Full House vs Three of a Kind: Which Wins and Why

What separates the two hands?

A full house is three cards of one rank plus a pair of another — K♦ K♣ K♠ 7♥ 7♦, three kings and two sevens. Three of a kind is three of one rank plus two unrelated cards: J♣ J♦ J♥ 5♠ 2♦.

The extra pair is the entire difference, and it is worth three places on the chart. A full house ranks 4th of 10, three of a kind 7th. A flush and a straight fill the gap between them — does a flush beat a straight settles that pair.

River

You

Trips and set are two names for the same three of a kind, depending on where the three cards came from — poker hand rankings sorts out which name goes where. Against a full house it never matters.

How does three of a kind turn into a full house?

This is the part that costs beginners pots, because you never have to hold the pair yourself.

River

You

Your king joins the board's two kings, which makes three kings.

The board's own pair of 9s supplies the rest: your best five cards are K♣ K♦ K♥ 9♠ 9♣ — Kings full of Nines. The 2♥ and the 4♦ never enter the hand.

The habit is small: whenever you make three of a kind, scan the rest of the board for a pair.

This takes a few hands to feel automatic. That's normal.

Which full house wins when both players have one?

River

You

Opponent

The same five ranks as your Kings full of Nines, in the opposite arrangement. Your three kings settle it before the pairs are looked at.

Kings full of Sevens beats Queens full of Aces for the same reason. The aces look bigger, but they are only the pair.

When the three-of-a-kind part is identical — on a board already showing three of one rank — the pair breaks the tie. If both parts match, the pot is split.

You'll also run into these

• A board like K♦ K♥ K♠ 9♠ 9♣ is a full house on its own, and everyone holds it — that is playing the board.
• Kickers never rescue three of a kind against a full house. Side cards separate two hands of the same type, and these are two different types.

Frequently asked questions

What beats a full house?

Only four of a kind, a straight flush, and a royal flush — the three hands above it on the chart. That makes a full house the strongest hand most players will ever make in a session. Unfamiliar terms are defined in poker terms for beginners.