A High Card Hand in poker is the lowest ranking hand you can form. On the poker hand rankings chart, there is nothing worse than a High Card Hand. This poker hand does not contain a pair, or anything stronger. It is simply a high card. Kickers are ranked according to the rules for ranking a hand of high card. The kicker with the highest card is the highest kicker. If two kickers have the same high card (or a high card of equivalent rank, e.g. Both kickers contain a king but no ace), then the second highest card of the kicker is used to break the tie. If the second highest card is also of the same rank, then the third-highest card is used, and so on. The kicker card is the fifth card, and it comes into play if other players have identical pairs. The higher the kicker card the better for you. It's so low, that you don't even have a pair to work with. With this poker hand, your high card is an Ace and that beats a King high, or a Queen high hand etc. The Holy Writ of Poker.
Poker Kicker
Your kicker is the second card you are playing in a game of Texas Hold'em. To some, understanding the hand strengths is enough to get by in poker. To the rest of us, we know there is a little more to it. Unfortunately, in Texas Hold'em, you are not going to make royal flushes and 4 of a kind very often. You are more likely to end most hands with one pair or high card, this is where your kicker plays.
Kicker Problems
You may have heard the phrase 'kicker problems' before. This is when you've made a top pair type hand, read your opponent for similar hand but identified a problem – your kicker is low. Understanding when your kicker is no good and getting out of the way is an important skill to develop to help curb your potential losses in poker. To win at poker, you will have to learn to minimise your losses and sorting out kicker problems is one way. One of the biggest problems' beginners have is overplaying ace rag, not realising the rag is the kicker costing them money.
Example Poker Kicker Hand
You're in a $1/$2 cash game and a conservative old gentlemen limps in from early position (nice game eh?). Two others limp in late position, and you complete from the small blind with:
The flop comes:
You check, BB checks and the conservative old gent bets out $9 into $10. The button calls and action is on you: What do you do?
This is a spot where you are probably up against another ace in the hand. An observant player will recognise the early position limper almost certainly has an A 10 + type hand and is way ahead. Rather than calling with your top pair and potentially losing $10 +, folding would be a prudent move here.
When does a Kicker Count in Poker?
Texas Hold'em is played on best 5 card hand. Remember, the community cards are yours and your opponents. If the secondary card in yours and your opponent's hole cards exceed that of the board, then the kicker will count. So if you have K-2 and your opponent has K-8 on a board run out of K-3-5-J-J than the 8 plays because the best hand is:
K-K-J-J-8 > K-K-J-J-5
Kings and Jacks with an 8 kicker beats Kings and Jacks with a 5 kicker.
The kicker's can only count in the following hands:
The flop comes:
You check, BB checks and the conservative old gent bets out $9 into $10. The button calls and action is on you: What do you do?
This is a spot where you are probably up against another ace in the hand. An observant player will recognise the early position limper almost certainly has an A 10 + type hand and is way ahead. Rather than calling with your top pair and potentially losing $10 +, folding would be a prudent move here.
When does a Kicker Count in Poker?
Texas Hold'em is played on best 5 card hand. Remember, the community cards are yours and your opponents. If the secondary card in yours and your opponent's hole cards exceed that of the board, then the kicker will count. So if you have K-2 and your opponent has K-8 on a board run out of K-3-5-J-J than the 8 plays because the best hand is:
K-K-J-J-8 > K-K-J-J-5
Kings and Jacks with an 8 kicker beats Kings and Jacks with a 5 kicker.
The kicker's can only count in the following hands:
- High Card
- One Pair
- Two Pair
Final Thoughts
Poker Kicker High Cards
Understanding your poker kicker and when it counts is very important to being a solid player. You need to combine hand reading, hand selection and table awareness to judge whether a kicker will be your friend or foe. If you're ever unsure, stick to playing solid starting hands and you stand a better chance.
