Yes. A straight beats three of a kind in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud and almost every other form of poker. A straight is five cards in a row; three of a kind is three cards of one rank. The straight ranks higher because it’s rarer in a five-card deal: 10,200 straights against 54,912 three of a kinds.
Straight vs three of a kind in brief
- Ranking: straight sixth, three of a kind seventh, from the top.
- Even the lowest straight, 5-4-3-2-A, beats the best three of a kind, A-A-A-K-Q.
- With seven cards, the two hands come up almost equally often: 4.62% and 4.83% by the Hold’em river.
- A hand can hold a straight and three of a kind at once; the straight plays.
- The exception is some Short Deck rule sets, which rank three of a kind above the straight.
| Straight | Three of a kind |
|---|---|
| Five cards in sequence, any suits: 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠ | Three cards of one rank plus two unrelated cards: 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ |
| Sixth-best hand in standard poker | Seventh-best hand in standard poker |
| 10,200 five-card hands (0.392%, about 1 in 255) | 54,912 five-card hands (2.11%, about 1 in 47) |
| Best hand by the Hold’em river 4.62% of the time (1 in 22) | Best hand by the Hold’em river 4.83% of the time (1 in 21) |
| Best: A-K-Q-J-10; worst: 5-4-3-2-A (the wheel) | Best: A-A-A-K-Q; worst: 2-2-2-4-3 |
| Two straights: compare the top card only; same top card splits | Two of the same three of a kind: compare the two kickers |
| Beats three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card | Beats two pair, one pair and high card |
| Loses to a flush, a full house, four of a kind and a straight flush | Loses to a straight and everything above it |
| In Hold’em, called a straight whatever the hole cards | In Hold’em, called a “set” with a pocket pair and “trips” with one hole card |
Exact counts over all 2,598,960 five-card and 133,784,560 seven-card hands, counting each hand by its best five cards. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
It’s a question that comes up at every beginner table, and it has a twist most answers skip. The straight beats three of a kind because it’s rarer in a five-card deal, but in seven-card games like Hold’em, the two hands turn up almost equally often, and in Short Deck Hold’em the straight is actually the more common hand. This guide explains the ranking, then goes further: how often each hand is made in every game and on every street, how sets, trips and straights are built in Hold’em, how sets do against straights and straight draws, how often three of a kind runs into a straight at tables of every size, and why some Short Deck games reverse the order.
Every probability here was calculated by the TopSitesPoker.com editorial team, either exactly, by counting every possible combination of cards, or by large simulations where exact counting isn’t practical. The only exceptions are the video poker frequencies and the exact Omaha counts, which come from the Wizard of Odds. Each example was checked with a hand evaluator.
- A straight always beats three of a kind in standard poker: the wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, beats three aces.
- The gap closes with more cards: three of a kind is 5.4 times as common as a straight in five cards, but only 1.05 times as common in seven.
- Hold’em three of a kinds come from the hole cards in an exact 1 : 4 : 2 split: a set with a pocket pair, trips with one hole card, or three of a kind on the board.
- Pocket pairs make three of a kind 11.7% to 11.8% of the time by the river; connected cards like J-10 make a straight 9.2% of the time.
- With everyone seeing the river, three of a kind loses to a straight in about 1 of every 420 heads-up deals and 1 of every 44 six-handed deals.
- In Short Deck Hold’em, straights are almost twice as common as three of a kind, which is why some rule sets reverse the order.
Why a Straight Beats Three of a Kind
Poker hands are ranked by how hard they are to make in a five-card deal: the rarer the hand, the higher it ranks. Here are both counts, each easy to check by hand:
- Straights: there are 10 sequences, from A-K-Q-J-10 down to 5-4-3-2-A, and each card can be any of 4 suits: 10 × 45 = 10,240. Take away the 40 straight flushes, which rank higher, and 10,200 straights are left.
- Three of a kind: choose the rank of the three (13 ways) and three of its four suits (4 ways), then two different other ranks for the kickers (C(12,2) = 66 ways), each in any of 4 suits (16 ways): 13 × 4 × 66 × 16 = 54,912 three of a kinds.
So in a five-card deal, three of a kind is about 5.4 times as common as a straight, and the straight ranks higher. The ranks involved don’t matter: the lowest straight, the wheel, beats three aces.
A straight ranks higher because it’s rarer in a five-card deal.
Seven cards change the picture
Hand rankings are based on five-card deals, but in Hold’em and Stud you use the best five of seven cards. Extra cards help straights far more than three of a kind, and the gap almost disappears:
| Cards seen | Straight as best hand | Three of a kind as best hand | Three of a kinds per straight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 (a five-card deal, or the Hold’em flop) | 10,200 of 2,598,960 (0.392%) | 54,912 (2.11%) | 5.38 |
| 6 (the Hold’em turn) | 361,620 of 20,358,520 (1.78%) | 732,160 (3.60%) | 2.02 |
| 7 (the Hold’em river, or Stud’s seventh street) | 6,180,020 of 133,784,560 (4.62%) | 6,461,620 (4.83%) | 1.05 |
Exact counts by TopSitesPoker.com over every possible hand, counting each by its best five cards.
Why the change? A straight needs five different ranks in a row, and with only five cards you have to hit all five exactly. With seven cards, you have two spare cards, and many more sets of seven contain some run of five. Three of a kind grows more slowly, because as cards are added, many hands holding three of a kind also pick up a pair, which makes a full house, or complete a straight or a flush. With seven cards, you’ll finish with three of a kind only about 5% more often than with a straight.
The rankings still use the five-card counts, and in seven cards the straight is still the rarer hand, just barely. So the order holds.
The same comparison in other games
| Game | Straight | Three of a kind | Which is rarer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five-card deal | 0.392% | 2.11% | Straight |
| Texas Hold’em or Seven Card Stud, by the river | 4.62% | 4.83% | Straight, just |
| Omaha, by the river | 11.28% | 8.78% | Three of a kind |
| Short Deck, five cards (36-card deck) | 1.62% (6,120 of 376,992) | 4.28% (16,128) | Straight |
| Short Deck Hold’em, by the river | 14.0% | 7.27% | Three of a kind |
| 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker, final hands with optimal play | 1.12% | 7.44% | Straight |
Exact counts by TopSitesPoker.com, except Omaha (exact counts published by the Wizard of Odds: 52,289,648,688 straights and 40,712,657,408 three of a kinds of 463,563,500,400 hands) and video poker (published figures from the Wizard of Odds). Short Deck counts treat A-6-7-8-9 as the lowest straight; by the river, a hand holding both a straight and three of a kind counts as a straight.
Share of hands whose best hand is a straight or three of a kind, with every hand played to the end.
