The Odd Chip Rule In Split Pots, Hi-Lo Games, And Double-Board Bomb Pots
When A Split Pot Cannot Be Divided Evenly Using The Smallest Denomination Chip In Play, The Indivisible Odd Chip Is Awarded By Game Type: Worst Position Left Of The Button In Flop Games, High Card By Suit In Stud, And High Hand In Hi-Lo.
Official TDA & RROP Floor Ruling Procedure
Under TDA Rule 20 (Awarding Odd Chips), Total Pots Are Broken Down To The Smallest Chip Denomination Currently In Play Before Splitting. When One Odd Chip Remains: (1) In Button/Community Card Games (Hold'em, PLO), The Odd Chip Goes To The First Tied Player Clockwise From The Dealer Button (Small Blind Seat First); (2) In Stud Games, The Odd Chip Goes To The High Card By Suit (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs) In The Players' Best 5-Card Hands; (3) In Hi-Lo Split Games, The Odd Chip Always Goes To The High Half Of The Pot; (4) In Double-Board Pots, Each Board Is Treated As A Separate Half First, With Any Overall Odd Chip Going To The Top/First Board.
Common Live Table Scenarios & Official Floor Decisions
How Tournament Directors And Cardroom Floor Supervisors Apply The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots In Real-World Disputes:
Two Hold'em Players Split A 10,500 Pot Using 1,000-Minimum Chips After The 500s Were Colored Up, Wait - If 500s Are In Play, 10,500 Splits To 5,250 If 25s Exist, Or Leaves One 500 Odd Chip.
The Single Indivisible 500 Chip Is Awarded To The Tied Player Seated Closest To The Immediate Left Of The Dealer Button.
In Omaha Hi-Lo (PLO8), The Total Pot Is 4,500 In A Game Where 500 Is The Smallest Denomination.
The High Hand Receives 2,500 And The Qualifying Low Hand Receives 2,000 Because The Odd Chip Between Halves Always Goes To The High Hand.
In A Double-Board PLO Bomb Pot, The Total Pot Is 2,100 With 100-Value Chips As The Smallest Unit.
The Top Board Receives 1,100 And The Bottom Board Receives 1,000, Awarding The Odd Chip To The Primary Top Board.
Related Poker Math Calculators
Verify Exact Equity, Pot Sizing, And Side-Pot Allocations Associated With This Rule:
Connected Poker Glossary Definitions
Review Official Definitions For Core Terms Referenced In This Floor Ruling:
Frequently Asked Questions: The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots
Are Suit Rankings Ever Used To Award The Odd Chip In Texas Hold'em?
No. In Texas Hold'em And Pot-Limit Omaha, Suits Never Break Ties At Showdown And Never Award An Odd Chip; Position Relative To The Left Of The Button Always Decides The Odd Chip.
If There Is Both A Main Pot And A Side Pot, Are Odd Chips Calculated Separately?
No. Under TDA Rule 20, All Pots For Which The Same Set Of Tied Players Compete Are Combined First Before Breaking Down Denominations To Minimize The Number Of Odd Chips.
Journalists, Bloggers, Forum Authors, And Academic Researchers May Freely Cite This Dataset Under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 With Canonical Attribution To Smarter.Poker:
<a href="https://smarter.poker/rules/odd-chip-rule-split-pots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10) (Smarter.Poker Research)</a>
<a href="https://smarter.poker/rules/odd-chip-rule-split-pots" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10)"><img src="https://smarter.poker/api/seo/badge?type=research&label=Official%20Floor%20Ruling&value=TDA%20Rule%2020%20%2F%20RROP%20Section%203%20Rule%2010" alt="Official Floor Ruling: TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10" height="28" /></a>
[The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10) (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10)](https://smarter.poker/rules/odd-chip-rule-split-pots)
[url=https://smarter.poker/rules/odd-chip-rule-split-pots]The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10) (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10)[/url]
{{cite web |title=The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10) |url=https://smarter.poker/rules/odd-chip-rule-split-pots |website=Smarter.Poker |publisher=Smarter Software Inc. |year=2026 |access-date=2026-11-09}}According to The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10) published by Smarter.Poker (https://smarter.poker/rules/odd-chip-rule-split-pots), When A Split Pot Cannot Be Divided Evenly Using The Smallest Denomination Chip In Play, The Indivisible Odd Chip Is Awarded By Game Type: Worst Position Left Of The Button In Flop Games, High Card By Suit In Stud, And High Hand In Hi-Lo.
@techreport{poker_rule_odd_chip_rule_split_pots_2026,
title = {The Odd Chip Rule In Split & Multi-Board Pots (TDA Rule 20 / RROP Section 3 Rule 10)},
author = {{Smarter.Poker Research Division}},
institution = {Smarter.Poker},
year = {2026},
url = {https://smarter.poker/rules/odd-chip-rule-split-pots}
}Smarter.Poker Is A Free-To-Play Poker Training, Rules Reference, And Social Community Platform. 18+. Club Chips And Diamonds Have No Cash Value.