A few small details can sometimes make a huge difference in poker, and understanding what is a kicker in poker can be one of those crucial factors. Having this understanding can change the way you play poker and help you improve your game dramatically.
The concept of the kicker card can be confusing for many new players but once understood it is an incredibly important aspect of poker strategy. Basically the kicker is the card that decides the winner when two hands of equal rank are tied. For example, if a player has A4 up against an opponent with AK on a board such as A2J66 then the A4 will be outkicked by the King. This is because the A4 has a lower kicker than the K.
There are a number of situations where the kicker is crucial but it is also important to know when it does not come into play. It is not needed for hands that are ranked as straights, flushes or full houses because these types of hand ranking involve all five cards. It is also not needed in hands where the high card is already higher than another hand. For example, if the board has QQ577 and a player has KQ then the player will win the pot because their King kicker is higher than the opponent’s.
In some home games, the suits can be used to determine who has a better kicker but this is not used in most professional casinos. However, it is an important aspect to understand when playing a home game because it can prevent chopped pots.
When it does come into play, the kicker will usually determine who has the better one pair hand. This is because the higher the kicker, the better the one pair hand will be. Therefore, it is always good to have a high kicker on your ace pair. For example, AK on an a-high board is the best one pair hand you can have and will beat most of your opponents’ one pairs.
A strong kicker will be a big advantage when you have an ace in your pair but a weak kicker can still work against you. For this reason, you should avoid playing weak ace hands unless you have a strong kicker to go against your opponent’s one pair. It is also crucial to pay attention to your opponent’s likely range when considering betting into or calling a hand with a poor kicker. You should aim to bet larger sizings against an opponent with a strong kicker and smaller sizings when facing an opponent with a weak kicker. This will discourage Villains from calling your bets with weak one pair hands and allow you to gain a significant edge over them. If you want to learn more about poker, you can try your luck at Borgata Online, where they offer a wide variety of poker games. The site features a comprehensive selection of online poker and other casino games, including Texas Hold’em.