Who Wins In Poker If Both Have A Pair
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A common confusion for new players is to determine a winning hand at showdown. Things can get complicated very fast if 2 players have two pairs at showdown or some other same ranking hand. Luckily for you, I will show you many different scenarios, so next time you can be sure who wins.
Who wins if both players have 2 pairs? A person with a higher 2 pairs wins. In the case that both players have the same 2 pairs, then the one with the highest kicker wins. If 2 pairs and the kicker are the same, then the pot gets split.
This hand comprises Three of a Kind and a Pair of Cards. The name is a little misleading. A Full House means that the 5-card poker hand contains a Triple (Three of a Kind) and a Pair (2 cards of the same rank). When you have a Full House, you’re holding two different poker hands – A Pair. A player with the highest rank of straight wins. If both players have the straight of the same rank, then the pot is split. This holds true, of course, if none of them has a higher ranking hand than a straight. You will hit a straight only 0.4% of the time.
The two-pair hand with the higher pair wins. In the event that both players have the same two pair hands, then the highest “kicker” wins. If they both have the same two pair hands and the “kicker” is on the board, it’s a split pot. This is a very unlikely eventuality, though it does happen. Who wins when two players have a flush? For example, say the first player also has two pair, one in their hand (two 3's), and one on the board (two 8's). The second player has AQ, with the same pair on the board (two 8's). Player one completes the flush with one of the threes in their hand.
Playing high cards will help you be on the winning side more often when both you and your opponent have two pairs.
Yes, you will still win with bottom two pair, since you are beating all the top pairs and overpairs, that are value betting multiple streets. But to be the winner of the truly huge pots, you will need to have higher two pairs than the opponent more often.
Some players start folding top pairs and overpairs when faced with multiple streets of value. But to start folding even bottom two pairs, it takes some self-discipline. And discipline is what many players on lower stakes lack.
When you have the top two pair, you can value bet huge and will get paid off by the smaller two pairs. Your opponents will try the same, so stick to playing bigger cards – playing more broadway cars than low suited connectors is the right approach – to have higher two pairs more often.
Nonetheless, there are several different possible scenarios when it comes to both players having two pairs at showdown. Let’s check them below.
Both 2 pairs but of different value
This is probably the most common scenario when you see both players having two pairs. It is easier to have 2 pairs of a different value than having exactly the same two pairs. This is due card removal effect – if we hold AQ, then AQ is less likely to be in the opponent’s hand.
Higher pair is different, and a lower pair is the same
If a higher pair is different, then no need to check the lower pair anymore. We already know that the person with the higher pair in their two pairs wins.
Example: we have AT, and the opponent has KT. Board is AKT23. First, we check, and we see that we both have 2 pairs. But we win because our highest pair is higher than the opponent’s highest pair. The fact that the lower pair is the same as an opponent’s it doesn’t matter. Also, the fact that our kicker is lower is, in this case, completely irrelevant.
Once the higher pair is different, we know we already have the winner. In our case, we have two pairs aces and tens with a king kicker, and the opponent has two pairs of kings and tens with an ace kicker.
Higher pair is the same, and the lower pair is different
If both players have the highest pair the same, but the lower pair is different, then the person with higher 2nd pair wins. For example, AK vs. AT on AKT23 board. We will win with AK as we have two pairs aces and kings with a ten kicker, and the opponent has two pairs aces and tens with a king kicker.
We check the highest pair, and we see it is the same, then we move down to 2nd pair, and we see that our 2nd pair is higher than the opponent’s, so no need to check the kicker, we win.
Both pairs are different
The person with the highest pair wins when both pairs are different. If you hold AK and the opponent has T9 on the AT9K2 board, then you are the winner since you have two pair aces and kings with a T kicker. Opponent only has two pairs of tens and nines with an ace kicker. – you can see that it is enough just to check the highest of the two pairs in each player’s hand and we know who the winner is.
Both players have the same 2 pairs
Different kicker
If players have a different kicker and both pairs are the same, then the person with the highest kicker will win. Let’s check an example:
- We have KT, and the opponent holds JT. Board is QQT23. We win the pot, we have the same two pair, but we have a better kicker than our opponent. Our hand is two pairs, queens and tens with a king kicker, the opponent has the same hand, but only jack kicker.
The kicker is the same
If the kicker is the same and both pairs are the same, then pot gets split.
Who Wins In Poker If Both Have A Pair At A
There is not much more to explain, so let us move on to the next possible scenarios :).
