- 85432 Beats 76542
- K6542 Beats K6532
What Happens If Two Players Have the Same One-pair Hand?
If two or more players have the same pair, you use the same methodology as you do for high-card hands. The next highest non-tie card determines the winner.
One-Pair Tiebreaker Examples:
- KKT75 beats KK942
- 88652 Beats 88642
- AAK83 Beats AAK82
Who Wins in Poker If Both Players Have 2 Pair? Two-Pair Tiebreaker Rules
Two pair winners are really easy to determine, the player with the higher pair wins. For example, JJ22 beats TT99.
If both players have the same two pair, it is also easy to figure out the winner since there is only one kicker. Whichever kicker is higher wins.
Two-Pair Tiebreaker Examples:
- 7733A beats 55442
- JJTT8 beats JJTT5
- 8822A beats 8822K
Three of a Kind Tiebreaker Rules
The person with the highest three of a kind wins. If two players have the same three of a kind, then the kickers are used to determine the tiebreaker.
Three of a Kind Tiebreaker Examples:Which Hand Is Best in High-Low Poker?
- TTT92 beats 77743
- QQQT2 beats QQQ76
What Happens If Two Players Have a Straight or Flush?
If two or more players have a straight or flush, whoever has the top card wins.
Straight & Flush Tiebreaker Examples:
- 76543 beats 5432A (Ace is a one in this case)
- J♠ 9♠ 5♠ 3♠ 2♠ beats T♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ 4♠
2 Pair Split Pot
What If Two Players Have a Full House?
To break a tie with a full house, whoever has the highest “trips” parts of their hand wins. The “pair” part of the hand does not matter except as a tiebreaker. If the pairs are the same as well, then the hand is a tie and the pot is split.
Full House Tiebreaker Examples:
- TTT22 beats 777AA
- 555JJ beats 444KK
- QQQ33 beats QQQ22
Four of a Kind, Straight Flushes, and Royal Flushes
Unless the hand is on the board, it is extremely rare for there to be two players with the same ultra-premium hand like four of a kind, a straight flush, or a royal flush. However, it is easy to decide who is the winner.
- Four of a kind – The highest four of a kind hand wins
- Straight flush– Usually when this happens, one player will have the top of the straight flush and the other the bottom. The top wins.
- Royal flush– The only time it is possible for two players to have a royal flush is if it is on the board. Even if it was possible, two royal flushes is always a tie. Contrary to what some people believe, one suit does not beat another suit unless a specific local rule dictates it.
What Happens If Players Have the Same Hand Even After a Tiebreaker?
Can there be a tie in poker? In poker, if no winner can be determined with a tiebreaker, then the hand is declared a tie and the tied players split the pot. The most frequent time there is a tie in poker is where the board is paired twice and two or more players each have the same high card.
Examples of tied hands:
- One player has AK and the other has AQ and the board is J2255. Each player has A2255 and for a tie.
- One player has A8 and another has A6. The final board is AQJJ9. Both players have a pair of Aces with kickers of QJJ9. They would split the pot.
- One player has 98 and the other has 92. The final board is AKQT5. Both players have the high card hand AKQT9. The pot is once again split between them.
What If the Best Hand Is on the Board?
If no part of anyone’s hand can break the tie, then the pot is split equally among the players with
How Do We Split up the Pot?
The easiest method to split up a pot in poker is to start with the highest chip color and work your way down. If there is an uneven number of a color, you pull in enough from the next lowest amount to even it up. Then start the process again with the next highest color available.
What If There Is an Uneven Amount in the Pot?
If there is an extra chip left over after the pot has been split, then the first player seated clockwise from the dealer gets it. In heads-up, the player who was the Big Blind gets the extra chip.
Which Hand Is Best in High-Lo Poker?
There are a few variations of poker, namely Omaha Hi-Lo where the low hand wins half of the pot. In this case, whoever can make the lowest possible hand that isn’t a straight
In order to qualify for a low hand, the highest card has to be 8 or lower. 86532 qualifies but 95432 does not.
What Are Common Tie-Breaker Mistakes?
In pub poker or home games, I see people scoop a pot quite frequently when it was supposed to be a tie. The most common time this happens is when someone is dominated and then their kicker is counterfeited at some point during the hand.
