{"id":2533201,"date":"2024-07-05T20:24:32","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T20:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/?page_id=2533201"},"modified":"2025-10-22T10:45:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T10:45:46","slug":"three-of-a-kind","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/three-of-a-kind\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Three of a Kind in Poker?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A three of a kind in poker is a hand consisting of three cards of the same ranking and any two other unpaired cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-poker\/texas-holdem-rules\/\" title=\"How To Play Texas Hold\u2019em \u2013 Poker Rules &amp; Basics\">Texas Hold\u2019em<\/a>, there is an important differentiation between a three of a kind made using a pocket pair, which is known as a set, and the one made using two community cards, which is usually referred to as trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Poker Hand<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Explanation<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Example<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#1. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/royal-flush\/\" title=\"What Is a Royal Flush in Poker?\">Royal Flush<\/a><\/td><td>Five highest cards of the same suit<\/td><td>AcKcQcJcTc<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#2. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/straight-flush\/\" title=\"What is a Straight Flush in Poker?\">Straight Flush<\/a><\/td><td>Any five consecutive cards of the same suit<\/td><td>JcTc9c8c7c<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#3. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/four-of-a-kind\/\" title=\"What Is a Four of a Kind in Poker?\">Four of a Kind<\/a><\/td><td>Four cards of the same rank<\/td><td>4c4s4d4hJc<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#4. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/full-house\/\" title=\"What Is a Full House in Poker?\">Full House<\/a><\/td><td>Three cards of one rank + two cards of another rank<\/td><td>3c3s3d7h7c<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#5. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/flush\/\" title=\"What Is a Flush in Poker?\">Flush<\/a><\/td><td>Five cards of the same suit<\/td><td>KdJd7d5d3d<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#6. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/straight\/\" title=\"What Is a Straight in Poker?\">Straight<\/a><\/td><td>Five consecutive cards in different suits<\/td><td>6s5s4d3d2h<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-ast-global-color-1-color\">#7. Three of a Kind<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-ast-global-color-1-color\">Three cards of the same rank<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-ast-global-color-1-color\">7c7h7d2hJ2<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#8. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/two-pairs\/\" title=\"What Are Two Pairs in Poker?\">Two Pairs<\/a><\/td><td>Two cards of one rank + two cards of another rank<\/td><td>QcQs2c2hJs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#9. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/one-pair\/\" title=\"What Is One Pair in Poker?\">One Pair<\/a><\/td><td>Two cards of the same rank<\/td><td>8h8sAcKs5d<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>#10. <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/high-card\/\" title=\"What is a High Card in Poker?\">High Card<\/a><\/td><td>Any other hand<\/td><td>AcQdJs4h3c<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples of a Three of a Kind Poker Hand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Three cards of the exact same ranking coupled with any two other unmatched cards constitute a three of a kind. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ks Kd Kc Ah 5d \u2013 three of a kind, Kings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Js Jc Jd Qs 8c \u2013 three of a kind, Jacks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>9h 9d 9s Js Th \u2013 three of a kind, Nines<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5h 5s 5d 9s 7d \u2013 three of a kind, Fives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In community card <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-poker\/\" title=\"How to Play Poker: Winning Strategy for Beginners\">poker<\/a> variations, two players can have the same three of a kind hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When this happens, the remaining two cards, known as kickers, are used to determine the winner. More precisely, the player holding the highest kicker card of the remaining four cards will win the pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if one player has 5s 5c 5h 8s Td and the other player has 5s 5c 5d 2c Qh, the latter player wins because the Qh is the highest kicker. If the first kicker is of the same ranking, the second card is compared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Beats Three of a Kind in Poker?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A three of a kind is a decently <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/\" title=\"Poker Hand Rankings &amp; The Best Texas Hold\u2019em Hands\">strong poker hand<\/a> that beats all high card, one pair, and two pairs combinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, compared to all possible combinations, a three of a kind is only the seventh-strongest hand, as it loses to all straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kind combos, straight flushes, and Royal Flushes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When two players have a three of a kind, the player holding the higher-ranking three cards wins the pot. For example, three of a kind, Nines beats three of a kind, Sixes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Three of a Kind Probabilities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways you can make three of a kind in Texas Hold\u2019em. You can do it by combining your pocket pair with one of the community cards, or you can use one of your hole cards with two community cards of the same ranking to make the trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The table below shows the odds of making three of a kind on different streets when starting with a pocket pair and an unpaired hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td>Flop<\/td><td>From flop to turn<\/td><td>From turn to river<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Pocket pair<\/td><td>10.8%<\/td><td>4.2%<\/td><td>4.