Hillary Rodham Clinton laid down a winning hand in Nevada. So did Barack Obama.

After a brawling presidential contest in the state, Clinton heads into the next battleground of South Carolina with another popular vote victory. But Obama, whose Jan. 3 Iowa victory recedes with time, walked away with one more Nevada delegate than Clinton.

The split decision shifts the fight to the South, where Obama is relying on black voters, who make up more than half of the South Carolina Democratic electorate, to give him a winning edge. Most polls have him leading Clinton in the state. But Clinton has won over many influential black leaders and had led in the state before Obama's Iowa victory established him as a strong contender.

By eking out 13 delegates to Clinton's 12, Obama was able to salvage a foothold in the race and keep Clinton from claiming a full dose of momentum.

But the whole thing gets even more convoluted, as kos notes.

The percentages reported for this race, by the way, aren't popular vote figures. Truly bizarre. They're based on the number of state delegates awarded. So while no one thinks Obama will win the popular vote, the percentages should be a lot tighter when the actual popular vote numbers are released.

Sen. Obama released a statement describing the incredible support he received in Nevada. Given that Sen. Clinton was up 27 points according to a poll from early December, the delegate victory and the relatively close vote count was pretty sweet. And he was able to capture the coveted rural vote, something we have to do in the general election when we go up against the Republicans.

“We’re proud of the campaign we ran in Nevada. We came from over twenty-five points behind to win more national convention delegates than Hillary Clinton because we performed well all across the state, including rural areas where Democrats have traditionally struggled. The reason is because tens of thousands of Nevadans came out to say that they’re tired of business-as-usual in Washington and ready for a President who can bring this country together, take on the lobbyists and special interests, and end the politics of saying and doing whatever it takes to win an election. It is the kind of politics that feeds our cynicism and distracts us from taking on the real challenges facing America – an economy that’s left working families struggling, a broken health care system, and a war in Iraq that must end.

“We ran an honest, uplifting campaign in Nevada that focused on the real problems Americans are facing, a campaign that appealed to people’s hopes instead of their fears. That’s the campaign we’ll take to South Carolina and across America in the weeks to come, and that’s how we will truly bring about the change this country is hungry for.”

The caucus was also marred by a lawsuit, some nasty and misleading 'robocalls', and reports of other dirty tactics against Obama that the campaign will investigate.

“We currently have reports of over 200 separate incidents of trouble at caucus sites, including doors being closed up to thirty minutes early, registration forms running out so people were turned away, and ID being requested and checked in a non-uniform fashion. This is in addition to the Clinton campaign’s efforts to confuse voters and call into question the at-large caucus sites which clearly had an affect on turnout at these locations. These kinds of Clinton campaign tactics were part of an entire week’s worth of false, divisive, attacks designed to mislead caucus-goers and discredit the caucus itself.

“We will investigate all of these thoroughly and would encourage anyone who had concern about actions at the caucus sites to call (866) 675-2008.”

Let's hope that all gets cleared up quickly. After all the Republican dirty tricks in 2000 and 2004, I hope we've learned to recognize it and react appropriately. It has no place in a Democratic primary, and both Clinton and Obama need to investigate the charges.

On to South Carolina, where things are looking good for Obama, and I'll even be able to understand the results!