Two games flip the frequencies. In Omaha, with four hole cards, straights become more common than three of a kind, but Omaha simply keeps the standard rankings. In Short Deck, with only nine ranks, straights are so easy to make that by the river of Short Deck Hold’em they’re almost twice as common as three of a kind. That’s why some Short Deck rule sets move three of a kind above the straight, as we explain further down.
Would the order change if rankings used seven cards?
Because the two hands are so close with seven cards, it’s fair to ask whether Hold’em should rank them the other way. The answer depends on a subtle point: if you swap the order, the hands that hold both a straight and three of a kind change sides, and the counts change with them. Here’s what happens under each order:
| Game and ranking | Straights (best hand) | Three of a kinds (best hand) | Is the higher-ranked hand the rarer one? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold’em, standard order (straight higher) | 6,180,020 | 6,461,620 | Yes |
| Hold’em, reversed (three of a kind higher) | 6,129,420 | 6,512,220 | No |
| Short Deck Hold’em, standard order | 1,169,940 | 607,200 | No |
| Short Deck Hold’em, reversed | 1,139,580 | 637,560 | Yes |
Exact over all 133,784,560 seven-card hands and all 8,347,680 seven-card Short Deck hands. In Hold’em, 50,600 seven-card hands hold both; in Short Deck, 30,360. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
For Hold’em, the standard order is the consistent one: the straight ranks higher and is also the rarer hand with seven cards, if only by 4.4%. Reverse the order and three of a kind becomes both higher-ranked and more common, which makes no sense. Short Deck Hold’em is the mirror image. Under standard rankings, the straight ranks higher even though it’s almost twice as common; reverse the order and the rankings match the odds again. That’s the mathematical case for the Short Deck rule sets that put three of a kind above the straight.
Where the Straight and Three of a Kind Sit in the Rankings
Here’s the full order of poker hands. Each hand beats every hand below it and loses to every hand above it. The straight and three of a kind sit next to each other in the lower middle:
| Rank | Hand | Example | Five-card hands | Seven-card hands (best five) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | 4 | 4,324 |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 36 | 37,260 |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 7♠ | 624 | 224,848 |
| 4 | Full house | J♠ J♥ J♦ 4♣ 4♠ | 3,744 | 3,473,184 |
| 5 | Flush | A♠ J♠ 8♠ 6♠ 3♠ | 5,108 | 4,047,644 |
| 6 | Straight | 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠ | 10,200 | 6,180,020 |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ | 54,912 | 6,461,620 |
| 8 | Two pair | K♠ K♥ 8♦ 8♣ A♠ | 123,552 | 31,433,400 |
| 9 | One pair | Q♠ Q♥ A♦ 9♣ 4♠ | 1,098,240 | 58,627,800 |
| 10 | High card | A♠ J♦ 8♣ 6♥ 3♠ | 1,302,540 | 23,294,460 |
Exact over all 2,598,960 five-card and 133,784,560 seven-card hands. Seven-card counts are by the best five cards. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
What beats a straight, and what three of a kind beats
- A straight loses to a flush, a full house, four of a kind and a straight flush, as well as any higher straight. It beats three of a kind and everything below.
- Three of a kind beats two pair, one pair and high card, plus any lower three of a kind. It loses to a straight and everything above.
- The step is a big one in five cards and a tiny one in seven. Three of a kind is 5.4 times as common as a straight in five cards. With seven cards, the two are closer in frequency than any other neighbors on the ladder: 6,461,620 against 6,180,020.
Which Straights and Which Three of a Kinds Come Up Most
| Top rank | Share of seven-card straights, by the top card | Share of seven-card three of a kinds, by the rank of the three |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | 12.1% (A-K-Q-J-10) | 7.72% |
| King | 9.8% | 7.72% |
| Queen | 9.8% | 7.71% |
| Jack | 9.8% | 7.69% |
| Ten down to six | 9.8% each | 7.67% each |
| Five | 9.8% (the wheel) | 7.67% |
| Four | None | 7.69% |
| Three | None | 7.71% |
| Two | None | 7.72% |
Exact over all 6,180,020 seven-card straights and 6,461,620 seven-card three of a kinds, by the best five cards. In five-card deals, each of the ten straights makes up exactly 10.0% and each rank of three of a kind exactly 7.69%. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Both hands are spread almost evenly, with two small quirks. The ace-high straight is the most common straight with seven cards, because it’s the only one an extra card can’t extend into a higher straight. And three of a kind is very slightly more common at the edges, aces and deuces, than in the middle. That’s the straight at work again: three sevens sit in the middle of many possible straights, so with seven cards they’re a little more likely to be part of a straight, which then plays instead.
When You Have a Straight and Three of a Kind at Once
With seven cards, one hand can hold both. Of the 6,180,020 seven-card hands whose best hand is a straight, 50,600, or 0.82%, also contain three of a kind. Your hand is always the best five cards, so the straight plays. For example, with 7♥ 6♦ on a board of 7♠ 7♣ 8♦ 9♥ 10♠, you hold three sevens and also the straight 10-9-8-7-6. Your hand is the straight.
The reverse is a common misread. On a board of 7♠ 8♣ 9♦ 10♥ 2♠, 7♥ 7♦ has three sevens but no straight: the board’s 10-9-8-7 needs a jack or a six, and the pocket sevens add neither. A player holding 6♣ 6♦ has the ten-high straight 10-9-8-7-6 and wins, even though the sevens look like the stronger holding.
Comparing Straights, Three of a Kinds and the Two Against Each Other
- Straight against three of a kind: the straight always wins in standard poker, whatever the ranks.
- Straight against straight: compare only the top card. The higher top card wins; the same top card splits. The wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, is the lowest straight.
- Three of a kind against three of a kind: the higher three wins. If both have the same three, which in Hold’em needs the board’s help, the higher first kicker wins, then the second kicker, and if both match, the pot is split.
Hand categories are compared first; some Short Deck rules rank three of a kind above the straight.
| Hand A | Hand B | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5♠ 4♥ 3♦ 2♣ A♠ (the lowest straight) | A♥ A♦ A♣ K♠ Q♥ (the highest three of a kind) | A | Any straight beats any three of a kind |
| A♠ K♥ Q♦ J♣ 10♠ | K♦ K♣ K♠ A♣ Q♠ | A | Still straight over three of a kind |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠ | 9♥ 9♦ 9♣ A♥ K♥ | A | A straight beats three of a kind of its own top rank |
| 8♣ 7♥ 6♠ 5♦ 4♥ | 9♠ 8♦ 7♣ 6♥ 5♣ | B | Two straights: nine high beats eight high |
| Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ A♣ 3♠ | J♠ J♥ J♦ A♠ K♣ | A | Two three of a kinds: the higher three wins, whatever the kickers |
| 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ A♣ K♠ | 6♠ 6♥ 6♦ A♥ K♦ | A | The higher three wins; the matching kickers never come into it |
Every comparison checked with a hand evaluator.
