Full House Poker

Poker has been played for centuries with variations across the world. Regardless of the variant, hand rankings remain consistent — and one of the finest hands is the Full House.

What is a Full House Poker Hand?

A Full House consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank — in other words, Three of a Kind plus a pair. Examples: three 5s and two Kings, or three Aces and two 4s.

The Full House ranks 4th in the poker hand hierarchy and beats Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card.

Other examples: A♥ A♦ A♣ 10♦ 10♠ or Q♠ Q♣ Q♦ 9♦ 9♥. A Full House is also known as a "Full Boat."

Full House Poker Rules

• When two players both have a Full House, the player with the higher three-of-a-kind wins.
• If both players share the same three-of-a-kind rank, the higher pair decides the winner.
• The strongest Full House is Aces full of Kings (A-A-A-K-K).

Full House Probability

The probability of hitting a Full House in Texas Hold'em is approximately 2.6% with all community cards on the board. The general estimate for hitting a Full House in any single hand is roughly 0.14% (1 in 694 hands) in Texas Hold'em, and approximately 0.70% (1 in 144 hands) in Omaha due to the extra hole cards.

These are general estimates. Actual probability varies with game parameters, number of players, and specific hole cards.

What Beats a Full House?

Three hands beat a Full House:

• Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank. Ranks 3rd.
• Straight Flush — five consecutive cards of the same suit. Ranks 2nd.
• Royal Flush — Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 of the same suit. Ranks 1st.

Full House vs. Straight

A Full House (ranked 4th) beats a Straight (ranked 6th). The Full House is rarer — there are 3,744 possible Full House combinations versus 10,200 Straight combinations in a standard deck.

Full House Poker FAQs