Pokeriad / Learn / Straight vs three of a kind
Does a straight beat three of a kind?
Updated November 2026
Yes. A straight beats three of a kind. A straight is five cards in a row, and three of a kind is three cards of the same rank.
The reason is how rare each one is in five-card poker. In Texas Hold'em something odd happens to those numbers.
Which wins
How often
Why does a straight rank higher?
With five cards, a straight comes up about 1 time in 255 and three of a kind about 1 time in 47. The rarer hand wins, so the straight ranks higher.
Five cards dealt
Why are they so close in Hold'em?
With seven cards to pick from, straights become much more common. By the river they nearly catch three of a kind.
Five cards against seven
How often each hand comes up
The ranking stayed the same anyway, since everyone learned it from five-card poker and nobody has any reason to change it.
Is there a difference between a set and trips?
Both are three of a kind. A set is a pair in your hand and one on the board. Trips is one card in your hand and a pair on the board. A set is much better, because nobody can see it coming, and it's far less likely someone else holds the same rank.
Sets and trips
How are ties broken?
Two straights: the higher top card wins. Two sets of three of a kind: the bigger three wins, and the kickers count only if those match, as they can with trips on the board.
How do you know a straight is out there?
Look for three cards on the board that fit in a stretch of five. On 9-8-6 lots of hands make a straight, and on K-7-2 none can. If there's no straight or flush possible, three of a kind is very strong.
Straight possible?
Can you tell which wins?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask
Does three of a kind beat two pair?
Yes. Three of a kind is one step above two pair.
Does a straight beat two pair?
Yes. A straight beats three of a kind, which beats two pair.
Can a straight wrap around the ace?
No. Q-K-A-2-3 is nothing at all.
How the numbers on this page were worked out
We counted all 2,598,960 five-card hands and all 133,784,560 seven-card deals. The totals match the tables on Wikipedia's poker probability page.
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