- This article is about the poker hand. For the dance music group, see 3 Of A Kind.
Three of a kind is a poker hand such as 2♦ 2♠ 2♥ K♠ 6♠, which contains three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. Also called "trips", or "a set". It ranks above two pair and below a straight. There are 54,912 possible three of a kind hands, so the odds of getting trips given five cards are 4077:88 or approximately 46:1.
Between two such hands, the hand with the higher ranking matched set wins. If both have the same matched set (this is possible only in games with wild cards or community cards), then the kickers are compared to break the tie.
Examples:
- 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 5♠ 3♣ ("three eights" or "trip eights") defeats 5♣ 5♥ 5♦ Q♦ 10♣ ("three fives")
- 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ A♣ 2♦ ("three eights, ace kicker") defeats 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 5♠ 3♣ ("three eights, five, three")
In Texas hold 'em, a set usually refers to a three of a kind in which two of the cards are in the player's hand and the third is on the board, whereas trips more often refers to one card in the player's hand and two on the board. Three of a kind suggests neither. The terms may all be used interchangeably, however.
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