You’ll often come across words like ‘Three of a Kind’, ‘Four of a Kind, ‘Straight’ etc. while playing poker. The importance of these poker hand rankings cannot be stressed enough. If you wish to have an eventful outing at the poker table, you must recognize these poker hands and know how to use them. There are 10 possible five-card poker hands that you can possibly have in a game, and this three-card ranking comes in at number seven. This puts it above the two-pair, but below the straight and every other dominant hand. Your poker chances are not the best while holding the three of a kind in poker. However, any hand can be used to gain the victory if used correctly.
Nature of This Hand Ranking
As the word suggests, this poker hand combination is a representation of three cards held by a player that belongs to the same rank. Qd-Qs-Qc-5h-7c is an example of the three of a kind in poker. Three Aces are the best cards you could use to make this combination. Speaking of its formation, this poker hand ranking can be made using sets and trips. Sets mean that you hold a pocket pair and receive the third card on the flop while trips mean that you hold one pair and receive two others from the table.
Three of a Kind in Poker
In a 52-card French Deck, there are 54,912 possibilities of making this combination with 858 different hands. Poker hands consist of five cards which is why in case of a tie, the kicker card works into deciding who wins the pot and if that doesn’t resolve it either, then the second kicker is used. In games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker, you won’t find players be too keen with this hand ranking as it sits deep down among all the other formations. However, poker is more so about skill than luck, and thus a master in bluff could use it for his favour.
Probabilities of a Three of a Kind in Poker
Poker probabilities are given much importance by all regular players. Using the pre-flop, flop, turn and river, here are your chances of making this card ranking in a game of Texas Hold’em.
Pre-flop: 2.1128% (5 cards drawn at random from a full 52-card deck).
Flop: 11.8% (while holding a pocket pair).
Turn: 4.26% (while holding a pocket pair),
River: 4.35% (while holding a pocket pair).
Perhaps it isn't the best of the lot, but again, nothing is inevitable when it comes to playing poker. Your game plan should focus on preparing yourself for all situations. If you are a poker beginner, going through the poker dictionary is your best bet to start off with learning the basics of the poker game. Learn the different hand rankings and basic strategies to give yourself a foundation and join Spartan Poker once you are ready to showcase your skills at the table. We offer a number of poker tournaments in the variations of the game that you are most comfortable with. So, if you find yourself ready to roll, register and join our games right away.