The first row is the one to remember: the wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, beats three aces. Hand categories are compared first, and ranks only matter between two hands of the same category.
How Straights and Three of a Kinds Are Made in Hold’em
In Hold’em, both hands can be built with two hole cards, one or none. Over all 2,809,475,760 combinations of two hole cards and five board cards, here’s how they split:
| How it’s made | Example | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Three of a kind: a pocket pair plus one board card, a “set” | 9♥ 9♦ on 9♠ K♣ 4♦ 7♥ 2♠ | 14.3% (1 in 7) |
| Three of a kind: one hole card plus a pair on the board, “trips” | K♦ Q♣ on K♠ K♥ 9♣ 5♦ 2♠ | 57.1% (4 in 7) |
| Three of a kind: all three on the board | A♠ Q♣ on 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 5♥ | 28.6% (2 in 7) |
| Straight: the board supplies three cards, you supply two | J♦ 10♣ on 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ | 39.7% |
| Straight: the board supplies four, you supply one | J♦ 3♣ on 10♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 2♠ | 53.3% |
| Straight: all five on the board | Any hand without a jack, like K♥ K♦, on 10♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ 6♠ | 7.0% |
Exact over all 2,809,475,760 combinations of two hole cards and five board cards. Three of a kind splits in an exact 1 : 4 : 2 ratio. A straight’s share is set by how many of its five ranks the board is missing. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Exact over all 2,809,475,760 combinations of two hole cards and five board cards.
The two hands arrive in very different ways. Three of a kind is mostly a board hand: only one in seven is a set made with a pocket pair, and more than a quarter are three of a kind sitting on the board for everyone. Those shared three of a kinds are why kickers matter so much for this hand. Straights, by contrast, almost always use your cards: 93% need at least one hole card.
The board decides which hand is likely
| River board | Share of boards | Your best hand is a straight | Your best hand is three of a kind | Share of all straights | Share of all three of a kinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No pair | 50.7% | 7.00% | 1.36% (sets only) | 76.8% | 14.3% |
| One pair | 42.3% | 2.45% | 6.53% | 22.4% | 57.1% |
| Two pair | 4.75% | 0.51% | 0% | 0.5% | 0% |
| Three of a kind | 2.11% | 0.51% | 65.3% | 0.2% | 28.6% |
| Full house or four of a kind | 0.17% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Exact over all 2,809,475,760 combinations of two hole cards and five board cards. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
On an unpaired board, a straight is five times as common as three of a kind, which can only be a set there. On a board with one pair, it’s the other way around: any hand holding the paired rank has three of a kind, and three of a kind is 2.7 times as common as a straight. With two pair on the board, three of a kind can’t be anyone’s best hand at all, because any card that makes it also makes a full house.
How many hands beat you
Here’s how many of the 990 hands an opponent could hold beat a few straights and three of a kinds on the same river boards:
| Board | Your hand | Your best hand | Hands that beat you | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ (unpaired) | J♦ 10♣ | Jack-high straight, the nuts | 0 | 9 |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | 10♦ 6♣ | Ten-high straight | 12 (higher straights) | 9 |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | 6♦ 5♣ | Nine-high straight | 28 (higher straights) | 9 |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | K♥ K♦ | Top set, three kings | 48 (all straights) | 0 |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | 2♦ 2♣ | Bottom set, three deuces | 60 (48 straights, 12 higher sets) | 0 |
| 9♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 2♠ (paired) | J♦ 10♣ | Jack-high straight | 28 (27 full houses, 1 four of a kind) | 9 |
| 9♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 2♠ | 9♦ K♣ | Trips, three nines with a king | 70 (48 straights, 18 full houses, 4 better trips) | 3 |
Exact over all 990 possible opponent hands on each board. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
On 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥, top set looks enormous, but 48 hands make a straight: J-10, 10-6 and 6-5. Pair the board, and the jack-high straight that was the nuts now loses to 28 hands: 27 full houses and one four of a kind.
A straight on the board: extend it or split
A straight on the board is the straight’s version of the same problem. It happens in 1 deal in 255, and every player then has at least that straight, so the only question is who can extend it at the top. On 10♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ 6♠:
| Your hand | Your best five | Hands that beat you | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q♠ J♣ | Q-J-10-9-8, the nuts | 0 | 9 |
| J♦ 2♣ | J-10-9-8-7 | 12 (queen-jack hands) | 117 |
| K♥ K♦ | Plays the board, 10-9-8-7-6 | 170 (any jack) | 820 |
| 5♥ 4♥ | Plays the board; the five and four extend it downward, which doesn’t help | 170 | 820 |
Exact over all 990 possible opponent hands. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Pocket kings are worth nothing more than the board here: any jack beats them, and everyone else splits. Adding low cards to a straight never helps, because only the top card counts.
Three of a kind on the board: the kickers decide
When three of a kind is on the board, every player has it, and the pot usually comes down to kickers, or to whoever holds a full house. On 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 5♥, here’s what a few hands are worth against the 990 possible opponent hands:
| Your hand | Your best five | Hands that beat you | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♠ 2♣ | 8-8-8-A-K, the best three of a kind possible | 341 (297 full houses, 44 fours of a kind) | 105 |
| Q♥ J♥ | 8-8-8-K-Q | 477 (341 bigger hands, 136 better kickers) | 93 |
| 7♥ 6♥ | 8-8-8-K-7 | 861 | 45 |
| 3♥ 2♥ | 8-8-8-K-5, playing the board | 957 | 33 |
Exact over all 990 possible opponent hands. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Even the best possible three of a kind on this board loses to more than a third of all hands: any pocket pair, any king or five, and the last eight all make a full house or better. Three of a kind on the board is shared, so it’s rarely worth much on its own.
