Three Of A Kind Vs. Two Pairs - The Math Behind The Result

THREE OF A KIND VS. TWO PAIRS

This is why a Three of a Kind always beats Two Pairs.

• 04/06/2018/
• Posted By : Tobias/
• 0 comments /
• Under : How to Play Poker

As one of the creators of the EasyPoker app I often get asked about which hands are stronger in texas hold’em poker. The most frequent question is by far if Three of a Kind beats Two Pairs. The question is often stated like “How does three 3’s beat my two pairs of Kings and Jacks?”. This seems confusing for a surprising number of people. 

The answer is of cause that three of a kind ALWAYS beats two pairs. No matter the cards.

It’s in the math

Yes, this might sound boring for non mathematicians but it’s a simple question of math. Actually poker is built on math (you probably already knew that).

Getting a strong hand in poker means beating the odds. The smaller the statistical probability of getting the hand, the bigger the chance of winning. The all-time strongest hand in hold’em poker is the Royal Straight Flush. The chance of getting this hand is 649,739 to 1. That is a probability of 0.000154%. For comparison, the chance of getting a single pair is 49.9%.

So far so good.

Three of a Kind vs. Two Pairs

It might sound crazy that, say, three 2’s will beat a Pair of Aces and a Pair of Kings – but it’s not. The odds of getting any two pairs are actually 20:1. In a game of poker with a deck of 52 playing cards, the cumulative probability of this happening is 7.62%. The chance of getting any Three of a Kind is 2.87%.

So there you have it. The reason why any 3 of a Kind beats any Two Pairs is in the math. Bring this info to your next poker night and you will be a genius among your poker-noob friends.

Complete poker hand ranking guide

If you’re interested you can visit our complete poker hands ranking guide to get up to date on all hold’em poker hands.

Let EasyPoker facilitate your poker games

EasyPoker is an app that connects friends and family though poker. This means you can easily setup home games for you and your friends. Works for both for remote games and when you’re hanging in real life. Check it out down below.  

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