I was that close to taking down a little over $5,000 of pot money and his kicker literally kicked me out of my game. The fact that my kicker was an 8 almost made me jumped right onto the table in frustration. Yes, that is just how important kickers can be in tiebreakers. Whenever you are analyzing the relative strength of your hand, don’t make the mistake I made by not taking your kicker into considerations. A higher ranked kicker of your opponent’s can cost you a lot of money. Don’t forget that getting beaten by a higher kicker can also put you on tilt in an instant. I learned my lesson the hard way that day, so I’m passing the information to you so that you wouldn’t have to deal with the horrible experience.

For example, you start with a hand of J-A; a pretty strong starting hand. If the flop shows 4-9-J of different suits, the best possible hand so far is a three of a kind. The odds of getting three of a kind after the flop is quite low; you currently have a pair of Jacks — so the odds of other player getting that three of a kind are even lower. You can rest assured that your pair of Jacks is relatively strong. At this point, observe other players’ bet placements — plus the knowledge you have on their previous plays — to determine if any of their hands is actually stronger than a pair of Jacks.

The turn shows a King, so anyone with Q-10 can now have a strong-looking Straight. Your pair of Jacks can also be beaten by a pair of Kings, so the relative strength of your hand decreases quite substantially. Observe your opponents’ betting pattern and see if anyone is showing clear sign of confidence. If you are playing at brick and mortar poker tables, you can also observe tells properly. By making your moves properly, you will be able to reduce risks and be more profitable no matter that the river is. Use the same principles whenever you play Texas Hold’em poker.