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There are many hand combinations in poker that can help players dominate the gameplay. Three-of-a-kind in poker is, as the name suggests, a poker hand that consists of five cards with three cards of the same denomination or rank and two unpaired cards. Knowing how to play a three-of-a-kind poker hand is important to maximize the profit from your opponents. Three-of-a-kind in poker is effective and ranks higher than two-pair, one-pair, and High card.
Players can obtain three of a kind easily with combinations of hole cards and community cards. It might not be your dream poker hand, but it can be effective if used with the right informed strategies. Let us learn more about the three-of-a-kind poker hand.
What is Three-of-a-Kind?
A poker three-of-a-kind is a combination of cards in poker, having three cards of the same denomination and two unpaired cards. It ranks as the seventh best possible hand in poker hand rankings and is good enough to win the pot in a poker game.
Three king hands means the player has three kings among their five-card hands. For example, K, K, K, 5, 9. Many three of a kind poker combinations can be best compared in the card ranks.
What Does Three of a Kind Look Like?
Three of a kind in poker is a combination of three cards of equal rank and two unpaired cards in a five rank card game. Check out the given example to know what does a three of kind hand in poker looks like.
Examine the configuration of the five cards in the above figure. The above poker hand can be termed a three-of-a-kind poker hand ace. It consists of three Ace and two unpaired number cards. Note that the other two cards (kickers) must be unpaired, otherwise, it will not make a poker three of a kind hand. As per the definition, a combination of hole cards and five community cards obtains three cards of the same rank and two unpaired ranked cards, which makes poker three of a kind. Check out some more examples below.
K♠, K♦, K♣, 7♠, 2♥
5♠, 5♣, 5♦, J♥, 3♦
7♠, 7♦, 7♣, K♥, 3♠
Q♠, Q♦, Q♣, 8♠, 6♥
10♠, 10♦, 10♣, 9♥, 4♦
In a deck, there are 52 cards, from which we have 858 unique ways of obtaining a three-of-a-kind poker hand in a five-card hand. There are 54912 ways of drawing a three-of-a-kind out of a single deck. In Texas Hold'em, the probability of obtaining a three-of-a-kind poker hand is 4.83% with all community cards on the board.
How Does Three of a Kind Rank on the Poker Hand Rankings Chart?
Three-of-a-kind stands in the seventh position of all poker hand rankings. However, the ranking of a three-of-a-kind in poker depends on the ranking of the three same-rank cards and the ranks of the remaining kicker cards. Straight ranks just above the three-of-a-kind in the poker hand ranking list, and poker three-of-a-kind ranks just above the two-pair hand. Only three poker hand combinations rank below the three-of-a-kind, i.e., two pairs, one pair, and High card. Rest all the hand rankings can beat three of a kind hands in a poker game. However, with the right strategies, players can use three-of-a-kind hands to win big. We will know about some of the effective three of a kind poker strategies in this article.
What Beats Three of a Kind?
Poker three of a kind hand stands at the bottom of hand ranking lists as an average ranking hand. The three-of-a-kind poker hand stands in the seventh position and only ranks above two pair hands, one pair hands, and high cards. Therefore, hands such as Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, and Straight rank above it.
| Hand Ranking List | Description | Example |
| Royal Flush | Queen, King, Jack, Ace, 10 are all from the same suit. | 10 J Q K A |
| Straight Flush | Five cards in a continuous sequence are all in the same suit. | 4 5 6 7 8 |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards or two pairs of the same rank. | J J J J 9 |
| Full House | Three cards of one rank and two other ranked cards. | K K K 7 7 |
| Flush | Five cards in the same suit with no definite sequence. | A 10 7 7 3 |
| Straight | Five Consecutive Cards of a different suit | 8 7 6 5 4 |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards with the same rank and two other kicker cards. | Q Q Q J 9 |
| Two Pair | Two cards or two pairs of the same rank cards. | 10 10 4 4 9 |
| One Pair | Two cards having the same rank form one pair | 8 8 A 9 3 |
| High Card | If no player has any of the above hands then the strongest card wins. | A, 10, 7, 5, 2 as an Ace is a high card. |
Does Straight Beat Three-of-a-Kind?
