Kicker

The side card that decides a hand when two players hold the same pair or trips. Ace-king beats ace-queen on an ace-high board because the king outkicks the queen.

Related terms

Full glossary

Backdoor draw

A draw that needs both the turn and the river to complete — for example three cards to a flush on the flop. Ba…

Broadway

The ace-high straight, A-K-Q-J-10, and by extension any of the five cards from ten to ace ('broadway cards'). …

Combo draw

A hand with two draws at once, most commonly a flush draw plus a straight draw. Combo draws often have more eq…

Domination

When two hands share a card and one has the better kicker, the weaker hand is dominated: it wins only about 25…

Draw

A hand that is not yet made but can become strong if the right card comes: four cards to a flush (a flush draw…

Full house

Three of a kind plus a pair, ranked by the three of a kind first. Nicknamed a 'boat'. It beats a flush and los…

Gutshot

A straight draw missing one card in the middle, with four outs. It is far weaker than an open-ended draw (eigh…

Nuts

The best possible hand given the cards on the board. If the board shows three hearts including the king, an ac…