Two pairs on the board
Sometimes it will happen that there are 2 pairs already on the board. If nobody else holds a higher pair in their hand, then the kicker will be a deciding factor in who wins the pot. If the kicker is of the same rank, then the pot gets split. Let’s check two examples:
- Board is A3773: We have A2, and the opponent has K4. We win because we have a higher two pair than the opponent. Our hand is two pair, aces, and sevens with a 3 kicker (AA773), while the opponent has two pair, sevens and threes with an ace kicker (7733A).
- This time board is T3773. We hold A2, and the opponent has AK. The pot gets split as we both have two pairs, sevens and threes, with an ace kicker (7733A). Remember, the best five-card combination wins.
How strong are two pairs
Two pairs are a decently strong hand. You can expect to have 2 pairs around every 21 hands (if you wouldn’t be folding and always went to showdown). Or if we transfer this into percentages, you have a 4.75% chance to have exactly two pairs at showdown. To check probabilities to hit certain hands, check this link to Wikipedia.
As you were able to see from all the examples above, some two pairs are much better than the other two pairs. Having the top two pairs is excellent. Even top and bottom pair are a lot better than having 2nd and 3rd pair. But
The value of our two pairs is different depending on the board, and our equities can change dramatically. Let’s check a few examples:
Dry boards
On very dry boards, our two pairs are a valuable hand. Of course, our bottom two pairs aren’t as strong as the top two pairs, but nonetheless, we still do beat plenty of hands. Check the equities on Q95 rainbow board:
Wet flops and mono boards (of one color)
Straight possible boards
We have 87, on three straight boards like 6h7h8s many opponents will be betting if they have a 9 and a pair, sets, lower two pairs, high flush draws, and made straights. Our equity of the top two pairs is a lot worse here than on a dry board above. Let’s see in the table below how we do against certain hands.
The most surprising is that 69 has almost 44% to win against the top two pairs there. The board is 6h7h8s:
Mono (flush hits on the flop) board
On 2h7h8h board, our 87isn’t such a good hand anymore. It is largely behind flushes (it has 17.3% to win), and we have only 63% against ace-high flush draw (AhTs in our example). Against T9 (including flushes) we now have 56.4% equity, which is around as much as QQ has against AK offsuit, and many categorize that as a flip already.
Who Wins In Poker If Both Have A Paired
Related questions
Does a straight beat a two pair?
Straight does beat two pair. Both are winning hands but straight is just better. Hand rankings go as follows, from weakest to strongest:
- No pair
- One pair
- Two pair
- Three of a kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Full house
- Four of a kind
- Straight flush
- Royal flush
Pair in hand vs. pair on the table
It doesn’t matter if you have a pair on the table or a pair in the hand. At showdown, both still count as a pair. But a pair in the hand is more valuable. Let me explain why:
- If there is a pair on the board, then everyone has at least that pair.
- In the case that you have a pair in hand and there is a pair on the board, then now you have two pairs.
- Think of the pair on the table as a bonus to everyone’s hands. Plus on top of that, it is easier for someone to have trips now. On the other hand, the pair in your hand is only yours, and others still need to hit a better hand if they don’t already have a higher pair than yours, to beat your hand.
Conclusion
All the examples above will make you a lot more confident next time when you see the same cards at showdown. Keep playing, and eventually, you will know in a split of a second who wins the pot. It kind of becomes muscle memory after a while. If you are interested in similar articles, then check the section below. Good luck at the tables.
Related Links
- Who wins if both players have one pair?
If you are interested to get the best rakeback deals and private promotions on poker sites head on to PokerPro website (PS: there are plenty of options to choose from also for the USA players).
When I was just starting in poker, I was sure I know all the rules. It came as a small shock to me when I realized I have been wrong about so many rules. Knowing who wins in poker can be easy if one player has a weak hand, and the other one has a strong hand. But confusion may arise when both players have what seems to be the same hand. Such scenarios that happen quite often is when two players both show the same pair at showdown.
So, who wins if two players have a pair in poker? A person with a higher pair wins the hand. If they both have the same pair, then the winner is the one who has a better five hand card combination. One pair takes two cards, and the rest are the three highest cards possible, also known as kickers or side cards.
Players at the table don’t often check all three kickers. Instead, they look at the highest kicker first, and if someone has a higher kicker there, he is the winner. If the highest kicker is the same for both, then 2nd highest kicker comes into play, then the third. In the case that both players have the same pair and all of the three kickers are of the same rank, then the pot would get split.
Having a better kicker more often in poker is the difference in winrate.
