A three of a kind probably doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Nevertheless, turning a two pair into a 3 of a kind can be very beneficial to your odds of winning the pot. Now, doesn’t that outcome alone merit an article? We would say so.
In this post, we will examine the three of a kind as a poker hand, the odds of getting this hand in each street and what tips you should keep in mind when playing with a three of a kind.
Landing strong poker hands is notoriously tough, but how does a three of a kind rank as a five-card poker hand, and what are the exact chances of making a three of a kind? Let’s dive into it.
WHAT IS A THREE OF A KIND?
You might think that a three of a kind is an obvious poker hand, and you wouldn’t be wrong. A poker player can make a three of a kind with three cards of the same rank from the board, and two unpaired community cards.
Below, you can find an example or two that include a three of a kind poker hand.
Three aces, a 9 of Diamonds, and a 4 of Hearts
Three 7s, a 3 of Diamonds, and a 2 of Clubs
As a five-card poker hand, the three of a kind has its place. However, some players can fall into the trap of getting caught up in sets and trips.
A set, for example, will see a player hold a pair and match it, while trips will match one hole card with a pair.
Whereas, with trips, you may have a pair and then hold another identical card in the same hand.
A three of a kind can be quite a potentially strong hand when playing poker, but in terms of the three of a kind rank, it is placed seventh. Therefore, a three of a kind will lose out to a full house, flushes, straights and, of course, royal flushes.
On the other hand, a three of a kind beats a two pair and a one pair. This means that a three of a kind can really make a difference and win you the pot on dry board texture .
To win a game, you will need to throw down a high card combination on the table, such as three of a kind aces.
Let’s assess the probability of drawing a three of a kind poker hand.
ODDS OF MAKING A THREE OF A KIND OUT OF A 52-CARD DECK
Statistically speaking, it is far from impossible to make a three of a kind from a traditional deck of cards. In poker, a pocket pair further boosts your chances of making a three of a kind, but the board texture has to be accounted for if you want to avoid some unexpected upsets in later streets.
If you draw five cards at random from a 52-card deck, the possibility of it being a three of a kind on the board equates to 2.1128%, which is more than other poker hands.
The board provides 858 ways to draw a three of a kind. With suits included, there are 54,912 ways of forming this poker hand.
In Texas Hold’em, the win ratio steadily increases, so let’s assess the chances of making a three of a kind.
ODDS OF GETTING A THREE OF A KIND IN TEXAS HOLD’EM
Your main objective when playing will be to make the best five-card hand from seven cards on the board.
The chances of making a three of a kind on the flop could depend on one card.
ODDS OF HITTING A THREE OF A KIND ON THE FLOP
Making three of a kind reaches 10.8% with pocket pairs, so the probabilities weigh in your favour on the flop.
ODDS OF HITTING A THREE OF A KIND ON TURN
On the later streets, a two pair contributes five outs. The odds are as follows: 2/47 or 4.2%.
With five cards, this works out as 5/47.
ODDS OF HITTING A THREE OF A KIND ON RIVER
By the river, there is a slightly higher spike for paired cards:
Making a two pair = 5/46 or 10.8%.
To hit on the river, we can reverse the chances of not making a three of a kind and subtract from 100%.
The probability of not hitting on the river = 44/46, which is roughly 91.6%.
The chances of making a three of a kind at this stage = 8.2%
THREE OF A KIND IMPLIED ODDS
On a dry board, a three of a kind can very easily take the pot, granted that it is played correctly. Being dealt a pocket pair can really help, but any two cards can make a three of a kind with a bit of luck.
With that said, a wet board in which powerful hands can be made will prove to be challenging for a three of a kind. In this case, it is advisable to invest as little as possible into the pot, and if faced with a large bet, folding might be the best option.
THREE OF A KIND TIPS
By mastering hold’em with hole cards, you can land more three of a kinds, but trips are more vulnerable than sets.
You should bear in mind these tips when using a three of a kind:
- Consider board texture – Avoid folding a three of a kind as they can be valuable with flushes. With that said, a three of a kind is far from the best poker hand in the game. For example, a straight draw should sound your alarm bells. Even a better three of a kind than your own might lose you some very important chips.
- Make trips on the flop – If there is no evident flush, you will feel confident betting on a three of a kind. Always keep in mind that a three of a kind is quite a good hand in poker, but it is beaten by way too many other hands to be worth going all in with.
- 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 EnergyCasino to refine your three of a kind-wielding hands!
- Don’t underestimate a three of a kind – although you should never expect to beat a full house with a three of a kind, you can definitely be optimistic about being dealt this hand. The potential of a three of a kind can be exploited, especially when not many players seem to have made a hand.
THREE OF A KIND STAGES PROBABILITY IN TEXAS HOLD’EM
- Odds of flopping a three of a kind with any two cards: 1.9%.
- Odds of flopping a three of a kind with a pocket pair: 10.8%.
- Odds of making a three of a kind at the turn: 4.2%.
- Odds of making a three of a kind at the river: 4.3%.