The Two Pair Hand in Poker

Two Pair appears in seventh place on the poker hand rankings list. It consists of one pair of same-ranked cards along with a second pair of same-ranked cards. In Hold’em, a Two Pair hand is one of the most common winning hands.

The expression “Two Pair” should immediately have you thinking about pairs of cards in the same denomination or rank. Simply put, it's two pairs of equally ranked cards.

So, if you hold 10♥10♣ and the board is 5♦5♣3♠ then you would have Two Pair, Tens and Fives.

However, there are other types of Two Pair. Say you hold A♥K♠ and the flop is A♣K♦3♥, you would also have Two Pair.

Why?

Because you would have paired your A♥ with the A♣ on the board for one pair and your K♠ with the K♦ for a second pair – thereby giving you Two Pair.

In addition, say the flop comes down A♣3♦3♥. You would again have Two Pair. However, this time it would be Aces and Threes.

You can also have a Two Pair by “playing the board” in Hold’em. But you’ll have to wait until the turn to make it. On a board of J♣3♦3♥J♥2♦, you would have Jacks and Threes when holding A♥K♠,

When comparing one Two Pair hand to the next, it’s the hand rank or denomination that’s important. Therefore, the best Two Pair hand is Aces and Kings.

Kickers do come into play when players have the same two pair. However, all same-ranked pairs are considered equal regardless of suit.

We’ll discuss this in the next section.

How Does a Two Pair Hand Rank?

In a 52-card deck, there are 123,552 possible Two Pair hand combinations and 858 distinct ranks of Two Pair hands. Each Two Pair is rated first by its highest pair, then by its second-highest pair and lastly by its kicker.

Here are a few more examples of Two Pair:

A♠A♣ Q♥Q♦J♠

K♠K♦J♣J♥10♥

K♠K♦J♣J♥10♥

A♠A♣ Q♥Q♦K♠

Q♦Q♣10♥10♣A♥

Can you tell which Two Pair ranks highest?

Keep in mind that the suits are irrelevant and that the kickers should be used only to separate hands with the same two pair.

How Does a Two Pair Hand Match Up?

A Two Pair is the seventh best possible hand in the poker hand ranking system. Three-of-a-Kind ranks directly above it, with the best 3-of-a-Kind being a Set of Aces or Trip Aces.

There are only two hands that rank below a Two Pair. The hand that ranks directly under it is called One Pair. The best One Pair hand is Aces also known as the Pocket Rockets or American Airlines when a player has two in the hole.

Two Pair Poker Probabilities

Now, we’ll look at the pre-flop, flop, turn and river probabilities of making a Two Pair hand in both Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha.

1. What is a Two Pair in poker?

In poker, a Two Pair hand is when there are two different pairs of cards, each pair of the same rank, plus the kicker – the fifth, unrelated card. So a hand consisting of two Jacks and two 9s and a 5 as the kicker, would be a Two Pair.

2. How does Two Pair rank among other poker hands?

A Two Pair is lower than Three-of-a-Kind (and all other poker hands) and higher than One Pair with a High Card. In Poker versions such as Omaha and Texas Hold’em, it’s often a fairly good hand.

3. How do you play a Two Pair hand?

If the pairs in a Two Pair are both high cards, it is usually strong enough to warrant betting or raising. Players always need to be aware of possible higher hands though, such as straights or flushes.

4. What happens if two players have Two Pair?

When more than one player holds a Two Pair, the person with the highest pair wins. If two players both hold the same highest pair, then the rank of the second pair is used. When both the pairs are equal ,then kicker card is used to determine the winner.

5. How likely am I to get Two Pair in Texas Hold'em?

A Two Pair is quite a frequent hand, with the odds of making one by the river in Texas Hold’em at around 23.5%. 

6. Is Two Pair a strong hand?

While a Two Pair containing two high ranking pairs is considered a strong hand, it still ranks lower and will be beaten by hands such as Three-of-a-Kind, Flushes and Straights.

7. What should I watch out for when playing Two Pair?

If you have a Two Pair, you still need to be cautious of potential strong hands such as straights and flushes which are much stronger than a Two Pair.  If your pairs are not particularly high, you should also be aware or other higher pairs that are possible.

8. Can Two Pair beat Three-of-a-Kind?

No, a Two Pair cannot beat a Three-of-a-Kind as it ranks lower in poker hands.  

9. What is the best Two Pair hand?

The very best Two Pair hand is with the highest possible cards – i.e. A♣ A♠ K♣ K♥ Q♥.

10. How should I play Two Pair on the flop?

If you hit Two Pair on the flop, it’s often advised to bet or raise in order to protect your hand from potential straights or flushes. You should consider however, consider nature of the game and your opponents before choosing a course of action.

Visit our two pair odds article for more information.

Now that you’ve got Two Pair down pat, we’ll move on to the next hand on the list. It’s called Three-of-a-Kind.