A one pair is the first “made” hand in poker, coming right after a high card hand in terms of rankings. A one pair hand consists of two cards of the same ranking and three other cards of different rankings, referred to as kickers.
This is a very common hand, but it’s not a very strong one, as it loses to every other made hand out there. Still, in Texas Hold’em, one pair is often good enough to win you the pot.
| Poker Hand | Explanation | Example |
| #1. Royal Flush | Five highest cards of the same suit | AcKcQcJcTc |
| #2. Straight Flush | Any five consecutive cards of the same suit | JcTc9c8c7c |
| #3. Four of a Kind | Four cards of the same rank | 4c4s4d4hJc |
| #4. Full House | Three cards of one rank + two cards of another rank | 3c3s3d7h7c |
| #5. Flush | Five cards of the same suit | KdJd7d5d3d |
| #6. Straight | Five consecutive cards in different suits | 6s5s4d3d2h |
| #7. Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank | 7c7h7d2hJ2 |
| #8. Two Pairs | Two cards of one rank + two cards of another rank | QcQs2c2hJs |
| #9. One Pair | Two cards of the same rank | 8h8sAcKs5d |
| #10. High Card | Any other hand | AcQdJs4h3c |
Examples of One Pair Poker Hand
There are many different ways to make a one pair hand in poker, and the hand itself is always named after the actual pair, regardless of the kickers. For example:
- As Ah Kd Js 5h – a pair of Aces
- Qd Qc 9c 7c 6c – a pair of Queens
- 9s 9h 5s 4s 3d – a pair of Nines
- 2s 2c Ad Kd Qh – a pair of Twos or a pair of Deuces
When it comes to determining the winner, if two players have a one pair hand, the pot always goes to the one showing a higher pair. For example, a pair of Kings always beats a pair of Jacks, regardless of other cards.
If, however, two or more players have the exact same pair, kickers (side cards) come into play. In this scenario, a player holding the highest kicker wins. For example, Qs Qd Td 4s 3c beats Qc Qh 9h 8h 7s. In the event the highest kickers are of the same rank, the second-highest kickers are compared in the same fashion, etc.
What Beats One Pair in Poker?
A one pair only beats a high card, i.e. the only hand it is stronger than is a hand consisting of five completely unmatched cards.
In terms of hand rankings, one pair is only the ninth-best hand, and it loses to every other made hand in existence, namely two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and, of course, Royal Flush.
In Texas Hold’em and other community card games, a top pair is the best possible single-pair hand, and it beats all other possible one pair hands.
One Pair Probabilities
As already mentioned, one pair is one of the most common hands in poker, and in Texas Hold’em, it constitutes about half of all hands. The odds of being dealt any one pair in a hand of five cards are 49.9%.
In Texas Hold’em, these are your odds of making a one pair hand on different streets.
| Street | Odds |
| Making one pair hand with all 5 cards on the board | 42.23% |
| Pairing one card from your hand on the flop | 28.6% |
| From flop to turn | 12.77% |
| From turn to river | 13.04% |
A pair isn’t a particularly exciting poker hand, but here are a few more facts relating to a one pair hand that you may find interesting:
- The odds of flopping a set (three of a kind) when holding a pocket pair are 11.8%
- You’ll always flop a top pair when you flop a pair with AK
- If you miss the flop, the odds of improving to one pair by the river are 24%
How to Play One Pair in Poker
When learning how to play poker, you will see that one pair can be good enough to win you the pot, but you should always approach it carefully. When you don’t have at least a top pair, your goal should be to get to the showdown as cheap as possible and get out of the pot if there is a lot of betting going on.
In tournaments, where stacks are often shallower, it’s fine to play your top pair hands quickly and not allow your opponents to catch up for free.
You should also be mindful of your kicker any time you only have one pair. It is quite often the case that the kicker is used to determine a winner between two players that have the same top pair, so you should value one pair with the best kicker much higher than a pair with a smaller kicker, and it should influence your poker strategy in any given hand.