After-play study. A three-handed, no-ante hold’em example about contribution levels, pot eligibility and refunds. All cards and action are fictional, not a personal hand or a solver recommendation.
The best hand does not win every chip.
Three players announce all-in. One player has the best hand, another wins the side pot, and the deepest stack gets uncalled chips back. To follow the result, the viewer needs more than a single pot total.
This case is about settlement, not whether the shoves were strategically good. There are no deductions, bounties, additional players or earlier pots outside the contributions described here.
Starting stacks / Before posting
A / Button
6 BB
B / Small blind
14 BB
C / Big blind
25 BB
The cards are shown for this fictional replay. The board is revealed later.
01 / Follow the money once
The blinds are 0.5 / 1 BB. A shoves to six. B goes all-in to fourteen. C moves the full twenty-five forward. A and B have no more chips to match anything above fourteen.
The totals 6, 14 and 25 BB already include the blinds where applicable. B adds 13.5 beyond the small blind; C moves 24 beyond the big blind. Do not add those blinds again.
Before revealing: separate the 45 BB moved forward into money all three can win, money only two can win, and money that was never matched.
Reveal the pot layers
Return the unmatched 11 BB to C first. With A able to contribute six and B fourteen, nobody can contest C's chips above fourteen.
6 + 6 + 6. All three players are eligible.
8 + 8. A cannot win this pot.
25 − 14. This is a refund, not a pot.
18 + 16 + 11 = 45 BB. The contested pots total 34 BB. Saying “a 45-blind pot” would incorrectly include the returned chips.
A's main-pot eligibility is limited by the amount matched at A's contribution level. It is not a discount ticket to every chip that deeper players put forward.
02 / Award each pot separately
Once the pots are separated, name the eligible players before comparing cards. A can win only the main pot. B and C contest both pots. The refund already belongs to C regardless of the board.
Reveal the board and award the pots
The complete board is:
A makes three aces. B makes three kings. C has a pair of queens. A has the strongest hand, but the pots still need separate awards.
Main pot: A receives 18 BB. Among the three eligible hands, three aces wins. Side pot: B receives 16 BB. Only B and C are eligible, and three kings beats a pair of queens. C retains the eleven-blind refund.
03 / Check the whole result
How many chips does each player finish with? Can a player lose to the strongest hand and still gain chips? Does the deepest player actually bust?
Reveal the final stacks and net changes
| Player | Started with | Ends with | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6 BB | 18 BB | +12 BB |
| B | 14 BB | 16 BB | +2 BB |
| C | 25 BB | 11 BB | −14 BB |
B loses the main pot to A but finishes two blinds ahead overall. C announced all-in but is not eliminated because eleven blinds were uncalled and returned. 18 + 16 + 11 = 45 BB remains true after the awards, and the net changes sum to zero.
“All-in” describes an action; it does not tell you how many chips were ultimately matched. “Lost to A” describes one comparison; it does not tell you the outcome of every pot.
04 / Change the stack sizes
Use the same order of hand strengths, but suppose A moves four blinds, B ten and C sixteen. There are still no other chips or deductions. Rebuild the two pots and refund before opening the answer.
Reveal the smaller-stack calculation
For contributions of 4, 10 and 16 BB, the main pot is 4 × 3 = 12 BB; the side pot is (10 − 4) × 2 = 12 BB; and the refund is 16 − 10 = 6 BB.
Keeping the same hand ranking, A receives twelve, B receives twelve, and C keeps six. The final stacks sum to the starting total of thirty. B again finishes two blinds ahead. Recalculate from the layers instead of memorizing the first example's totals.
05 / Make the graphic tell the right story
Use separate on-screen labels for the main pot, side pot and refund. Keep the eligibility beside the amount: “Main 18 BB: A/B/C” and “Side 16 BB: B/C.” Do not animate returned chips as a showdown win.
A short narration can say: “A wins the main pot with three aces. B beats C for the side pot, so B still gains two blinds. C keeps the eleven blinds nobody called.” That gives the audience the complete result without an elaborate explanation of every chip.
The same layers matter in a study calculation. A short stack's call price must be compared with pots the player is eligible to win, not someone else's side pot. The bets and side-pots guide covers the underlying bookkeeping, and the graphics workbench explains how to keep it readable.
References and limits
PokerStars rules explains table stakes and side-pot eligibility. The displayed amounts are a fictional no-ante, no-deduction example; consult the event’s rules for actual procedures. The scene and arithmetic are independently constructed. Prepared with AI assistance. No real hand, personal result or optimal strategy is claimed.