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when does the pot get split in poker
Split ( poker ) - wikipedia Split ( poker ) Jump to : navigation , search This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( August 2008 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) In poker it is sometimes necessary to split , or divide the pot among two or more players rather than awarding it all to a single player . This can happen because of ties , and also by playing intentional split - pot poker variants ( the most typical of these is high - low split poker , where the high hand and low hand split the pot ) . To split a pot , one player uses both hands to take the chips from the pot and make stacks , placing them side by side to compare height ( and therefore value ) . Equal stacks are placed aside . If there is more than one denomination of chip in the pot , the largest value chip is done first , and then progressively smaller value chips . If there is an odd number of larger chips , smaller chips from the pot can be used to equalize stacks or make change as necessary . Pots are always split down to the lowest denomination of chip used in the game . Three - way ties or further splits can also be done this way . After fully dividing a pot , there may be a single odd lowest - denomination chip remaining ( or two odd chips if splitting three ways , etc . ) . Odd chips can be awarded in several ways , agreed upon before the beginning of the game . The following rules are common : If playing a high - low split game and dividing a pot between the high and low hands , always award the odd chip to the high hand . If splitting a pot because of tied hands , award the odd chip to the hand that contains the highest - ranking single card , using suits to break ties if necessary ( clubs ranking the lowest , followed by diamonds , hearts , and spades as in bridge ) . ( Variation ) Between tied hands , award the odd chip to the first player in clockwise rotation from the dealer . ( Note that in a casino stud game with a house dealer and no button this gives an unfair advantage to players on the dealer 's left , so the high card by suit method is preferred ) . ( Variation ) Leave the odd chip as an extra ante for the next deal . This is common in home games . Sometimes it is necessary to further split a half pot into quarters , or even smaller portions . This is especially common in community card high - low split games such as Omaha hold'em , where one player has the high hand and two or more players have tied low hands . Unfortunate players receiving such a fractional pot call it being quartered . When this happens , an exception to the odd chip rules above can be made : if the high hand wins its half of the pot alone , and the low half is going to be quartered , the odd chip ( if any ) from the first split should be placed in the low half , rather than being awarded to the high hand . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Split_(poker)&oldid=715583352 '' Categories : Poker gameplay and terminology Hidden categories : Articles lacking sources from August 2008 All articles lacking sources Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 16 April 2016 , at 18 : 52 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia