Poker guide
How do you build a side pot in poker?
Build the pots from the shortest all-in up: take that amount from every player still in the hand for the main pot, then take the next shortest stack from everyone left for Side Pot 1, and so on. Send back any bet nobody matched before the runout, and award the last side pot first and the main pot last.
By Jeff Quizon. Built by a dealer who’s dealt poker and table games in casinos and card rooms. Published October 29, 2026. Last reviewed October 29, 2026.
Want to drill this? Practice free in the poker app →
| Pot | Layer | Players in it | Math | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main pot | First $100 from each player | A, B, C, D | $100 × 4 | $400 |
| Side Pot 1 | Next $200 ($300 − $100) | B, C, D | $200 × 3 | $600 |
| Side Pot 2 | Next $300 ($600 − $300) | C, D | $300 × 2 | $600 |
Practice it
Start free in the poker app →Working it out, one layer at a time
Leave every bet in front of its player until the action on the street is closed. Then take the shortest all-in, $100 from A, and take $100 from B, C and D as well. That $400 is the main pot. Set it to one side.
The shortest stack left in front of a player is B’s $200. Take $200 from B, C and D: $600 is Side Pot 1. What’s left is $300 each from C and D. That $600 is Side Pot 2. Keep the piles apart so everyone at the table can see which is which.
A bet nobody called
Say D folds without putting in a chip, and A has $100, B $300 and C $600 in. C’s top $300 was never matched. It goes straight back to C and never becomes a pot. The main pot is $100 × 3 = $300, and Side Pot 1 is $200 × 2 = $400.
Folded chips and chips from earlier streets
Chips that were already in the middle from an earlier street stay in the main pot. If $150 was in before the turn, the main pot above is $150 + $400 = $550.
A player who folds can’t win, but the chips stay in. Take A $100 all in, B $300, C $600 and E, who bet $150 and folded. C’s top $300 goes back. E’s first $100 goes into the main pot, which is $400. E’s last $50 goes into Side Pot 1, which is $200 + $200 + $50 = $450.
Award the last side pot first
At showdown, work backward. Settle Side Pot 2 between C and D, then Side Pot 1 among B, C and D, then the main pot among all four. The best hand at the table may belong to the short stack, who is only in the main pot. Pushing the whole middle to that player is the mistake this order prevents.
House rules vary
- Layout. Casinos and cardrooms differ on how they mark side pots: space between the piles, a marker, or a rack. Ask your floor.
- Rake. In a raked game the house takes rake from the pot. A bet nobody called never forms a pot, so it is never raked. See the guide on counting a pot, rake and change.
- Odd chips. Each pot is split on its own. Based on the 2026 Poker TDA Rules, an odd chip in a split pot goes to the first winner clockwise from the button in a flop game, or to the highest card by suit in stud.
Practice it
Hold’em pot drill and side pots
The first two levels of the Hold’em pot drill and one scored test are free in the poker app. Side pots are part of the Break-In Track. It’s a one-time purchase with a 5-day refund.
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