Poker can be played by professionals and beginners alike, and whatever level you’re at, knowing different poker hand rankings will help you win. A two pair, straight or three-of-a-kind can be good poker hands, but full houses are one of the strongest hands available.
In this guide, we’ll explain everything there is to know about full houses, including your odds of drawing this poker hand from a standard deck on the flop betting round, the turn, and the river. Keep reading for more.
WHAT IS A FULL HOUSE IN A POKER GAME HAND?
A full house hand, also referred to as a full boat, is a poker hand that is made up of three cards of the same rank along with another two cards of another rank.
Essentially, all five cards make up a combination of a pair and a three-of-a-kind. For example, this could be three jacks and two aces.
WHAT DOES A FULL HOUSE CONSIST OF IN POKER?
With a full house, the suit of the cards doesn’t matter, but the rank does. A typical example is three eights and two 10s.
The cards can be of any rank, as long as three are of one rank and two are of another. In a typical game of poker, the three-of-a-kind determines the strength of the hand over the pair.
WHAT TO DO TO GET A FULL HOUSE
In Texas hold’em, you’re only dealt two hole cards. A full house is a five-card hand, so you need to make a full house using the hole cards in your hand along with at least three of the five community cards dealt face up on the board.
FULL HOUSE ODDS
As one of the strongest poker hands, it’s not easy to hit. There are over two million unique poker hands, and 3,744 of them are full houses. The odds of hitting one are:
3,744/2,598,960 = 0.0014%
While this may seem low, some stronger hands such as straight flushes or four-of-a-kind hands, are much rarer.
CHANCES OF HITTING A FULL HOUSE ON THE FLOP
The odds above are after all the community cards have been dealt. The flop only has three community cards, so the odds of hitting a full house are far lower here. Being dealt a full house in poker also depends on your starting hand.
If your starting hand is an unpaired hand, the odds of a full house drop to 0.09%. If your starting hand is a pocket pair, the odds are 0.98%.
WHAT IS THE PROBABILITY OF HITTING A FULL HOUSE?
Before any cards are revealed, the odds of hitting a full house in poker games are 0.014%, but this changes with every card.
Your hole cards will play a part, as will each card through the flop, turn, and river.
FULL HOUSE VS. OTHER STRONG POKER HANDS
The relative strength of each hand depends on the odds of other hands being hit. The two strongest hands are the royal flush and straight flush.
Given the full house ranks as the fourth-strongest, the full house beats a flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, two pair, one pair, and high card.
FULL HOUSE VS ROYAL FLUSH
A royal flush will beat a full house, as it’s the rarest poker hand across the board with a probability of 0.00000154%.
This is the best hand in a game of poker. It’s made up of a 10, jack, queen, king, and ace of the same suit.
FULL HOUSE VS STRAIGHT FLUSH
Straight flushes are made of five consecutive cards of the same suit. The odds of hitting a straight flush are also very low at 0.0000139%, so the two hands are quite incomparable.
EXAMPLES OF GETTING A FULL HOUSE IN POKER
If two players have a full house, the ranking of one full house will be compared against the other.
For example, if one poker player has a full house featuring three fours and two twos, this hand would lose against a full house featuring three sevens and two fives. However, that same hand would win against a full house featuring three twos and two fours.
THE STRONGEST FULL HOUSE COMBINATIONS
The most important part of a full house is the three-of-a-kind. If multiple poker players have full houses, the highest three-of-a-kind will win.
For example, three aces and two twos will beat three kings and two queens, as previously explained.
WHAT IS A STRONGER PAIR IN A FULL HOUSE?
Sometimes, two poker players will have an equal three-of-a-kind (for example, both with a king in their hand and two kings as community cards on the board). If this happens, the poker player with the higher pair will win.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLIED ODDS FOR A FULL HOUSE?
Implied odds are about how much you might win if you hit one of your outs on later streets. This is almost impossible to work out precisely, but you can get an idea if it’s worth calling a bet.
Implied odds are far stronger if your hole cards are both part of the full house you’re going for. For example, a pocket pair of aces with an ace on the flop means good implied odds. This is similar if you’re dealt unmatched hole cards, but you get two pairs on the flop.
Your implied odds drop significantly if only one card in your hand is part of the full house. This is because you’re less likely to get it, and the odds of another player also hitting it increase.
BEST TIPS FOR FULL HOUSE GAMES
Full houses are very strong, and can only be beaten by a few other hands. In most cases, experienced players will play with confidence with a full house.
Note that if your full house is one-card underfull, it’s weaker, so be cautious.
In any situation, poker can be challenging. However, there are some things you can do to help you win:
- Know your odds — you might not know the exact statistics, but having a rough idea always helps. Remember, your odds may vary if you’re starting with unpaired hands or a pocket pair.
- Be aware of other players’ odds.
- Be cautious if your full house is one card underfull.
- Think about other potential full houses on the table.
Unless you’re 100% certain your full house can’t be beaten, you should always consider the odds of losing when making bets.
HOW TO PLAY FULL HOUSE IN TEXAS HOLD’EM?
Depending on the game, a full house could be quite weak. In most cases, however, it’s a very strong hand, so it’s often worth playing aggressively.
In any situation, a full house is only possible if the table contains at least one pair. Other players may be taking advantage of this for their own hands to make a full house or four-of-a-kind. Always be cautious and make slow plays if you want to disguise the strength of your hand.
CONCLUSION — USE AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY
A full house is one of the strongest poker hands compared to hands like the two pair or three-of-a-kind, but some others can still beat it. Play aggressively when you’re feeling confident, but try not to overextend yourself.
LV BET is an online betting platform with plenty of games to choose from. Take a look at our Live Poker page for more.
FAQ
✅ WHAT IF TWO PLAYERS HAVE A TWO PAIR FULL HOUSE IN A HAND?
The player with the stronger full house, or full boat, will win. If they’re even, it will be a split pot.
✅ WHAT BEATS A FULL HOUSE IN POKER?
A royal flush, straight flush, or four-of-a-kind beat a full house.
✅ WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANCE OF CARD SUITS FOR A FULL HOUSE HAND?
In some games, suits are ordered as spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs (from highest to lowest), but in Texas Hold’em, they typically make no difference. It is only important that three cards would be of the same rank and two cards would be of another.
✅ WHAT IF TWO PLAYERS HAVE THE SAME THREES?
The player with the highest pair will win. If they also have the same pair, it’s a split pot.
✅ HOW MANY POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS ARE THERE TO COMPLETE A FULL HOUSE?
There are 3,744 combinations of full houses.