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Poker side pot calculator
Enter what each player put in, who folded and who has the best hand. See the main pot, every side pot, any uncalled chips that go back, and exactly who gets paid what, odd chips included. Then practise working it out yourself.
You can only win from each opponent what you matched. Take the smallest all-in amount from every player who put in at least that much: that is the main pot, and everyone still in the hand can win it. Repeat with the next all-in amount for side pot 1, and so on. Chips nobody called go straight back to the player who bet them. Each pot is then awarded on its own, to the best hand among the players who are eligible for it.
Side pot calculator
List the players in seat order, clockwise. "Chips put in" is everything that player put into the pot this hand, blinds and antes included. Showdown place: 1 is the best hand, 2 the next best, and tied hands get the same number. You only need places for players who are still in.
The pots
| Pot | Size | Built from | Who can win it | Paid to |
|---|
Who gets what
| Player | Put in | Gets back | Net this hand |
|---|
Step by step
Odd chips: when a pot does not split evenly, it is first counted in the smallest chip you entered, and each leftover chip goes to a tied winner in seat order starting from the first seat left of the button. That is the usual card-room practice, but house rules come first, so check yours.
Side pot drill
Ten made-up all-in spots. Work out the number in your head or on paper, type it in and check. Each answer comes with the working.
Question 1 of 10 · Score 0
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How to work out side pots, step by step
This is the method dealers use at the table. It works for any number of players.
- Return anything uncalled. If the biggest bet was more than anyone else put in, the extra goes back to that player before any pot is built. It was never at risk.
- Find the smallest all-in. Look at the players still in the hand and take the smallest total amount any of them put in.
- Build the main pot. Take that amount from every player who put in at least that much, plus whatever less any folded player put in. Everyone still in can win this pot.
- Repeat with what is left. The next smallest all-in builds side pot 1 the same way, from the chips above the first level. Only players who matched that level can win it.
- Award each pot separately. Start with the last side pot and work back to the main pot. The best hand among the players eligible for a pot wins that pot. A tie splits only the pot where it happens.
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Worked examples
All three examples are made up. The calculator opens with the first one, and the Load example button loads the second.
Three players, three different stacks
Ana is all-in for 200, Ben is all-in for 500 and Cleo calls 500. Ana has the best hand, Cleo the second best.
| Pot | How it is built | Size | Can win it | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main pot | 200 × 3 players | 600 | Ana, Ben, Cleo | Ana |
| Side pot 1 | (500 − 200) × 2 players | 600 | Ben, Cleo | Cleo |
Ana triples her 200 to 600 but cannot touch the side pot, even with the best hand. Cleo wins the side pot because she beats Ben, the only other player in it.
A folded player and an uncalled raise
Ben bets 100. Cleo goes all-in for 50. Dev raises to 300 and Ben folds.
| Step | What happens | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Uncalled | Dev's 300 was only matched up to Ben's 100, so 200 goes back to Dev | 200 |
| Main pot | 50 from Ben, Cleo and Dev | 150 |
| Side pot 1 | The other 50 from Ben and 50 from Dev. Ben folded, so only Dev can win it | 100 |
Ben's chips stay in the pots he put them into, but he can no longer win any of them. Dev collects side pot 1 straight away; the cards only decide the main pot between Cleo and Dev.
A split pot with an odd chip
Three players put in 33 each, a pot of 99. Two of them tie for the best hand. 99 does not split in two, so each gets 49 and the one leftover chip goes to the tied player closest to the left of the button. If the smallest chip in play were 5, the pot would be counted in 5s first.
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Rules that trip people up
- You cannot win more than you put in from each player. An all-in for 200 wins at most 200 from each opponent, however big the pot looks.
- Folded chips stay in. A player who folds gives up the pots, not the chips already in them.
- Each pot is split on its own. Two players can tie in the main pot while a third player wins the side pot outright.
- Showing hands. In tournaments under the Poker TDA rules, all hands are turned face up once a player is all-in and the betting is over. In many cash games the players in a side pot show first, so check your house rules.
- A short all-in raise may not reopen the betting. Whether it does depends on the room's full-bet or half-bet rule. That decides what people can do, not how the pots are counted.
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FAQ
Can the all-in player win the side pot?
No. A player can only win pots they matched in full. The all-in player is eligible for the main pot, and for any side pot built below their all-in amount.
Which pot is paid first?
Usually the last side pot first, then back to the main pot. Paying in that order keeps the eligible players clear. The amounts are the same whatever the order.
What if only one player is left in a side pot?
That player wins it without a showdown. If the extra chips were never called by anyone, they are not a side pot at all; they are returned.
Who gets the odd chip in a split pot?
Common card-room practice gives it to the first tied hand clockwise from the button, after breaking the pot down to the smallest chip in play. Some home games do it differently, so agree it before you play.
Does rake change the side pots?
Where a room takes rake, it is taken under that room's rules. This calculator splits the chips you enter, so enter amounts after rake if you want to see what each player actually receives.
Is anything stored or uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser and is cleared when you close the page.
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Rules references
Poker TDA Rules (rule 17 on tabling hands at all-ins, rule 21 on odd chips, rule 23 on splitting each side pot separately) and Robert's Rules of Poker (section 3, ties and the showdown). The card room or tournament you play in has the final say.
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