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Unpaired hand<\/td><td>1.35%<\/td><td>4.2%<\/td><td>4.3%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few more interesting facts about three of a kind hand in poker:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When you start with AKo specifically, your odds of flopping a three of a kind or better are 1.78%<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you hold a pair, you have a 20.3% chance to improve to a three of a kind or better by the river<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With T9s, your odds of flopping a three of a kind or better are 3.58%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Play Three of a Kind in Poker?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although three of a kind can be a powerful hand that can win you big pots, it\u2019s important to understand when you need to be careful with this particular combination and adjust your <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-strategy-tips\/\" title=\"Poker Strategy 101 \u2013 How to Win in Poker More Often\">strategy<\/a> accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally speaking, sets (three of a kind made with a pocket pair) are much stronger than trips made using two community cards. These hands are better disguised and will allow you to extract value from your opponents, which is why set mining is a good strategy when playing with deep stacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should be careful playing three of a kind with boards with three cards to a straight or a flush, especially if other players seem eager to put chips into the pot. While trips are a decently strong hand, they\u2019re by no means unbeatable, and you have to be very aware of the board texture in big pots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq uagb-faq__outer-wrap uagb-block-67446499 uagb-faq-icon-row uagb-faq-layout-accordion uagb-faq-expand-first-false uagb-faq-inactive-other-true uagb-faq__wrap uagb-buttons-layout-wrap uagb-faq-equal-height     \" data-faqtoggle=\"true\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-be88e785 \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><em>What is a three of a kind hand in poker?<\/em><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>A three of a kind is a poker hand consisting of three cards of the same ranking and two other non-paired cards known as kickers.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-02324828 \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><em>What beats a three of a kind?<\/em><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>In the overall hierarchy of hand rankings, three of a kind is the seventh-strongest hand. Straights, flushes, full houses, quads, straight flushes, and Royal Flushes all beat a three of a kind.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-02ff0cbf \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><em>What does a three of a kind beat?<\/em><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>A three of a kind beats all high card hands, all one pair combinations, and any hands containing two pairs.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-52e9374f \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><em>How often will you make a three of a kind?<\/em><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>The odds of making a three of a kind on the flop in Texas Hold\u2019em when starting with a pocket pair are 10.8%. The odds of flopping a three of a kind with an unpaired hand are 1.35%.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-4038cbc1 \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><em>What happens when two players have a three of a kind?<\/em><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>When two players have a three of a kind hand, the one with the higher-ranking cards in their three-card combination wins; i.e., 6c 6d 6s 5s 2c beats 4s 4h 4d Ah Kd. When both players have the exact same three of a kind, the one with the highest side card (kicker) wins.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A three of a kind in poker is a hand consisting of three cards of the same ranking and any two other unpaired cards. In Texas Hold\u2019em, there is an important differentiation between a three [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":222,"featured_media":0,"parent":2532176,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"right-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2533201","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"author_image":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Tadas Peckaitis","author_link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/author\/tadas-peckaitisgmail-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A three of a kind in poker is a hand consisting of three cards of the same ranking and any two other unpaired cards. In Texas Hold\u2019em, there is an important differentiation between a three [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2533201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2533201"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2533201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2533763,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2533201\/revisions\/2533763"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2532176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2533201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}