Tied Hands - Split Pot

     Texas Holdem is a game where it is not unusual to have two hands tie. After all, people are sharing cards (everything that is on the board). When two players have the same hand, the pot is simply split between them.

     In case there is a question about breaking the tie, first invoke the five card rule. There are five, and only five cards ever used in determining the strength of a Texas Holdem hand.

     A hole card is not more important than a board card, and ties are not broken in this way. A sixth card is never considered, and ties are not broken in that way. One suit is not stronger than another, and ties are not broken in that way.

     While these methods do not break ties between hands, there is a list of actual tie breakers you can look through.

     If there is an odd amount of chips in the pot, the odd chip is awarded to the player in the ealier position. That is the person who is first after the dealer button, going clockwise.

Side Pots:

     When a player does not have enough chips to cover a bet, a side pot is created. Remember that everyone must contribute to the pot equally.

     Creating side pots can be a bit tricky, and I've seen it messed up more than once. Usually if there's only one side pot being created it's not a problem. If there are four players in the hand and Mike is all-in with his last $100, the most he could win is 4x$100. So at the end of the betting round, take $400 and put it aside as "Mike's Pot". He can win that pot, and that pot alone. Then play continues as usual with everyone else competing for both pots.

     Suppose later in that hand Charlie is faced with a $600 bet, and puts in his last $200, going all-in. At the end of the betting round, Charlie and everyone else puts $200 into their pot. Now that pot is "Charlie's Pot". The change goes into a third pot, and play proceeds as usual.

     After all the cards are dealt and the showdown takes place, award the pots in reverse order. The last two players who stayed in to the end in our example show their cards and the winner takes the third pot. Then Charlie gets to show his hand against those two, and the winner takes "charlie's pot". then Mike gets to show his hand against all three opponents, and the winner gets "mike's pot".

     Just keep in mind that everyone must contribute to a pot equally, and it will be easier to create and keep track of side pots.