Does three-of-a-kind beat a straight in poker? You can check the hand ranking lists above, where seven high straight lies above the three-of-a-kind hand. There are 10,200 ways to draw an ace-high straight hand in a five-card game, while there are 54,912 ways to get a three-of-a-kind hand from a deck of a 52-card deck.
Straight hands occur less frequently when compared to three of a kind, which is the main reason straights are higher on the poker hands rankings list. In Texas Hold’em, the probability of getting a straight hand is only 0.3925%, while getting a three-of-a-kind hand is 2.1128%. The straight hand is slightly rarer than Three of a Kind and stronger than Three of a Kind playing Texas Hold’em.
Does Flush Beat Three of a Kind?
A flush hand in poker is a hand that contains all five cards of the same suit but not in sequential order. It stands fifth in the poker hand ranking list and can beat a three-of-a-kind hand. The probability of obtaining a flush card is 0.1965%, which is much less than that of a three-of-a-kind hand, which is 2.1128%. Hence, the flush hand ranks higher than three of a kind.
Do Two Pair Beat Three-of-a-Kind in Poker?
The three-of-a-kind hand is stronger than a two pair hand in poker. In the hand ranking list, two pair stands below three-of-a-kind. Two pair hand consist of two different pairs and one unpaired kicker card. The number of ways of obtaining a two-pair hand in poker is 123,552, which is slightly higher when compared to three a three-of-a-kind hand. Therefore, a poker three-of-a-kind always beats two pair.
What happens when two players have a Three-of-a-Kind Poker Hand?
If two players have a three-of-a-kind poker hand, how should we compare them? When two opponents have a three-of-a-kind hand in a poker game, the winner is chosen by comparing the ranks of three matching cards or kicker cards when both players have the same three cards. Let's understand this with an example below.
Can you tell? Which opponent’s hand will win this betting hand? We will compare our three cards based on their rank and kicker cards also, if required. The first player has three 8s, and the second has three Kings. Obviously, the king will dominate the other hand and win. Now, suppose both opponents have the same three-of-a-kind cards in poker. Then, how will you determine the winner?
Whenever two players have the same poker three-of-a-kind hand, we focus on the kicker cards. The first opponent has A-J, and the other one has A-10. We will first compare the first highest kicker card, i.e., A, which is the same hand for both opponents. Now, we will move to the next; the first one has a J, and the other player has a 10. Hence, the winner will be the player with a J card, as it is a higher-ranking card than 10. So the first player is our winner.
First, compare the hand ranking of the poker three-of-a-kind hand. A player with a stronger hand wins the game.
If both opponents have the same three-of-a-kind cards, then compare the ranking of the Kicker cards.
The player with the highest kicker wins the betting hand.
If the hands and kickers are both the same, then the pot is split between the two players.
How to Play a Three of a Kind in Texas Hold’em?
Three-of-a-kind can be a strong hand in the flop stage. However, players must build a strong strategy right from the pre-flop stage to earn maximum benefits. Players can use frequent betting strategies, such as slow playing when the board is dry, value betting with weaker hands, protecting hands during draws, and bluffing.
If you hit poker three of a kind in the flop stage, assess the board and then play aggressively or slowly as the situation demands. During the turn stage, strategy depends mostly on the opponent's actions and the board. If you believe you have a strong hand, then make a large value bet to extract maximum value from the pot. If the board shows potential for a stronger hand, consider folding based on your reading of the opponent.
Three-of-a-Kind Probabilities
Check the table below for the probabilities of getting a three-of-a-kind poker hand in a game.
| Total Number Distinct hands (except different suits) | 858 |
| Total Number of ways to make the hand | 54,912 |
| Probability of getting a Three of a kind hand | 2.1128% |
Conclusion
Three of a kind is an important hand in poker. It can be obtained easily but can help players win a few hands if played with proper strategy. It is not the best five-card hand possible in the poker game. It ranks above only three hands in the game of poker.
While playing three-of-a-kind in poker, you must implement proper strategies like playing slowly, bluffing, value betting, etc. Check the poker variant and texture of the board and play to win. If players follow the rules and play with a planned strategy rather than a random, aggressive approach, they can win a handful of bets with three of a kind in poker.
