The one rule behind every side pot
You can win from each player only what you matched. If you are all-in for 100, you can win 100 from every opponent, never more. That single rule decides how many pots there are and who can win each one.
How to build the pots, step by step
- Write down how much each player has put in during this hand, across every betting round, blinds included. Count players who folded too.
- Take the smallest all-in amount among the players still in the hand.
- From every player, take up to that amount. That is the main pot. Every player still in the hand who put in at least that much can win it.
- Subtract what you took and repeat with the next smallest all-in. Each round makes the next side pot, with fewer players eligible.
- If one player put in more than anyone else could match, that extra is an uncalled bet and goes straight back to them.
- Settle each pot on its own: the best hand among the players eligible for that pot wins it.
Example 1: one short stack
Ana goes all-in for 100. Ben and Cai both call and keep betting until each has put in 300.
| Pot | How it is made | Amount | Who can win it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main pot | 100 from Ana, Ben and Cai | 300 | Ana, Ben, Cai |
| Side pot | 200 more from Ben and Cai | 400 | Ben, Cai |
If Ana shows the best hand she wins 300, the main pot. The 400 side pot goes to whichever of Ben and Cai has the better hand, even if both lose to Ana.
Example 2: two all-ins, four players
Dee is all-in for 50, Eli is all-in for 200, and Fay and Gus each put in 500.
| Pot | How it is made | Amount | Who can win it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main pot | 50 from each of the four | 200 | Dee, Eli, Fay, Gus |
| Side pot 1 | 150 more from Eli, Fay and Gus | 450 | Eli, Fay, Gus |
| Side pot 2 | 300 more from Fay and Gus | 600 | Fay, Gus |
Check the total: 50 + 200 + 500 + 500 = 1,250, and 200 + 450 + 600 = 1,250. Now say Dee has the best hand, Gus the second best and Eli the worst. Dee wins the main pot of 200. Gus beats Eli and Fay for side pot 1 (450) and beats Fay for side pot 2 (600). Three different results from one hand is normal.
Example 3: folded chips and an uncalled bet
Before the flop Kim, Leo and Mia each put in 60. On the flop Kim bets 200. Leo calls all-in with his last 120, and Mia folds.
- Leo can only match 120 of Kim’s 200, so the other 80 is uncalled and goes back to Kim. No side pot is needed.
- Mia’s 60 stays in the pot. Folded chips are never handed back, and Mia cannot win them.
- The pot is 60 + 60 + 60 + 120 + 120 = 420, played for by Kim and Leo.
Split pots and odd chips
If two eligible players tie for a pot, they split it. A pot that does not divide evenly leaves an odd chip. Home games settle that chip in different ways. Poker Club hands odd chips to the tied winners one at a time, going clockwise from the left of the button. Every pot is split on its own, so you can split the main pot and still win a side pot outright.
Mistakes that start arguments
- Counting only the last betting round. Side pots use everything put in during the whole hand.
- Letting the short stack win the whole pot. They can win only the pots they are eligible for.
- Giving folded chips back. They stay in the pot they went into.
- Making a side pot out of an uncalled bet. If nobody else can match it, it simply goes back.
Let the table do the counting
In Poker Club the server builds every main pot and side pot, returns uncalled chips and splits ties for you. At the end of a hand with more than one pot, the result lists the main pot and each side pot with who won it. Each player starts with 1,000 free play chips; there is no real money, so an all-in is all the fun and none of the risk.