Three of a Kind

Poker is amongst the most profound games that have been played for years. The winner of this card game is decided by analyzing the poker card rankings. A player with a higher poker hand than their opponent wins the pot in a poker game. One such hand includes Three of a kind where the player receives three cards of a similar ranking and two odd cards.

In poker, 'three of a kind' refers to a hand that contains three cards of the same rank, along with two unrelated cards. It is a fairly strong hand ranking just below a Straight and above a Two Pair. The ranking of three of a kind is determined by the rank of the three cards, and in case of a tie, the highest-ranking side cards are considered.

For example, if you have three fives (5♠ 5♦ 5♥) along with two unrelated cards (e.g., 7♣ 2♦), you would have three of a kind, five. If another player also has three of a kind, the winner would be determined by comparing the ranks of the three cards. For instance, three kings (K♠ K♦ K♥) would beat three fives.

The 3 of a kind ranking is 7th on the poker hand ranking list beating Two pair, One pair and a High card.

10 Poker Hand Rankings

• Royal Flush Poker
• Straight Flush
• Four of a Kind
• Full House Poker
• Flush Poker
• Straight Poker
• Three of a Kind
• 2 Pair Poker
• One Pair Poker
• High Card Poker Hand

The list starts with Royal Flush, the highest-ranking poker hand and ends at High Card, the lowest. Does 3 of a kind beat 2 pair? Yes. The Three of a kind poker hand can be a great hand if used wisely. Players should try to secure high cards like Ace or King to increase their chances of winning.

3 of a Kind Poker Ranking

There are majorly two types of three of a kind hands: set and trips. A set is a hand where you hold two hole cards of the same rank and hit one more from the board. Trips are the reverse — you hold one card of the rank and get the other two from the board. You can achieve both using sound poker strategy.

Two examples of Three of a kind hands:

• King of hearts, King of spades, King of clubs, 9 of diamond, 7 of hearts
• 9 of spades, 9 of diamonds, 9 of clubs, 7 of hearts, 5 of spades

If two players both hold Three of a kind, the one with the higher triple wins. In the above examples, Kings beat Nines.

3 of a Kind Probability

Three of a kind ranking is lower than many poker hands, but you still have a reasonable chance to win. Triple Aces are the highest Three of a kind, capable of beating many premium hands.

The probability of getting three of a kind depends on factors such as the number of cards dealt and the variant being played.

Texas Hold'em Probability

Pre-Flop

The probability of being dealt a pocket pair in a 52-card deck is approximately 5.9% (1 in 17). If you hold a pocket pair, the probability of flopping a set:

• In Texas Hold'em: approximately 11.8% (1 in 8.5).
• In Omaha: approximately 10.9% (1 in 9.2).

Post-Flop (Turn or River)

If you didn't hit three of a kind on the flop, the probability of improving depends on your outs. With one card to come:

• In Texas Hold'em: approximately 4.3% per card (1 in 23.5).
• In Omaha: approximately 4.3% per card (1 in 23.5).

Texas Hold'em Probabilities:

• Pre-flop — 2.118% (5 random cards from a 52-card deck)
• Flop — 11.8% (with a pocket pair)
• Turn — 4.26% (with a pocket pair)
• River — 4.35% (with a pocket pair)

Pot Limit Omaha Probabilities:

• Pre-flop — 2.118%
• Flop — 12.59% (with a pocket pair)
• Turn — 4.44%
• River — 4.55%

In all, you can draw 54,912 hands (858 without suit variation) to get a 3 of a kind. The three of a kind probability is approximately 2.1128%, or once in every 46 hands.

Three of a Kind Poker - FAQs