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View Full Version : Kicker Rules in Hold'em

09-11-2001, 12:11 PM
Hi All.


I've just startd playing hold'em, after playing 7 card stud for a year or so. I bought Lee Jones' beginner book, but it dosen't explain kicker rules in detail. Could anybody fill me in??


Thanks,

Daniel
09-11-2001, 02:15 PM
Daniel -


Here's the deal. Since you share the "board" with all the other active players at the table, it is possible that you will make the same basic hand as someone else.


Example: You hold Ace-King, the board is K 9 7 4 2


You have a pair of Kings, but someone else may have a pair of Kings as well. What may separate your hand from theirs is your kicker. If your opponent has KQ, he has a pair of Kings with a Queen kicker. His best five card poker hand would be K K Q 9 7. Your best five card poker hand would be K K A 9 7, and you "outkick" his Queen with your Ace. Your hand is better.


If you both make trip Kings (board is K K 9 7 4,) your hand is still better (K K K A 9 vs. K K K Q 9.)


If there's a pair on the board (ex: K 9 9 7 4,) you both have two pair, Kings and nines, but your kicker still plays (K K 9 9 A vs. K K 9 9 Q.) Of course, you both lose to someone with a single nine for trips.


Sometimes it won't matter what your kicker is if it can't fit into your best five-card hand out of the seven cards available. If the board was K K 9 9 7, any single King makes Kings full of nines, and the kicker doesn't play. Your AK would split the pot with KQ, K7, or K2.


In stud, it's less likely that someone has the same basic hand as you do (usually pairs or two pair...and they can't have the same trips or full house as you.) Kickers don't matter nearly as much. In Hold'em, kickers are a big part of playing with pairs. If your kicker is weak, you may have to throw your top pair away if there's significant action.


An example would be if you had A3 in the big blind, and the flop came down A T 2. You do have a pair of Aces, but your kicker is so bad that anyone else with an Ace will probably have you outkicked. You would have to "catch your kicker" and pair it to beat an Ace (assuming he doesn't have AT for top two pair already.) Personally, I love outkicking players who think their top pair/weak kicker is good.