Which Starting Hands Make Straights and Which Make Three of a Kind
Pocket pairs make three of a kind; connected cards make straights. Here’s how often some common Hold’em starting hands finish with each, counting every possible board:
| Starting hand | Three of a kind on the flop | Three of a kind by the river | Straight on the flop | Straight by the river |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A♠ A♦ (pocket aces) | 10.78% | 11.77% | 0% | 1.22% |
| 10♠ 10♦ (pocket tens) | 10.78% | 11.70% | 0% | 2.35% |
| 2♠ 2♦ (pocket deuces) | 10.78% | 11.77% | 0% | 1.22% |
| J♠ 10♦ (offsuit connectors) | 1.57% | 4.35% | 1.31% | 9.18% |
| 5♠ 4♦ (small offsuit connectors) | 1.57% | 4.35% | 1.31% | 9.18% |
| J♠ 10♠ (suited connectors) | 1.57% | 4.26% | 1.29% | 8.62% |
| A♠ K♦ (big offsuit cards) | 1.57% | 4.43% | 0.33% | 3.30% |
| A♠ 5♦ (ace with a wheel card) | 1.57% | 4.43% | 0.33% | 4.43% |
| 7♠ 2♦ (offsuit, far apart) | 1.57% | 4.45% | 0% | 2.67% |
Exact over all 19,600 flops and 2,118,760 boards for each starting hand. Each column counts hands whose best hand is that hand, so a hand holding both a straight and a flush counts only as a flush. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Pocket pairs make three of a kind; connected cards make straights.
A pocket pair flops a set 10.8% of the time, about one flop in nine, and has three of a kind as its best hand by the river 11.7% to 11.8% of the time. An unpaired hand flops three of a kind only 1.57% of the time, which needs two flop cards matching one of its ranks, or three of a kind on the flop itself. Connected cards reverse the picture: J-10 flops a straight 1.31% of the time and makes one by the river 9.18% of the time, about twice as often as it makes three of a kind.
A few details stand out. Pocket tens make more straights than pocket aces or deuces, because a ten fits into more straights. A♠ 5♦ makes a straight and three of a kind almost exactly equally often, 4.43% each. And suited connectors make slightly fewer straights and three of a kinds than offsuit ones, because some of their hands become flushes instead.
Sets Against Straights and Straight Draws
The most common way these two hands meet in Hold’em is a set against a straight draw, or a set against a straight that’s already made. The numbers favor whoever is ahead, but the set is never dead.
Outs and odds
| Your hand after the flop | Outs | Flop to river (two cards) | Turn to river (one card) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open-ended straight draw | 8 | 31.5% | 17.4% |
| Gutshot straight draw | 4 | 16.5% | 8.7% |
| Set, improving to a full house or four of a kind | 7 on the turn, 10 on the river | 33.4% | 21.7% |
| Pocket pair without a set, improving to three of a kind or better | 2 on the turn | 9.3% | 4.3% |
Exact from 47 unseen cards after the flop and 46 after the turn, ignoring the opponent’s cards; the pocket pair row assumes an unpaired flop and counts runner-runner full houses too. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
A set that’s behind a straight has 7 outs on the turn, the three remaining cards of each of the other two board ranks plus the last card of its own rank, and 10 on the river once the turn adds a new rank. That’s 33.4% from the flop, a little more than an open-ended straight draw has.
Head-to-head equities
| Situation | Hands | Board | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made straight against a set, on the flop | J♦ 10♣ against 9♥ 9♣ | 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ | 65.1% against 34.9% |
| The same, on the turn | J♦ 10♣ against 9♥ 9♣ | 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ | 77.3% against 22.7% |
| Nut straight against bottom set, on the flop | J♦ 10♣ against 7♥ 7♣ | 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ | 65.1% against 34.9% |
| Low straight against top set, on the flop | 6♥ 5♥ against 9♥ 9♦ | 9♠ 8♦ 7♣ | 63.7% against 36.3% |
| Set against an open-ended straight draw, on the flop | 9♥ 9♦ against J♣ 10♣ | 9♠ 8♥ 2♦ | 74.1% against 25.9% |
| The same, on the turn | 9♥ 9♦ against J♣ 10♣ | 9♠ 8♥ 2♦ K♣ | 81.8% against 18.2% |
| Set against a gutshot, on the flop | 9♥ 9♦ against Q♣ 10♦ | 9♠ 8♥ 2♦ | 84.6% against 15.4% |
| Trips against an open-ended straight draw, on the flop | 8♣ A♥ against J♥ 10♥ | 8♠ 8♥ 9♦ | 71.7% against 28.3% |
| Pocket pair against suited connectors, before the flop | 9♥ 9♦ against 8♠ 7♠ | None | 81.1% against 18.9% |
Exact over every possible run-out. Equity counts a split pot as half a win. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Exact over every turn and river for the example hands in this guide.
Before the flop: pocket pairs against connectors
The set-against-straight battle often starts before the flop, with a pocket pair against connected cards. Those all-in matchups are closer than many players think:
| Pocket pair | Connected cards | Pocket pair’s equity |
|---|---|---|
| Q♥ Q♦ | J♠ 10♠ | 81.1% |
| A♥ A♦ | 5♠ 4♠ | 78.4% |
| 7♥ 7♦ | 9♠ 8♠ | 50.9% |
| 7♥ 7♦ | J♠ 10♠ | 49.2% |
| 2♥ 2♦ | J♠ 10♠ | 46.0% |
Exact over all 1,712,304 possible boards. Equity counts a split pot as half a win. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
A big pair crushes suited connectors, because the connectors need to make a straight, a flush, or two pair or better to win. A small pair is a different story: against J♠ 10♠, pocket sevens are a slight underdog and pocket deuces a clear one, because the two overcards can also win by pairing. Suited connectors are valued for exactly this reason: they make straights and flushes, the hands that beat a set.
Three patterns stand out:
- A made straight is about a 65–35 favorite over a set on the flop, and about 77–23 on the turn. The set wins only by filling up, but it fills up often enough to matter.
- A set is about a 3-to-1 favorite over an open-ended straight draw on the flop, 74.1% against 25.9%, and better than 4-to-1 on the turn. Even when the straight card arrives, the set can still fill up on the river.
- The straight draw’s equity is below its raw odds. An open-ended draw completes 31.5% of the time from the flop, but against a set it wins only 25.9%, because some run-outs complete the straight and pair the board at the same time, giving the set a full house.
How Often Three of a Kind Runs Into a Straight
A straight beats three of a kind every time they meet, but how often do they meet? We simulated 400,000,000 Hold’em deals at every table size from two to nine players, with every player seeing all five board cards:
| Players | Someone has three of a kind | Someone has a straight | Three of a kind loses to a straight | Winning hand is three of a kind | Winning hand is a straight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 8.7% | 8.3% | 1 deal in 420 | 7.2% | 8.0% |
| 3 | 12.1% | 11.6% | 1 in 162 | 9.2% | 10.8% |
| 4 | 15.3% | 14.5% | 1 in 91 | 11.0% | 13.1% |
| 5 | 18.3% | 17.1% | 1 in 60 | 12.6% | 15.0% |
| 6 | 21.2% | 19.4% | 1 in 44 | 13.9% | 16.6% |
| 7 | 24.1% | 21.5% | 1 in 35 | 15.0% | 17.9% |
| 8 | 26.8% | 23.4% | 1 in 28 | 16.0% | 19.1% |
| 9 | 29.4% | 25.2% | 1 in 24 | 16.7% | 20.1% |
TopSitesPoker.com simulation, 400,000,000 deals per table size, every player seeing the river. “Three of a kind loses to a straight” counts deals where the winning hand is a straight and at least one other player has three of a kind. The heads-up row is also exact: 1 deal in 420. The winning-hand columns include split pots.