Here are some examples:
AQ vs. A2– Board runs out A588K, which means they both are holding two pair Aces and eights with a King kicker. I have witnessed the pot be pushed to the AQ guy and the next hand be about to start before anyone notices.
66 vs. 44– Board runs out KTT7K, which means they both are playing the board with two-pair, Kings over Tens with a
AA vs. AK– Board runs out 97568, with a straight on the board it’s a split pot. Yet you’d be surprised how often the guy with AA will try to drag in the entire pot.
Remind Me, What Is the Hand Ranking Order Again?
Ranked from best hand to worst:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two-Pair
- One-Pair
- High Card
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to break any possible tie in poker if two players seem to have the same hand. If you want to learn the basics of poker strategy, you might want to check out my complete poker tutorial. Thanks for reading!
Related Questions
Can you have two hands in poker? You are required to always play your highest hand possible in Texas hold’em or other poker games. However, if you verbally announce a weaker version of your hand then you actually have, the dealer may actually force you to play the weaker hand.
Which is higher straight or flush? According to the hand ranking rules of poker, a flush always beats a straight.
Is JQKA2 a straight? AThis is know as an around-the-corner straight and is only used as a special rule in some home games. In games that follow the exact rules of poker, JQKA2 is not considered a straight and is just an Ace-high high-card hand.
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?”. 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.
Here is the definition:
What Is A Split Pair
A kicker is a card in poker that decides the winner if two or more players are tied with the same hand rank. E.g. a player with AK will outkick an opponent's AQ on a AJ932 board. 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.
One key point to keep in mind is that the best 5-card hand wins in poker. Winners are usually determined from the rank of a hand (e.g. 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.
So you might be wondering who wins in this scenario:
Well think about it for a minute, and then if you can't work it out, have a read of the list below.
Table Of Contents
- How To Determine When A Kicker Play
How To Determine When A Kicker Play
Here is a list of the hands in poker and how/if a kicker is played:
High card:
A high card plays when neither player has a pair or better. When both players have a high card, all cards can be counted as a kicker. 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.
An example of where a high card kicker plays:
- Your hand: A♠ 9♣
- Your opponent's hand: A♥ 5♠
- The community cards: K♥ Q♣ 8♦ 2♠ 3♠
- Your best 5 cards: A♠ K♥ Q ♣ 9♣ 8♦
- His best 5 cards: A♥ K♥ Q♣ 8♦ 5 ♠
We ignore the 3♠ and the 2♠ on the board since they are lower than the other 5 cards.
And now, let's take this situation where one of your kickers doesn't play:
- Your hand: A♣ 7♠
- Opponents hand: A♥ 5♥
- The community cards: K♦ Q♦ 9 ♣ 8♥ 3♣
- Your best 5 cards: A♣ K♦ Q♦ 9 ♣ 8♥
- Hist best 5 cards: A♥ K♦ Q♦ 9 ♣ 8♥
I.e. the 5♥ and the 7♠ are both lower than the other 5 cards on the board and therefore the pot is split.
One pair:
With one pair a kicker is used when your second card is better than your opponent and the remaining cards on the board.
- Your hand: A♥ K♥
- Opponents hand: A♦ Q♣
- The community cards: A♣ T♦ 7♠ 5♠ 2 ♦
- Your best 5 cards: A♥ A♣ K♥ T♦ 7♠
- Hist best 5 cards: A♦ A♣ Q♣ T♦ 7♠
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.
Two pair
A single card kicker plays with two pair only when you do not make two pair with both of your hole cards. For example:
- Your hand: A♥ K♥
- Opponents hand: A♦ Q♣
- The community cards: A♣ T♦ 7♠ 5♠ 5♦
- Your best 5 cards: A♥ A♣ 5♠ 5♦ K♥
- Hist best 5 cards: A♦A♣ 5♠ 5♦ Q♣
The pot will be split if both players have the same two pair using both their hole cards.
Two pair winners are determined by first determining the best highest-ranked pair between you and your opponent, and then if these are the same, you compare the 2nd pair.
Can you now work out the example we gave in the introduction? Here is broken down:
- Your hand: A♣ 2♦
- Opponents hand: A♦ 7♠
- The community cards: A♥ 9♥ 9♣ J♦4♣
- Your best 5 cards: A♣ A♥ 9♥ 9♣ J♦
- Hist best 5 cards: A♦ A♥ 9♥ 9♣ J♦
Therefore the pot will be split since neither the 7♠ nor the 2♦ are played and both players have the same hand.
