kickers

[mjterry]

why do you guys call the extra card a kicker?  a kicker, you find in football, not cards. i dont get it.  if you get 4 aces and a 2 - say i got 4 aces and a 2 - its not that hard. to me the word kicker is a bragging, strut around rub it in the other faces word.

[pokernut1232001]

Because that is the term that is used,  it "Kicks" up the pay. 

[Webman]

Kicker is a poker term, referring to additional cards not in the paying hand. If you have 5 5 5 4 9, the 4 and 9 are both "kickers". In poker, these extra cards can determine the strength of your hand in the event of a tie... they can "kick it up" a notch in value. For bonus games in video poker, certain kickers have been selected to increase the payout of a four of a kind. I'm guessing they chose low numbers (2,3,4) because low cards have the higher 4K payouts. That's why when you get 4 Aces and a 2, 3, or 4, it is said you got the "kicker" which is a kicker card that triggers an additional payout.