THREE OF A KIND POKER HAND EXPLAINED

Three of a kind is far from the best possible hand — that much doesn’t need too many rounds of Texas hold’em to figure out. Having said that, when playing a poker game with traditional poker hand rankings, it is the best possible hand that can win you the pot.

To that end, a three of a kind poker hand can easily surface from a dry board, and when that happens, you’ll regret not paying enough attention to this specific poker hand.

If you have no idea what we’re talking about, you definitely have to keep reading. In this post, we’ll have a look at the three of a kind poker hand, how it ranks against other poker hands and how rare it is.

What is a three of a kind in poker?

A three of a kind is a very straightforward five-card poker hand. As its name suggests, a three of a kind is made up of three cards of the same rank — but not of the same suit — as well as two unpaired cards.

Here’s an example: 4d, 4h, 4s, 10d, 8c would make a three of a kind of fours, with the 10 being the high card.

In dry board textures, that is, where no cards on the board can be used to make strong hands, a three of a kind can easily catch other players on the wrong foot.

Despite the fact that it doesn’t sit at the top of the poker hand rankings, a three of a kind often prevails when stronger hands are absent.

How a three of a kind works in poker

As we’ve mentioned above, you’ll need three cards of identical rank but of different suits to make a three of a kind.

What if another poker player makes a three of a kind along with you? Here’s where things get slightly more complex.

In the event that two or more poker players make a three of a kind, the winner would be the player who holds the highest-ranking three of a kind.

Let’s take another example, where two players hold a three of a kind. Player A holds Jc, Jd, Jh, 7c, 4d and Player B holds 10d, 10h, 10c, Kc, 4d.

Although both players hold a three of a kind, Player A’s hand outranks Player B’s, since the card used to make a three of a kind (Jack in the case of Player A) is the highest card (compared to Player B’s 10).

In other words, Player A’s three of a kind wins, since it is the higher-ranking three of a kind (J) compared to Player B’s hand (10).

As you can see from the example above, three of a kind hands are compared not by the highest-ranking card, as usually happens in other poker hands. Two pair hands may require a kicker to be decided if the cards used to make the pair are identical (for instance, J, J, K, 9, 5 and J, J, 10, 9, 5 — whereby the K is the winning kicker).

How does a three of a kind rank in poker hand ranking?

The three of a kind is far from the best five-card hand in the game — at least, in most poker games. A poker game that defies this statement is Omaha Hi-Lo, where players can win the pot by forming the either strongest or lowest hand.

Shifting our attention back to Texas hold’em and other traditional poker variants, the three of a kind is considered quite a ‘low hand’ compared to the rest of the hands, since it only sits above the two pair and one pair.

Here’s how a three of a kind ranks in poker:

• Royal flush
• Straight flush
• Four of a kind
• Full house
• Flush
• Straight
• Three of a kind
• Two pair
• One pair
• High card

Poker hands that a three of a kind beats

While there aren’t many hands that a three of a kind beats, it can still be a vital hand fully capable of winning you the pot. The following are the hands that will be beaten by a three of a kind:

• Two pair
• One pair
• High card

Apart from standard high-card hands, a three of a kind beats two-pair hands and even hands with just one pair.

With this in mind, it is definitely possible to win a pot through this hand, but you should keep note of what other players hold. Any hand better than a three of a kind will beat it.

When it comes to misconceptions about poker hand rankings, we cannot avoid mentioning the assumption that forming two pairs is harder than forming a three of a kind.

That is not the case. A three of a kind beats a two pair since it is a marginally rarer hand. Just because a hand requires more cards to be made doesn’t mean that it is rarer than hands with fewer cards.

The scenario we’ve described in this section perfectly sums this up; a two pair (consisting of four cards) is not rarer than a three of a kind (which consists of three cards), despite the fact that it requires one more card to be made.

Poker hands that can beat a three of a kind

Should the community cards allow, many stronger hands can be made than just a three of a kind. Here are hands that will beat our esteemed three of a kind:

• Royal flush
• Straight flush
• Four of a kind
• Full house
• Flush
• Straight

As you can see, such hands beat a three of a kind: a royal flush, straight flushes, four of a kind, full houses, flushes and a straight.

Seeing how low three of a kinds are ranked in conventional poker hand rankings, there’s not much you can do if you’ve made a three of a kind on a wet board, where strong poker hands are more than possible.

In this case, there’s not much you can do, no matter the card in your hand. In the following section, we’ll give you a few pointers when playing with a three of a kind poker hand.

How to play a Three of a kind in Texas hold ‘em poker game

With five community cards on the board for players to use, three of a kind can be a tricky hand to play with. Nevertheless, there are some things you can keep in mind to win the pot with such a hand.

• Never underestimate your hand. The first rule is to never belittle a three of a kind or the possibility of making one — no matter what your hole cards are. Take note of this option when you see several cards of a different suit on the board, since a three of a kind will definitely be possible. All it takes is two cards of the same rank as one card of yours to make a three of a kind.
• Bet when flopping a three of a kind. The odds of making a three of a kind on the flop aren’t too bad, considering that you’ll have five cards (three cards on the board and two cards of your own) at your disposal. Playing aggressively at this point might deter another poker player with a good draw, potentially pushing them out of the game before they make their super five-card poker hand later on.
• A high card hand is a three of a kind draw — don’t discard it too quickly. A total of five cards are dealt on the board — three on the flop, the turn and the river. Moreover, you can still make a three of a kind (or better) with unpaired cards as hole cards, seeing as the possibility to make them on later streets is definitely there. This is especially the case if the poker game being played uses more than a 52-card deck. Having said that, if you’re faced with a value bet or raise, you’ll have to weigh your odds carefully.
• Practice makes perfect. Practice really does make perfect when it comes to partaking in online poker, so feel free to hop by the poker tables of HotSlots to refine your three of a kind-wielding hands! Newcomers can learn all about the poker hand rankings by playing at our tables, whereas seasoned players can partake in our several poker tournaments. Don’t miss the chance to impress at a poker game at our Casino!

Three of a kind probabilities

Here are the odds of making a three of a kind during different streets in Texas hold’em.

CHART