The pot in poker is the group of chips in the middle of the table. All blinds and antes start the pot and player bets, raises, and calls add to that pot. When one player moves all in and one other player calls, the main pot is closed, and it will be awarded to the winner of that hand. But there is the potential for more players to be involved in the hand.
That potential is a side pot. It is a second pot of chips to be won by players who bet into it.
How Do Side Pots Work in Poker?
If one player is all-in for the main pot but other players want to continue betting, they do that into a side pot. This is a key factor in deciding when to go all-in in poker. It is best explained with an example.
Player A has a short stack and moves all in preflop. Player B calls, and Player C calls as well. The main pot is complete, as Player A can no longer bet.
After the flop, Player B bets, and Player C calls. That money can’t go into the main pot because Player A has no more chips with which to play. That means Player B’s bet and Player C’s begin a side pot. Those two players can check or continue betting, raising, and calling, the latter options adding to the side pot only.
If the above scenario also included Player D, and Player B moved all in to the side pot after the flop, Players C and D could call and then bet into a second side pot. This is rare but does happen on occasion.
Who Can Win the Side Pot in Poker?
Only the players who contribute to the side pot can win it. In the aforementioned example, any of the players can win the main pot. But Player A, who was all-in for the main pot, cannot win any of the side pot. No matter the hand that Player A holds, Player A cannot win any part of the side pot.
If that scenario played out with Players B, C, and D, they would be eligible for the pots as follows:
- Players A, B, C, and D can win the main pot, as all contributed chips to it.
- Players B, C, and D can win the first side pot, as all contributed chips to it.
- Players C and D can win the second side pot, as only they contributed to it.
Poker Side Pot Rules: The Essentials for Fair Play
The dealer is responsible for keeping the main pot and side pots separate from each other. The dealer must also award the pots appropriately, per the players’ holdings. This is most often done in order of the most recent pot handled first.
With two side pots, the last one built is the first one distributed. In the above situation, two players were competing for the second side pot. The one with the better of the two hands wins that pot. The next pot will compare the hands of all three players who contributed to that first side pot, and the best hand of the three will take it. Finally, back to the main pot, the player with the best hand of all four will win that pot.
There can be split pots as well, which requires the dealer to chop one or more of the pots. All of it can get complicated, so it’s important not to move any cards or chips until all of the pots are distributed and players agree with those results.
Keep in mind that these procedures are standard in Texas Hold’em side pot rules but can also apply to other poker variations.
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Any cash game or tournament can experience a side pot poker situation, so it is difficult to practice strategy as it relates to betting into a side pot as you cannot predict when it will happen. However, playing micro-stakes online poker with short-stacked players can bring about more frequent side pots.
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