Three of a Kind in Poker: Rank, Kickers, and Straight vs. Trips

Three of a kind is a made poker hand from three cards of the same rank plus two side cards. It sits above two pair and below a straight in standard hand rankings. That rank order settles the common debate fast: a straight beats trips every time. The details that decide close pots are the tie rules, since kickers matter when two players share the board.

It’s three cards of one rank, plus two other cards that do not pair with each other. Example: 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ with A♠ and 9♦ as the side cards. In common poker shorthand, “trips” and “set” get used for the same made hand, but players often separate the terms based on how the three-of-a-kind is formed.

A “set” usually means a pocket pair that matches one board card, like holding 7♣7♦ when a 7♥ lands on the flop. “Trips” often refers to one pocket card matching a paired board, like holding A♠7♣ on a board of 7♦ 7♥ K♠. In either case, the hand is still 3 of a kind in poker, and the same tie rules apply. 

Clarity tends to come faster on online poker tables, since community cards and action history stay visible the whole time.

Hand rankings settle most disputes fast, since the order never changes from room to room. The table below shows where three of a kind fit and what sits directly above and below it.

Source note: Poker hand rankings from Texas State University.

Three of a kind forms when a player holds three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched side cards. In hand rankings, that combination sits below a straight and above two pair. The ranking never shifts based on suits, board texture, or betting size; only the five-card result matters at showdown.

Tie resolution follows a strict order. The rank of the three matching cards decides first. Three queens beat three jacks, no matter what the side cards look like. When two players share the same trips rank, kickers come next. The highest side card is compared, then the second side card if needed. Suits never factor into this process.

Board-heavy scenarios highlight this rule. On a board like K♠ K♦ K♥ 8♣ 4♠, two players may both show three kings. A player holding A♣ Q♦ wins against someone holding J♠ 9♣, since ace beats jack as the top kicker. These details matter in poker cash games and tournaments alike, since pots often hinge on side-card order rather than the made hand itself.

When the board supplies the three-of-a-kind (or a paired board creates shared trips), the entire pot can come down to kicker order.

Three of a kind sit in a defined slot, which makes comparisons predictable once the ranking order is clear. Hands that beat it include straight, flush, full house, and four of a kind. Each of those hands forms a stronger five-card combination under standard rules. Hands that fall below trips include two pair, one pair, and high card.

This placement matters in real play, since betting lines often build around relative hand strength rather than absolute confidence. A player holding trips on a dry board may press the action, yet caution sets in once coordinated cards appear. 

A real tournament spot shows why the ranking order is absolute. In the WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas on December 8, 2025, the final board ran K♦ 5♦ 4♠ 7♦ J♠, and Anthony Reynolds tabled J♥ J♦ for three of a kind (a rivered set of jacks). 

John Cipriano tabled 8♠ 6♥ for an eight-high straight, which won the showdown because a straight ranks above three of a kind under standard poker hand rankings.

Three of a kind feels common during live play, but the actual numbers tell a more measured story. Probability data from five-card poker shows how rarely the hand shows up across large samples.

The five-card count comes from standard combinatorics: choose the rank for the trips (13), choose 3 of the 4 suits for that rank, choose 2 distinct side ranks from the remaining 12, then choose 1 suit for each side card. That’s 13 × C(4,3) × C(12,2) × 4² = 54,912 three-of-a-kind hands out of 2,598,960 total five-card hands.

The quickest way to resolve three of a kind or straight debates is to line the hand up against its neighbors in the ranking order. The table below shows the most common comparisons and the rule that decides each one.

This ordering stays fixed across cash games and tournaments. The dealer reads, and floor decisions rely on this chart first, then apply kicker rules only when two hands share the same class.

In tournament rooms, showdowns run on “cards speak” principles: the dealer reads the board, and the best five-card hand decides the pot even if a player misstates their hand. 

When multiple players have table hands on a paired board, the dealer resolves three of a kind by comparing the trips' rank first, then kickers in descending order. This is the standard dispute-killer in tri-spots where the board supplies the three matching cards, and side cards decide the winner. 

This matters for three-of-a-kind situations on paired boards, where multiple players may hold trips with different kickers. Tournament directors rely on written rulesets to resolve disputes fast, since time pressure and payout ladders leave little room for debate. Clear hand exposure and orderly tabling protect game integrity when high payouts are involved, and margins tighten.

Three of a kind carries weight at the table, yet its value stays tied to fixed ranking rules. The hand wins plenty of pots against pairs and two pair, then gives way once straights or stronger combinations appear. 

Kickers decide close calls, board texture shapes confidence, and tournament procedures remove ambiguity when stacks and payouts grow. 

Reading trips accurately comes from respecting math and hierarchy rather than table momentum.

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