Every player seeing the river; 400,000,000 simulated deals per table size, heads-up exact.
Heads-up, three of a kind loses to a straight about once in every 420 deals. At a full nine-handed table with everyone seeing the river, it’s about once in 24, more than 17 times as often. Notice also that the winning hand is a straight more often than three of a kind at every table size, even though three of a kind is the more common hand: a straight wins far more of the showdowns it reaches.
What happens to three of a kind at showdown
| Players | Wins | Splits | Loses | Loses to a better three of a kind | Loses to a straight | Loses to a flush | Loses to a full house or better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 72.7% | 3.5% | 23.8% | 8.5% | 2.5% | 1.9% | 10.9% |
| 4 | 55.8% | 2.9% | 41.4% | 6.8% | 6.0% | 4.5% | 24.1% |
| 6 | 46.4% | 3.3% | 50.3% | 4.9% | 8.3% | 6.3% | 30.9% |
| 9 | 36.3% | 4.2% | 59.5% | 4.4% | 10.7% | 8.2% | 36.2% |
Share of all players whose best hand is three of a kind, in the same simulation. “A better three of a kind” includes the same three with a better kicker. The four loss columns add up to the “Loses” column, apart from rounding. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Here’s the surprise: three of a kind’s biggest threat isn’t a straight. It’s a full house. Most Hold’em three of a kinds are made on a paired board, and a paired board makes full houses possible: for a hand holding the paired rank plus another board rank, or a pocket pair matching one of the board’s other cards. Heads-up, three of a kind loses to a full house or better 10.9% of the time and to a straight only 2.5%. Nine-handed, the full house figure is 36.2% and the straight figure 10.7%.
What happens to a straight at showdown
| Players | Wins | Splits | Loses | Loses to a higher straight | Loses to a flush | Loses to a full house or better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 86.8% | 6.9% | 6.4% | 2.9% | 2.5% | 0.9% |
| 4 | 67.0% | 16.6% | 16.4% | 7.5% | 6.3% | 2.6% |
| 6 | 53.2% | 22.7% | 24.1% | 10.9% | 9.0% | 4.2% |
| 9 | 39.4% | 27.7% | 32.9% | 14.3% | 12.3% | 6.3% |
Share of all players whose best hand is a straight, leaving out deals with a straight on the board, which happen once in 255 deals and give every player at least that straight. Same simulation. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
A straight’s main threats are higher straights and flushes, with full houses a distant third. When it does meet three of a kind, it wins, and it meets one often: nine-handed, 8.1% of all straights won the pot outright against at least one opponent holding three of a kind.
All of these figures describe the worst case for made hands, with every player staying to the river. In real games, most players fold before the river, so showdowns are smaller and both hands win more often. The patterns hold in any game, though: the more players see the river, the more often three of a kind runs into a straight, and into a full house.
Straight vs Three of a Kind Showdowns: Worked Examples
Here are fourteen Hold’em showdowns involving straights and three of a kinds, including the kicker battles that come up when three of a kind is on the board. In each one, both players use their best five of seven cards.
| Board | Player A | Player B | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | J♦ 10♣: jack-high straight | K♥ K♦: three kings | A | Any straight beats any three of a kind |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | 6♦ 5♣: nine-high straight | K♥ K♦: three kings | A | Even the lowest straight possible here wins |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | 2♦ 2♣: three deuces | K♥ K♦: three kings | B | Set over set: the higher three wins |
| 9♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 2♠ | J♦ 10♣: jack-high straight | 9♦ K♣: three nines | A | Straight over trips |
| 9♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 2♠ | J♦ 10♣: jack-high straight | 8♥ 8♣: eights full of nines | B | A paired board lets a full house beat the straight |
| 7♠ 8♣ 9♦ 10♥ 2♠ | 7♥ 7♦: three sevens | 6♣ 6♦: ten-high straight | B | The sixes complete 10-9-8-7-6 |
| 10♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ 6♠ | K♥ K♦: plays the board straight | 6♥ 6♦: plays the board straight | Split | Three sixes are worse than the straight on the board |
| 10♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ 6♠ | J♦ 2♣: jack-high straight | 6♥ 6♦: plays the board straight | A | The jack extends the straight |
| K♠ K♥ 5♦ 4♣ 3♠ | A♦ 2♣: the wheel, 5-4-3-2-A | K♦ Q♣: three kings | A | The lowest straight still beats three kings |
| K♠ K♥ 5♦ 4♣ 3♠ | 7♦ 6♣: seven-high straight | A♦ 2♣: the wheel | A | Seven high beats five high |
| Q♠ J♦ 10♣ 4♥ 2♠ | A♥ K♦: ace-high straight | Q♥ Q♦: three queens | A | The best straight beats top set |
| Q♠ J♦ 10♣ 4♥ 4♠ | A♥ K♦: ace-high straight | Q♥ 4♦: fours full of queens | B | A paired board again |
| 8♠ 8♥ K♦ 5♣ 2♠ | 8♦ A♣: three eights, A-K | 8♣ Q♦: three eights, K-Q | A | Same three: the first kicker, ace against queen, decides |
| 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 5♥ | A♠ 2♣: three eights, A-K | Q♥ J♥: three eights, K-Q | A | Three of a kind on the board: the kickers decide |
Every showdown checked with a hand evaluator.
The last two rows show why kickers matter far more for three of a kind than for a straight. Straights never have kickers: the top card decides, and two straights with the same top card split. Three of a kind has two kickers, and because 86% of Hold’em three of a kinds use at least two board cards, two players can hold the same three, and the kickers decide.
The fifth and twelfth rows are the other lesson: a pair on the board turns a straight from the favorite into a hand that loses to every full house. We look at how to play that below.
How to read the board for both hands
- Check the pairs first. A paired board makes full houses and four of a kind possible, and both beat a straight.
- Check the suits. Three cards of one suit make a flush possible, which also beats a straight.
- Look for runs. Three cards within a span of five ranks make a straight possible, and four in a row make it possible with a single card.
- Then place three of a kind. On an unpaired board, three of a kind means a set; on a paired board, anyone holding the paired rank has trips, so your kicker matters.
How to Play a Set When a Straight Is Possible
A set is one of the best-disguised hands in Hold’em, and most of the time it’s far ahead. The boards where a straight is possible are where it can go wrong.
