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Kicker

A side card that does not itself participate in the determining the rank of a hand but used to break ties during showdowns when competing hands are similarly ranked.

Example

In the above hand, the Ten, Nine and Five are kickers.

How kickers are used to resolve ties

Below is an example of how kickers are used to break ties.

While both you and your opponent have made two pairs with Kings and Sixes, you have the winning hand because your kicker is an Ace while your opponent's kicker is only an Eight.

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