There are a number of ways pots can be split between two or more players. In short, when the pot is split it means that each player splitting the pot has the same best hand.
Here are some straightforward examples:
Player A has Ace,Jack
Player B has Ace,Ten
Player C has Ace,Queen
Player B has Ace,Ten
Player C has Ace,Queen
Of course, Player C is in great shape here. But, what if the board were to show:
Four,Four,King,King,Nine
If it's not immediately obvious who has won this pot, the answer is all three players. Each player has two pairs with an Ace kicker. In Texas Hold 'Em poker, we use the best five cards from the seven available. The Ten, Jack and Queen cards become redundant to the pair of Fours, pair of Kings and the Ace kicker card which each player holds.
How about a slightly different take on the split pot.
Player A has Six,Seven of spades
Player B has Three,Four of spades
Player B has Three,Four of spades
The board shows:
Ace,King,Queen,Ten,Nine – all spades
A pretty amazing looking board but it is not all that uncommon.
It would be an easy mistake to suggest the player with Six,Seven is the winner here, after all, Seven is a higher card than his opponents Four. Once again, both players are winners. All five of the cards the players need for the best Texas Hold 'Em hand are on the table, each player has a Ace high flush with the Nine being the lowest part of the flush, which is higher than the four spade cards each player holds.
New players will become accustomed to split pots in time, so don't worry if you cannot spot when a pot is split straight away, it will occur to you without thinking eventually.