Count the straights
On 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥, top set, K♥ K♦, loses to 48 of the 990 hands an opponent could hold: all 16 combinations each of J-10, 10-6 and 6-5. That’s 4.8% of all possible hands, but connected cards like these are exactly the hands that call before the flop and keep calling on a board like this. A straight is possible on 18.5% of flops, 47.7% of turn boards and 74.7% of river boards, so most sets will meet a possible straight at some point.
It’s rarer than you might think for a set to finish on a board where no straight is possible. When pocket nines end the hand with a set as their best hand, a straight is possible on 94.9% of those boards, and neither a straight nor a flush is possible on only 3.0%. For pocket aces and deuces, whose rank fits into fewer straights, a straight is still possible on 93.7% and 89.5% of their set boards.
Heads-up against a random hand, both seeing the river, a three of a kind loses to a straight 6.7% of the time on an unpaired board, where it must be a set; 2.4% on a board with one pair, where it’s always trips; and 0.5% with three of a kind on the board. On paired boards, the bigger danger is a full house.
Protect the set, or give free cards?
When you flop a set on a board with straight draws, you’re usually well ahead: 74.1% against an open-ended straight draw and 84.6% against a gutshot. The draw is paying to catch up, and the size of your bet sets its price:
| Your bet on the turn | A call needs to win | Open-ended straight draw against a set (18.2%) | Gutshot against a set (9.1%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 pot | 16.7% | Profitable call | Short |
| 1/3 pot | 20.0% | Just short | Short |
| 1/2 pot | 25.0% | Short | Well short |
| 2/3 pot | 28.6% | Short | Well short |
| Pot | 33.3% | Well short | Well short |
A call needs to win bet ÷ (pot + 2 × bet), ignoring money it could win later. Draw equities on the turn with both hands known: 8 of 44 unseen cards for the open-ended draw, 4 of 44 for the gutshot. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Any turn bet of a third of the pot or more gives an open-ended straight draw a bad price against a set, which is why sets usually bet draw-heavy boards rather than check. A free card gives the draw almost one chance in five to take the lead.
When the straight card comes
If the straight completes, a set becomes the drawing hand, but a strong one. On the turn, it has 10 outs to a full house or four of a kind, 22.7%. That’s enough to call a small bet on price alone, and the implied odds are good: many players holding a straight won’t fold when the board pairs on the river.
How to Play a Straight When Three of a Kind Is Possible
Three of a kind is possible on almost every board; only boards with two pair or a full house rule it out as a best hand. What matters for a straight is whether a full house or a flush is possible too:
- On an unpaired board without three of one suit, no full house or flush is possible, so the best straight is the nuts and three of a kind is just another hand you beat. Bet for value: sets and two pair will often pay.
- On a paired board, the same straight can lose to every full house. On 9♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 2♠, the jack-high straight loses to 27 full houses and one four of a kind. Players holding trips on that board will often put in a lot of money, and so will players who filled up.
- Against a set on the flop, a made straight is about 65% to win, and about 77% on the turn. Charging the set to see the river is usually right, but the set is never drawing dead while the board can still pair.
The pattern to remember: a straight is ahead of every three of a kind, but three of a kind has ways to become a full house, and a straight doesn’t. The longer the hand goes, the more those outs matter.
Straight vs Three of a Kind in Other Poker Games
A straight beats three of a kind in every standard high-hand game, with one family of exceptions: some Short Deck rule sets. What changes elsewhere is how often each hand appears.
Omaha
Omaha players get four hole cards and must use exactly two with exactly three board cards. That makes straights far more common: by the river, 11.28% of Omaha hands finish with a straight and 8.78% with three of a kind, according to the exact counts published by the Wizard of Odds. Omaha is one of the few games where a straight is more common than three of a kind, but it keeps the standard rankings.
Omaha’s two-card rule also shapes both hands. A straight takes exactly two hole cards and three board cards, so four cards in a row on the board don’t give you a straight unless two of your hole cards fit. Three of a kind comes from a pocket pair plus one board card, one hole card plus a pair on the board, or three of a kind on the board with two unrelated hole cards. In our simulation of 30,000,000 six-handed Omaha deals, with every player seeing the river, three of a kind lost to a straight once every 10 deals, against once every 44 in Hold’em; heads-up, a separate 60,000,000-deal simulation put it at once every 61 deals, against 420. Six-handed, an Omaha three of a kind won only 21.0% of its showdowns: it lost to a straight 22.2% of the time and to a flush or better 49.9%. In Omaha, three of a kind is rarely good enough at a crowded table.
Short Deck (6+ Hold’em): the exception
Short Deck removes the 2s through 5s, leaving 36 cards and nine ranks. With fewer ranks to fill in, straights become much easier to make. The ace plays low in A-6-7-8-9.
| Short Deck hand | Five-card hands | By the river, Short Deck Hold’em |
|---|---|---|
| Straight | 6,120 of 376,992 (1.62%) | 14.0% |
| Three of a kind | 16,128 (4.28%) | 7.27% |
Exact over all 376,992 five-card and 8,347,680 seven-card Short Deck hands. By the river, 0.36% of hands hold both a straight and three of a kind; they’re counted as straights here. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
In a five-card deal, the straight is still the rarer hand, so by the usual logic it ranks higher. But Short Deck is played as Hold’em, with seven cards, and by the river a straight is almost twice as common as three of a kind. That’s why rule sets disagree. Many Short Deck games keep the straight above three of a kind, and some move three of a kind above the straight, which matches the seven-card odds. Almost all of them also move the flush above the full house. Under those alternative rules, 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ Q♠ beats 10♦ 9♠ 8♥ 7♣ 6♦; under standard rankings, it loses. Always check the posted hand rankings before you play Short Deck.
Seven Card Stud
Stud players see seven cards, so the frequencies match Hold’em: a straight 4.62% and three of a kind 4.83% by seventh street. In Stud, you can see some of the cards you need in other players’ up cards, and every one of them is an out you no longer have. Starting hands compare like this, before counting the cards you can see:
- Three to an open-ended straight on third street, like 9-8-7 or Q-J-10 in mixed suits, finishes with a straight 18.8% of the time.
- Three of a kind on third street, “rolled up”, finishes with a full house 32.0% of the time and four of a kind 8.2%, and stays three of a kind 58.5% of the time.
Five Card Draw
- Four to an open-ended straight, drawing one: 8 of 47 cards, 17.0%.
- Four to an inside straight, drawing one: 4 of 47, 8.5%.
- One pair, drawing three: three of a kind 11.4%, with a full house or four of a kind another 1.3%.
Dealt pat, a straight comes once in 255 hands and three of a kind once in 47.
