What is a Kicker in Poker – Understand Basics & How It Works
What is a Kicker in Poker? Explained with W88 examples. Learn about the Side Card’s ranks, how it works, and 3 helpful strategies to turn odds in your favour.
Poker is one of the most challenging yet thrilling casino games one can ever play as it combines strategies and luck equally that you can play on the W88 Mobile app or official website.. However, ever wondered what happens when two players get the same hand rank in Poker games? Well, that when the kicker happens! What is a kicker in Poker games and how does it work? This article will explain it all for beginners with helpful examples.
What is a Kicker in Poker games?
When it comes to Poker games, many beginners fear playing that game because of the many card ranks, however, as you play more Poker games, you will realise how easy it is to understand any poker card hand rankings. That being said, if you already know about these card rankings in Poker, it is time for you to take a step further and learn all about the Kicker in Poker games.
As you know, the basic of poker gameplay is that there are more than one player on the table and the player with the best hand rank wins the betting round. However, what if there comes a time where there are two players with the same hand rank? In such cases, the high card determines the winner of the betting round. So, the Kicker is basically the high card or a side poker card that helps in determining a winner when there are two players with the same hand rank.
How are Kickers ranked in Poker?
Just like Poker hand ranks, Kickers in Poker also have their own ranks, and these are not very different from how a deck of cards is usually ranked. The Kicker ranks depend on the card rank as shown below:
Highest
A
K
Q
J
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
Lowest
The table above, gives you an idea of how the Kickers are ranked in Poker games online. So, if there is a player that has a Pair hand but an Ace high card with them and another player with a Pair hand but a 9 high card with them, then the Player with the Ace high card would win the bet since 9 ranks lower than Ace cards. Here, both Ace and the card with the number 9 are kicker cards in Poker.
How does a Kicker work in Poker to determine the winner?
In the next Poker Kicker explained article, let us look into how does a kicker work in poker with examples from the W88 Poker game room. The Kicker card is one of the side card that has the highest number on it based on the kicker rankings. Although this card may not be needed every now and then to determine a winner, it is one of the most crucial cards in poker than is a tiebreaker.
Examples of Kickers in Poker games
To understand what is a Kicker in Poker and how does a Kicker work in Poker games, is it essential to learn with examples. For this, we have used the W88 Poker game room example where you can get a simple overview of the Poker Kicker explained with the help of the table.
Dealer’s Side
Player’s Side
Cards in Hand: A, K, 8, 6, 4
Cards in Hand: Q, J , 7, 6, 2
Hand Rank: High Card
Hand Rank: High Card
Kicker Card: A
Kicker Card: Q
Outcome: Since Aces are higher than Queens, Dealer wins
Outcome: Since Queens are lower than Aces, Player loses
Top 3 tips to make the best of the Kicker in your hand
Now that you know that there is something known as the Kicker card in poker, it is important to learn how to make use of this Kicker card to your advantage. Although the kicker card is a tiebreaker which could either help you win or make you lose, it is best to adapt well to the Kicker’s outcome when playing Poker games online using helpful beginner tips.
Practice in free demo rooms: Firstly, it is best to practice in free demo rooms, since these cost nothing and often can help you truly understand how the kicker card works in Poker games online. Knowing this can help you adapt to real money game plays of the kicker card hand.
Surrender your cards when needed: Instead of getting yourself stuck in a place where a single card could determine the outcome of the bet, you can just surrender your cards if you get the feeling that the hand is not beneficial. This way instead of risking your entire betting stake, you would at least get half of it returned.
Double the stakes with a strong kicker: Lastly, when you get an Ace card in your hand and have nothing to fear when the dealer themselves don’t get a hand rank, then you can bet big and take some risk. In the end, Poker is a game that balances strategies with luck and comes with a lost of risk, which tied together makes up for entertaining gaming sessions.
Conclusion
This was all about What is a Kicker in Poker games explained for beginners with simple examples from W88. Use the W88 free demo virtual poker rooms to experience the Kicker card yourself today. To know more about Poker games, hand rank explanations, betting guides, and advices from beginners to win big, keep visiting the W88.page website.