It is what differentiates winners from losing players. Therefore you must stick to playing bigger cards. This is not the case just for when you hit one pair. It also holds for when you hit a straight or a flush or any other hand in poker.
Even in the case when you hit a flush, it matters how high flush you hit. Having higher cards is also helpful in getting bigger straights. You will hit the nuts more often and will win more money.
Let me explain a bit further in what I mean when I say bigger cards are better.
Who Wins In Poker If Both Have A Pair Taotronics
Table of Contents
The importance of playing higher cards
Three things that matter in poker the most are position, suitedness, and high cards. Correctly combining all three will give you the best chance to beat your competition. While having a suited hand is essential as it increases the likelihood to hit a flush, the real money is won in small pots, which happens far more often. You will hit a flush only 0.2% of the time by the river. On the other hand, you will get one pair 42% of the time.
It is a common scenario when you are value betting, and an opponent calls your bet, and he holds the same pair as you.
Playing big cards gives you the chance to be on the winning side of those small pots more often.
Which cards are good and qualify as big cards?
It depends a lot on your position and the position of the opponent to be really sure which high cards are good enough.
For the sake of simplicity, all the broadway cards will do a lot better versus opponents who play many hands.
From the image, you can tell that there are many worse Ax, Kx, Qx, Jx, and Tx type of cards, that are worse than our broadway hands. You might think this is all good, but you are maybe still unsure who wins if both you and the opponent have just a pair.
Possible scenarios when both players have exactly one pair
Several different scenarios can happen. I will show you many various examples that are possible, so your doubt will be gone forever. I will be mostly looking at situations where both players have top pair, but of course, the same rules apply for any other pair.
- One person has a higher pair
- Both players have the same pair, but one has a higher first kicker
- Both players have the same pair and the equal highest kicker, but one has a higher 2nd kicker
- Both players have the same pair and the same highest and 2nd highest kicker, but one person has higher 3rd kicker
- Both players have exactly the same pair, and all three kickers are the same rank – pot gets split.
1. Someone has a higher pair
Okay, so we start with a simple one. The person with the higher pair wins, given that nobody else showed a better hand at showdown, of course. In this case, kickers don’t even matter, as higher pair always wins.
2. The same pair but someone has higher highest kicker
This is a widespread scenario in poker. Both players have top pair, and on a dry board, nobody will be willing to fold their top pair. If we hold KQ on 89K23 board, then we win against KJ. Our first kicker is better than the opponent’s first kicker. Our hand is a pair of kings with a Q98 sidecards, while the opponent has a top pair of kings with J98 side cards.
3. The same pair and first kicker, but 2nd kicker is different
Many players would get scared to bet in this situation. But experienced players know that we have a top pair with a very good kicker. The only top pair that is better than our KJ is AK. All other top pair hands are either the same as our hand or worse. In this situation, we hold top pair of kings and have QJ7 side cards. Our opponent holding KT has a pair of kings with QT7 side cards. Therefore our 2nd kicker is higher than his, and we win the pot.
4. The same pair and the same first two kickers, but the 3rd kicker is different
This doesn’t happen as often as the first 3 examples, but it is still common. The board needs to have 2 cards that are higher than our hole card that is not used to form a pair. Let me illustrate it to you. A player with K9 on this board has a pair of kings with QT9 side cards. While opponent holding K7 has a pair of kings with QT7 kickers.
5. The same pair and all kickers are the same
There are 2 most common ways that this will happen:
- Our hole cards are of the same rank as our opponent’s
- The board has many high cards, and therefore our card not used to form a pair has no value (is not part of the best five-card combination). A good example of this is A7 on the AKQ98 board, where our opponent has A2. Both of us have a pair of aces with Q98 sidecards
Who wins if there is a pair on the table
Again the player with the best 5 card combination will win. If one player holds A7 and the other player has KQ, then a pair of twos with AJT kickers wins as it is better than a pair of twos with KQJ kickers. The player that has A7 in his hand has the higher first kicker.
If player one would have A7 and player two has A6, then the pot would get split as player one has pair of twos with AJT kickers, and player two has also pair of twos with AJT kickers. That is the best 5 card combination that any of the two players can have. One pair and all the kickers are the same, so the pot gets split.
If you enjoyed this article, then you might also like
- AK vs. AJ, see how much of a difference in winrate does a better kicker make
- Who wins if both players have a flush
- Who wins if both players have a straight a straight
Conclusion
I showed you many possible examples of a very common scenario, where the best hand on the table is one pair. It is also very common that 2 players will have the same pair at showdown, and now you know exactly in which way all the chips will go. Until next time, good luck at the tables.