Lowball
- Deuce-to-Seven ranks hands as in regular poker and awards the pot to the lowest, so 7-6-5-4-3, a straight, is a bad low hand. It even loses to three of a kind, which is itself a poor low hand.
- Ace-to-Five and Razz ignore straights, so 5-4-3-2-A, the wheel, is the best possible hand. Three of a kind is terrible in every lowball game.
Video poker
In full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better, a straight pays 4 for 1 and three of a kind 3 for 1. According to the Wizard of Odds, with optimal play three of a kind appears in 7.44% of final hands and a straight in only 1.12%, so three of a kind returns far more over time, even though it pays less. Here are the exact values of some common holds:
| Dealt hand | Best hold | Average return per credit | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ 5♥ | The straight | 4.00 | Four to the straight flush: 3.45 |
| A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♠ | Four to the royal flush | 18.47 | The straight: 4.00 |
| 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♥ | The three sevens | 4.30 | Three sevens and the king: 3.85 |
| 5♠ 5♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♥ | The pair of fives | 0.82 | Four to the open-ended straight: 0.68 |
| Q♥ J♦ 10♣ 9♠ 2♥ | Four to the straight | 0.81 | Queen-jack: 0.49 |
| A♥ K♦ Q♣ J♠ 3♥ | Four to the straight | 0.60 | King-queen-jack: 0.50 |
Exact over every possible draw, full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better (pair of jacks or better pays 1, two pair 2, three of a kind 3, straight 4, flush 6, full house 9, four of a kind 25, straight flush 50, royal flush 800 per credit with maximum coins). Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Two of these surprise players. A pat straight with four to a royal flush should be broken, because the chance at the 800-for-1 royal is worth more than four times the sure straight. And a low pair beats four to an open-ended straight: 0.82 against 0.68.
Straights and Three of a Kind at Showdown: Rules and Etiquette
- Cards speak. Your hand is what your cards make, not what you announce. If you say “trips” and turn over a straight, the straight is what’s read [TDA 13]. Deliberately miscalling a hand can be penalized.
- Show both hole cards. Table all your hole cards face up so they can be read [TDA 14]. With three of a kind on a paired board, your kicker may decide the pot, so let the dealer see it. When a straight or three of a kind is on the board and you’re claiming a split, you still have to show your cards [TDA 20].
- Don’t muck too soon. Straights hide easily, especially the wheel and straights that use only one hole card. Once your cards hit the muck and can’t be identified, they’re dead [TDA 15], so let both hands be read first.
- Suits never break ties. Two straights with the same top card split the pot, and so do two identical three of a kinds with the same kickers.
- Odd chips. When a pot is split in a flop game, TDA rules give any odd chip to the first winner to the left of the button [TDA 21]. In Stud, it’s usually awarded by suit to the high card.
The TDA rules apply only in events and rooms that adopt them. Home games and many cardrooms use their own procedures, so check the posted rules where you play.
Common Mistakes With Straights and Three of a Kind
| Mistake | Why it costs you | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Thinking three of a kind beats a straight because it’s “harder to make” | In five cards, three of a kind is 5.4 times as common; the straight ranks higher | Remember: rarer ranks higher, so straight over three of a kind |
| Counting three of a kind without checking for straights | On 7♠ 8♣ 9♦ 10♥ 2♠, three sevens lose to any hand holding a six or a jack | Look for runs before you value three of a kind |
| Forgetting the wheel | 5-4-3-2-A is a straight and beats three aces | Remember the ace plays low in the wheel |
| Looking for kickers in a straight | Two straights with the same top card split | Compare only the top card |
| Ignoring kickers with trips | 86% of Hold’em three of a kinds use at least two board cards, so opponents often share your three | Value your trips by your kicker |
| Slowplaying a set on a straight-draw board | A free card gives an open-ended draw almost one chance in five | Bet at least a third of the pot on the turn |
| Folding a set to a small bet when the straight comes | A set has 10 outs on the turn, 22.7% | Call small bets, especially when the straight will pay you if you fill up |
| Overvaluing a straight on a paired board | The nut straight on 9-9-8-7-2 loses to 28 hands | Slow down against heavy action when the board pairs |
| Assuming standard rankings in Short Deck | Some rule sets rank three of a kind above the straight | Read the posted hand rankings |
| Keeping a pat straight with four to a royal in video poker | Four to the royal is worth 18.47 per credit, the straight 4.00 | Break the straight and draw for the royal |
Figures from the exact counts in this guide. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.
Straight vs Three of a Kind Quiz
Test yourself. Every answer was checked with a hand evaluator or calculated exactly.
| # | Question | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Which wins: 5♠ 4♥ 3♦ 2♣ A♠ or A♥ A♦ A♣ K♠ Q♥? | The wheel | Any straight beats any three of a kind |
| 2 | How many five-card straights and three of a kinds are there? | 10,200 and 54,912 | Not counting the 40 straight flushes |
| 3 | By the Hold’em river, which is more common? | Three of a kind, just: 4.83% against 4.62% | The straight is still slightly rarer |
| 4 | Board 7♠ 8♣ 9♦ 10♥ 2♠. 7♥ 7♦ against 6♣ 6♦? | 6♣ 6♦ | The sixes make 10-9-8-7-6 |
| 5 | Board 8♠ 8♥ K♦ 5♣ 2♠. 8♦ A♣ against 8♣ Q♦? | 8♦ A♣ | Same three eights; the ace kicker decides |
| 6 | Board 9♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 2♠. J♦ 10♣ against 8♥ 8♣? | 8♥ 8♣ | Eights full of nines beats a straight |
| 7 | What share of Hold’em three of a kinds are sets made with a pocket pair? | 1 in 7 | An exact 1 : 4 : 2 split with trips and board three of a kinds |
| 8 | How often does a set beat a made straight from the flop? | About 35% equity in our example | It needs the board to pair |
| 9 | In Short Deck Hold’em, which is more common by the river? | The straight, 14.0% against 7.27% | Nine ranks make straights easy |
| 10 | In video poker, what do you keep from A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♠? | Four to the royal | 18.47 per credit against 4.00 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a straight beat three of a kind?
Yes, in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw and every other standard high-hand game. A straight ranks sixth from the top and three of a kind seventh. The only exceptions are some Short Deck rule sets.
Why does a straight beat three of a kind?
Because it’s rarer in a five-card deal: 10,200 straights against 54,912 three of a kinds. Poker ranks rarer hands higher.
Does three of a kind ever beat a straight?
Not under standard rankings. Some Short Deck games rank three of a kind above the straight, because with a 36-card deck and seven cards, straights are almost twice as common. And in Deuce-to-Seven lowball, where the lowest hand wins and hands are otherwise ranked as in regular poker, three of a kind beats a straight, although both are poor low hands.
