One pair
One pair is two cards of the same rank with three unmatched cards alongside them, ranked first by the pair and then by those three in order.
It is the hand class most pots are won with and the one most stacks are lost with. Of the 2,598,960 five card hands, 1,098,240 are exactly one pair, which is 42.3%, and in Texas Hold'em with seven cards to choose from it is even more routine.
Because pairs are so common, the three cards beside them decide a great many pots. Two players holding the same pair are not tied, and the kicker settles it from the top down.
an example
your cards
board
Your king pairs the board and the ace, the nine and the five fill out the hand. An opponent with a king and a queen holds the same pair, and your ace beats their queen.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find one pair in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Two pair
Two pair is two cards of one rank and two of another, ranked first by the higher pair, then by the lower one, and only t ...
Kicker
A kicker is a card in your hand that does not form part of the pair or other combination, but is still counted when two ...
Top pair
Top pair is a pair made by matching one of your hole cards with the highest card on the board.
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Knowing the word is not the same as seeing it.
Real spots where you say which hand wins, and it keeps score.