Can You Have 3 Pairs in Poker?
No. In standard poker games, players make the best 5-card poker hand from the 7 cards available – the 2 hole cards in their hand and the 5 community cards on the table. You cannot use all 3 pairs as part of a valid hand, since poker hands can only use 5 cards maximum.
This means that while it‘s definitely possible to have 3 pairs across the 7 cards in play, only the best 5-card hand counts. So you‘re limited to using 2 pairs as part of a full house or three-of-a-kind hand at the very most.
Let me explain further…
Why Poker Hands Are Limited to 5 Cards
All standard poker hands must be made using exactly 5 cards. These 5 card hands are ranked against other players‘ hands to determine the winner:
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four-of-a-kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three-of-a-kind
- Two pair
- One pair
- High card
Having 5 cards in a poker hand enables mathematical ranked hands like straights and flushes. It also enables strategic elelments like kickers – who has the highest value cards to make the best 5-card hand?
You cannot have 3 pairs, because it would require 6 cards. Even if there are 3 pairs visible among the 7 card, you must make your best 5 card hand using standard rankings.
This is why a full house (3-of-a-kind plus one pair) is a stronger made hand than just having two pair, despite fewer pairs. The hand ranking rules require efficient 5-card hands.
Now let‘s look at how likely it is to get various pairs in poker…
The Probability of Getting Pocket Pairs
When looking at the probability of specific pairs in your first two hole cards, you‘ll find pairs are actually uncommon, besides very low ones:
- Aces odds: 450 to 1 (0.45%)
- Kings: 425 to 1 (0.23%)
- Queens: 425 to 1 (0.23%)
- Jacks: 425 to 1 (0.23%)
- 10s through 2s: Ranges from 139:1 (2.90%) to 300:1 (1.39%)
As you can see, getting dealt big pocket pairs (aces, kings) to start is quite rare! However smaller pairs down to 10s appear more frequently.
Hitting Pairs on the Flop is More Common
While big starting pairs are uncommon, you‘ll hit pairs on the flop more regularly. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 flops contain a pair!
{% table {class:"table table-bordered"} %}
| Pair on Flop | Percentage Chance |
|:————-|:——————|
| No Pair | 67.41% |
| One Pair | 31.46% |
| Two Pairs | 1.12% |
{% end %}
So as you see pairs appear with regularity. But let‘s explore optimal strategies for playing different pairs…
Best Strategies for Pairs
Getting dealt any pair is great card to start with. However, with 5 community cards and multiple opponents, a single pair often gets out-kicked by higher pairs or trips/flushes. This makes pocket pairs so valuable.
Big pairs like aces, kings queens have tremendous value if you hit a set or trips. They give you the highest probability for powerful hands like quads or full house. It is optimal to raise with these hands pre-flop. Draw out opponents or push them out the hand if you hit big.
Smaller pairs have value too allowing you to hit sets on flop. Play aggressively pre-flop to limit opponents. If you whiff you can check/fold later streets limiting losses. If you hit a set of trips, keep value betting your hand.
So while its rare to be dealt 3 pairs in poker, even one is powerful with right strategy. Use your pocket pairs aggressively to hit huge hands like sets, trips and full houses!
Let me know if you have any other poker questions!