Does the lowest straight beat the highest three of a kind?
Yes. The wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, beats three aces. Hand categories are compared before ranks.
What beats a straight?
A flush, a full house, four of a kind and a straight flush, plus any higher straight.
What does three of a kind beat?
Two pair, one pair and high card, plus any lower three of a kind.
What’s the difference between a set and trips?
Both are three of a kind. A set uses a pocket pair plus one board card, like 9-9 on a board with one nine. Trips use one hole card plus a pair on the board, like K-Q on K-K-9. A set is better hidden, because the board shows only one card of the rank.
Which is more common in Texas Hold’em, a straight or three of a kind?
Three of a kind, but only just: for a player who sees all seven cards, the best hand is three of a kind 4.83% of the time and a straight 4.62%. With five cards, three of a kind is 5.4 times as common.
Can you have a straight and three of a kind at the same time?
Yes, with seven cards: 0.82% of seven-card straights also contain three of a kind. The straight always plays.
How do you compare two straights?
By the top card only. Nine high beats eight high, and two straights with the same top card split the pot. There are no kickers.
How do you compare two three of a kinds?
By the rank of the three first. If both players have the same three, which in Hold’em needs help from the board, compare the higher kicker, then the second kicker.
Is a set a favorite against a straight draw?
Yes. On the flop, a set is about 74% against an open-ended straight draw and about 85% against a gutshot. Even when the straight comes, the set can still fill up.
What are the odds a set beats a made straight?
From the flop, about 35% in our example, since the set needs the board to pair. From the turn, 22.7%, with 10 outs.
How often does three of a kind lose to a straight?
With everyone seeing the river, in about 1 of every 420 heads-up deals, 1 in 44 six-handed and 1 in 24 nine-handed.
Does a straight beat three of a kind in Short Deck?
It depends on the rules. Many Short Deck games keep the standard order, but some rank three of a kind above the straight, because by the river of Short Deck Hold’em a straight comes 14.0% of the time and three of a kind only 7.27%. Check the posted rankings.
Does a straight beat three of a kind in Omaha?
Yes. Omaha uses the standard rankings, even though straights are more common there than three of a kind: 11.28% against 8.78% by the river.
Which pays more in video poker?
The straight, 4 for 1 against 3 for 1 in full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better. But three of a kind comes up about six and a half times as often with optimal play, 7.44% of final hands against 1.12%.
Straight vs Three of a Kind: Quick-Reference Summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does a straight beat three of a kind? | Yes, in every standard high-hand game; some Short Deck rule sets are the exception |
| Why | It’s rarer in five cards: 10,200 straights against 54,912 three of a kinds |
| Rank | Straight sixth, three of a kind seventh of the ten standard hands |
| Lowest against highest | 5-4-3-2-A beats A-A-A-K-Q |
| Both in one hand | Possible with seven cards (0.82% of straights); the straight plays |
| Odds by the Hold’em river | Straight 4.62%, three of a kind 4.83%; only 1.05 three of a kinds per straight |
| How Hold’em three of a kinds are made | Set 1, trips 4, on the board 2: an exact 1 : 4 : 2 |
| How Hold’em straights are made | Two hole cards 39.7%, one 53.3%, on the board 7.0% |
| Starting hands | Pocket pairs make three of a kind 11.7–11.8% of the time; J-10 offsuit makes a straight 9.18% |
| Set against a straight | About 35% on the flop, 22.7% on the turn |
| Set against an open-ended straight draw | 74.1% on the flop, 81.8% on the turn |
| Three of a kind loses to a straight, everyone to the river | 1 deal in 420 heads-up, 1 in 44 six-handed, 1 in 24 nine-handed |
| Comparing two of the same | Straights: top card only. Three of a kinds: the three, then two kickers. |
| Short Deck | Straights 14.0% and three of a kinds 7.27% by the river; some rules rank three of a kind higher |
About This Guide
This guide uses the standard poker hand rankings used in casinos, cardrooms and online, and the TDA 2026 rules (version 1.0, September 7, 2026) where showdown procedure is concerned. House rules, especially on Short Deck rankings, lowball, Stud procedures and split pots, vary, and the rules of the room or site where you play always apply.
Every probability except the video poker frequencies and the Omaha hand frequencies was produced by the TopSitesPoker.com editorial team rather than copied from other sources:
- Exact counts: five-, six- and seven-card counts over all 2,598,960, 20,358,520 and 133,784,560 hands; straights and three of a kinds by rank; how each hand is made and hand frequencies by board shape over all 2,809,475,760 combinations of two hole cards and five board cards; heads-up three of a kind against straight frequencies over every combination of board and hands; starting-hand figures over every flop and every board; Short Deck over all 376,992 five-card and 8,347,680 seven-card hands; and every example, equity, beat count, outs figure and Stud or Draw probability over all possible remaining cards.
- Simulations: the Hold’em table-size figures from 400,000,000 simulated deals per table size, and the Omaha showdown figures from 30,000,000 simulated six-handed and 60,000,000 heads-up deals, all with every player seeing the river.
- Published figures: the Omaha straight and three of a kind counts and the 9/6 Jacks or Better frequencies under optimal strategy come from the Wizard of Odds. The video poker hold values are our own, exact over every possible draw.
- Evaluator checks: every example, comparison, showdown and quiz answer was verified with a hand evaluator.
Hold’em, Omaha and Stud figures assume every hand is played to the end. In real games, many players fold before the river, so showdowns are smaller and straights and three of a kinds win more often than these worst-case figures suggest.
The Bottom Line
A straight beats three of a kind in every standard high-hand game, because it’s rarer in a five-card deal: 10,200 against 54,912. So the wheel beats three aces, and a straight plus three of a kind in one hand counts as the straight. With seven cards, though, the two hands turn up almost equally often, and in Short Deck Hold’em the straight becomes the more common hand, which is why some Short Deck games reverse the order.
The practical lessons follow from how each hand is made. A set is a big favorite over a straight draw, so charge the draw; once the straight is made, the set still has 10 outs on the turn, so it isn’t dead. A straight is ahead of every three of a kind but loses to every full house, so watch for a paired board. And with trips, your kicker matters, because other players often hold the same three.
About the Author and Legal Notes
Written and fact-checked by the TopSitesPoker.com Editorial Team. Our editors write, test and review every guide on the site. Poker odds in our guides are calculated with exact enumeration or large-scale simulation, never copied, and rules are checked against current Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) standards and published cardroom rules.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
Next scheduled review: March 2027
- For information only. This guide is for educational and informational purposes. It isn’t legal, financial or professional gambling advice, and nothing in it guarantees a result at the table.
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