Three of a kind:
A kicker with three of a kind is determined in the same way as one pair. If you have AK on an AA752 board, vs AQ you will have the best 5 cards with AAAK7 vs AAAQ7.
- Your hand: A♥ K♥
- Opponents hand: A♦ Q♣
- The community cards: A♣ A♠ 7♠ 5♥2♦
- Your best 5 cards: A♥A♣ A♠ K♥ 7♠
- Hist best 5 cards: A♦ A♣ A♠ Q♣ 7♠
You have the best five cards in this scenario because the K♥ plays after the three Aces.
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.
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.
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.
Straight:
There is no kicker with a straight because a straight is made using 5 cards.
Flush:
Similar to a straight, there can be no kickers with flushes as these hands require the 5 cards to be used.
Full house:
There are no kickers with a full house. Hands are ranked in a similar way to two pair.
Firstly, the best three of a kind is the winner, if both players have the same three of a kind, the best pair wins. If both players have the same three of a kind and pair, the hand will always be split.
Four of a kind:
A kicker does not play with a four of a kind (quads) unless the four of a kind is on the board.
- Your hand: A♥ 5♠
- Opponents hand: K♦ J♦
- The community cards: Q♥ Q♦Q♠ Q♣ 4♦
- Your best 5 cards: Q♥ Q♦Q♠ Q♣ A♥
- His best 5 cards: Q♥ Q♦Q♠ Q♣ K♦
You will win this hand as your Ace kicker players after the four Queens.
Straight flush/Royal Flush:
Similar to a straight and flush, kickers do not play as a straight or royal flush require 5 cards.
Here is a summary of when kickers do and don't count in poker:
| Hand Type | Does a kicker count? |
|---|---|
| Ace high | ✔️ Yes |
| One pair | ✔️ Yes |
| Two pair | ✔️ Yes |
| Three of a Kind | ✔️ Yes |
| Straight | ❌ No |
| Flush | ❌ No |
| Full House | ❌ No |
| Four of a kind | ✔️ Yes |
| Straight Flush | ❌ No |
| Royal Flush | ❌ No |
When A Kicker Doesn't Play
We already mentioned when a kicker doesn't play e.g. in a straight, flush or full house. However, a kicker also won't decide the winner when you and your opponent has the same hand e.g. A5 vs A5.
A kicker also doesn't decide the best hand when there are better kickers already on the board.
For example, if you have A4 and your opponent has A3 on an AK762 board, the best 5 cards for both opponents is AAK76 and the kicker won't be included in the hand. Therefore, the pot will be split between the two players despite us having a better hole card than our opponent.
Kickers can also be counterfeited. If you have a hand of A5 on a AQT2 board, any card higher than a 5 on the river will mean that your kicker has been counterfeited and won't play. E.g. if the river was a 7 the best 5 cards would be AAQT7.
When Is A Kicker Important?
A kicker most often comes into play when you have a high card or single pair.
However, the best hand you can get with a kicker is AK, because if your opponent has an Ace or King in their hand, you will have them outkicked and you will be a big favourite to win the hand (roughly 75% favourite).
AK always makes top pair top kicker which is the best one pair hand you can make.
Since players most often play high-rank hands, kickers are most important when you have a high card. This is why it is not advisable to play weak ace hands (e.g. A2 or A3) very often (see poker position).
A2 will make top pair bottom kicker on an ace-high board (e.g. AQ753) and is a significantly weaker hand than top pair top kicker.
If you do happen to have top pair bottom kicker on an ace-high board, it is quite likely that you could be facing another ace with a better kicker (or better) if a lot of money goes into the pot.
Being outkicked is one the common poker mistakes I recommend watching out for, so make sure you carefully consider your kicker the next time you are on the table!
Related questions
Do suits matter when counting kickers?
Kickers do not depend on suits and suits should not be considered when determining the winner of the hand except when a flush is possible.
Does kicker matter in 3 of a kind?
Yes, a kicker will be counted with 3 of a kind in the same way that it would be for a single pair.
Does the kicker matter in a straight or flush?
No, a kicker does not matter in a straight or flush as the best 5-card hand is made up of the 5 flush or straight cards. In this case, you can resort to who has the highest straight or flush.