Definition of Second Best

What does the term "second best" mean in poker? What is the definition of the term "second best"?

In poker, the term "second best" refers to the best losing hand.

For instance - let's say that three players go all-in pre-flop. One player turns over pocket Aces, another player turns over pocket Kings and the third player turns over pocket Queens.

The board runs out 2h-2c-9h-Jh-8d. The player with the best hand (pocket Aces) wins the pot, as the board improved none of the three players.

In this case, the player with the pocket Kings had the "second best" hand, as they had the best losing hand. The player with the pocket Queens, on the other hand, had the "third best" hand, as their hand was beaten both by the player with the pocket Aces and the player with the pocket Kings.

So, the player with the pocket Aces had the "best hand", the player with the pocket Kings had the "second best" hand and the player with the pocket Queens had the "third best" hand.

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