Contrary to popular opinion, poker is less a game of chance and more a game of skill. Understanding probabilities helps you make informed decisions about when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.
Keep reading to master two pair hands!
TWO PAIR IN POKER — WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
In five-card poker, a two-pair is one of the most basic hand rankings that help a player win the pot. A two pair consists of two cards of one rank and two of another rank, not of the same suit. For example, two jacks and two kings.
In Texas hold ’em, the first and second pair are drawn separately. A pair in the first hand is called a pocket pair, and with this pair, a player would have to form a second pair from the cards on the board. Take note, though; the pair on the board would also be useable by your opponents at the table.
A two pair poker hand is a fairly strong hand but not as good as a three-of-a-kind, flush, a straight, or a full house.
Players need to understand the chances of getting a two pair hand to make informed decisions about playing poker. Understanding probabilities is useful in determining when to call, fold, or raise in a betting round.
TWO PAIRS ODDS IN POKER
CHANCES OF HITTING A TWO PAIR ON THE FLOP
The flop refers to the first three community cards that are dealt face-up on the poker table in games like Texas hold ’em. When holding two unpaired cards in your starting hand, the odds of hitting a two pair on the flop are about 50-to-1 (2%).
This means a player can expect to hit a two pair on the flop once in every 50 games of poker.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF GETTING TWO PAIRS IN POKER ONLINE?
The chances of getting a two pair in online poker is the same as in live or land-based poker games, as the rules and gameplay remain the same. However, online poker games tend to be played at a faster pace, meaning players have more opportunities to hit a two pair poker hand in a shorter amount of time. As we mentioned, the chances of hitting this hand is about 2%.
HOW MANY POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS OF A TWO PAIR ARE IN A DECK OF 52 CARDS?
This depends on how you’re drawing cards.
Assuming you’re forming a hand out of five cards, there are a total number of 123,552 possible combinations of a two pair. This excludes two sets of paired cards of the same rank, which would instead be a four-of-a-kind. It also excludes a full house.
The math looks like this:
In a standard deck of 52 cards, there are 13 different ranks, from ace to king, with four suits. To calculate the number of possible combinations, you first need to look at the number of ways to choose two ranks that match.
There are 13 choose two (13C2) ways to select two ranks, which equals 78. There are four suits for each rank, two of which must be chosen for each. This can be done in four choose two (4C2) ways, for a total of #six. So, there are six ways to form a single pair of a specific rank.
Since there are two pairs, the number of ways to form both is 6 x 6.
Multiplying these numbers together, we get 78 x 6 x 6 = 2,808. The fifth card cannot be of the same rank as the other four, so we multiply the result by 11, multiplied by the four suits to get 2,808 x 11 x = 123,552.
WHAT IS POCKET PAIR IN A TWO PAIR?
This refers to a situation where a player has two cards of the same rank.
This is an advantageous starting hand, as it increases the chances of forming a stronger hand such as a two-pair or three-of-a-kind. In the context of a two pair hand, a pocket pair contributes one of the paired cards. The second is formed by pairing cards on the board.
RULES YOU NEED TO KNOW TO CALCULATE TWO-PAIR ODDS
Working out the chances of hitting of a two pair involves taking certaing concepts into account. Here are some essential concepts to understand when calculating your chances as you play:
- Number combinations.
- Conditional probabilites.
- Independence of events.
- Knowns vs. unknowns.
A combination is a selection of items from a larger set, disregarding order. This is the first thing you generally need to take into account. Conditional probability is the likelihood of an event occurring, given that another has occurred. In poker terms, this could involve calculating the chances of hitting a two pair on the turn or river, given the hand is dealt on the flop.
The independence of events refers to the gambler’s fallacy. For instance, the outcome of one round won’t influence the outcome of the next.
TEXAS HOLD’EM TWO PAIR HIT PROBABILITY
In Texas hold ’em poker, the chances of hitting a two pair on the flop when holding two unpaired hole cards are 2%. If you are holding paired cards in your initial hand, the odds increase to 8.42%.
Hitting a two pair on the turn is 4.26% (with unpaired hole cards). Hitting a two pair on the river is 4.35%.
CONCLUSION — CALCULATE AND OBSERVE OTHER PLAYERS
A two pair poker hand is a crucial ranking in a game of poker. Understanding the odds helps players up their game, the ante, and ultimately win the pot.
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FAQ
✅ WHAT ARE THE PERCENT CHANCES OF HITTING A TWO PAIR ON THE FLOP?
The odds of hitting a two pair on the flop are 2% with unpaired hole cards. With a pocket pair, the odds are 8.42%
✅ CAN THERE BE TWO OF THE SAME HIGH PAIR?
It is possible for two players to have the same high pair when playing a game of poker.
✅ WHAT IS A TWO PAIR ADDITIONAL CARD?
The fifth card in this five-card hand that doesn’t contribute to the two pair is the two-pair kicker. For example, if a player has a two pair hand consisting of aces and kings, the additional card would be the fifth card of any other rank. Note that the value of this card is taken into account when trying to determine the winner between two opponents with the exact same hand. Out of the two hands, the opponent with the top two pair wins.
✅ WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF HITTING TWO PAIR AT THE TURN?
In Texas hold ’em, the odds of hitting a two pair on the turn with two unpaired hole cards are 4.26% or approximately one in every 20 games.
✅ WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF HITTING TWO PAIR ON THE RIVER?
The odds of hitting a two pair on the river are slightly more than on the turn, at approximately 4.35%.