When you first hear the term “three pair poker hand,” you might think that it is time to find a clean casino. This is because everyone knows that a poker hand consists of five cards, making three pair impossible. However, those words do not necessarily mean that it is time to call in the State Gaming Commission. Instead, it is something that Omaha players say when three of their hole cards have been paired. A third pair does not help your existing hand. It does put you closer to coming out of the river with a full house.
Once again, having three pair in your poker hand would require six cards, which is a technical impossibility. If you have six cards in your poker hand, you are either on the verge of having someone confront you as a cheater, or someone cannot count. However, if you are playing Omaha, the three pair poker hand has a special significance. Let’s look at an example from an Omaha hand.
Your Hand: AdQd8c6c
Board: AsQc6d
So, if you’re in this situation, you have two pair – aces and queens with an eight kicker. Yes, the six also comes in as part of a pair, but it may not be important in terms of ongoing strategy. Let’s think of some benefits that could result from having this sort of hand. First, you have a better chance of hitting a full house at the river. If that six ends up pairing on the board, you are likely to be very happy that you have that six. Second, it also means that your opponent is less likely to hold a set of sixes. Those two effects make a three pair poker hand a tough Omaha hand for those two reasons. Obviously, you can improve from “three pair” more at the flop and turn than you can at the river.
Even if you are playing a seven-card poker game, the idea of a three pair poker hand is not possible in reality. Why? Because you make your poker hand from the best five cards that are available to you. Whether you are dealing with seven-card stud, or the seven cards in Texas Hold’em (the two hole cards, along with the five out on the board), you only get to use the five cards that benefit you the most.
So if you are playing another variant that involves a larger number of cards, such as Tripoley? Do not get fooled by someone telling you that they have three pair and then going for the pot. They are trying to pull a fast one on you. If you are playing Omaha, the best thing that you can do with a three pair poker hand is sit back and hope for even better things to come to you on the river. It is definitely a situation that you should follow instead of folding, because the odds of improvement are much greater than the odds of losing.
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