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Kicker in poker: when it decides the outcome
The kicker decides the outcome only when, after comparing the category and main ranks, there is still a difference in the top five. The sixth card is never added to the completed five.
First, determine the top five
At the showdown, exactly five cards from each player are compared. First the category of the combination, then its main ranks, then the remaining cards of the five in order of seniority. The word "kicker" usually refers to the remaining card of a pair, two pair, three of a kind, or four of a kind. If the ranks are equal, suit does not break the tie. You cannot take the sixth card of your hand as an additional advantage.
When the kicker doesn't help
If the board is T♠ J♦ Q♣ K♥ A♠, players with 2♣ 3♦ and 9♠ 9♥ have the same high straight of five community cards. A pocket pair of nines does not become the sixth straight card. This is a tie, even if one hand looks stronger outside the final five. With a straight, the top card of the sequence is compared, with a flush, all five ranks are sequentially compared. They do not have a separate “sixth kicker”.
Common mistake
Seeing the highest ace in pocket cards and immediately declaring win. If the ace is not in the best legal five or both players are already using the same ace from the board, it adds nothing. In Omaha, you additionally need to choose exactly two cards from your hand and three community cards: the effect of the kicker is determined only after this choice.
To test yourself, first name each player's five cards, then note the first difference. Compare two hands or do the workout of the day.
Short check
Can a player with a king in his hand lose to a player with a queen? Yes. For example, K♣ 2♦ against Q♣ Q♦ on the board A♠ J♥ 8♣ 5♦ 3♠: the first has the highest card, the second has a pair of queens. The king is in the first five, but the pair category is higher than the highest card. If the category is equal, the king can become the decisive kicker. Therefore, the phrase “I have a king” without comparing five cards does not determine the winner.
If both players have the same category and all significant ranks of five, there is no further comparison. You cannot continue looking at the remaining cards until there is a winner: that would be the wrong sixth kicker. Such situations are especially convenient for checking through analysis of both top fives.
Try on other cards
The short selection does not replicate the fully disclosed examples in this article. Select game: Practice the topic: Hold'em · Practice the topic: Omaha 4 · Practice the topic: Omaha 5.