Three of a kind

From ArticleWorld

Three of a kind is a poker hand consisting of three cards of the same rank, in addition to two more unmatched cards. When two, or more, players have three of a kind, the higher ranking matched set wins. This hand ranks above two pair, but below a straight. Common slang terms for this hand are trips or a set.

Ranking

A poker hand consists of five cards. Although in many poker games each player has seven cards to play, the two extra cards are not used to determine the winner. If two, or more, players have identical five-card hands, they will divide the pot equally between them.

The cards are ranked Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 . An Ace may also be used as a low card, below the 2 in making a straight, or a straight flush. The suits have no rank in poker, and are not used to determine the winner of a hand.

Probability

In poker, the probability of each type of five-card hand can be computed by calculating the proportion of hands of that type among all possible hands. Three of a kind can be formed many ways. The odds of getting three of a kind are 46.3 : 1.