In poker, a kicker is a card that does not take part in determining the rank of a hand, but can be used to break ties between hands of the same rank). For example, if two players have a pair of queens, the player with the higher kicker card will win the hand. Kickers come into play when two or more players have the same hand strength at the end of a hand.
In a hand like Q-Q-10-5-2, the pair of queens is the highest-ranking hand, and the 10, 5, and 2 are kickers. The kickers can be used to break ties between other hands that also have a pair of queens). In draw poker, a kicker may also be retained in order to deceive an opponent, for example, to represent a hand that is stronger than it actually is).
Its important to note that kickers only come into play when two or more players have the same hand strength. If one player has a higher-ranking hand than the other players, the kicker cards are irrelevant.
