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Updated: October 6, 2023

Two Pair in Poker

Learn about the two-pair hand in poker, a strategy, and understanding of how it is the eighth highest ranking hand in poker that beats one pair and high card. A two-pair hand is a hand of five cards with two cards of the same rank and the other two of the same rank. A two-pair is one of the most common winning poker hands.

What is a Two Pair in Poker

A two-pair is the name of a hand played in poker that consists of two pairs of high-ranking cards of the same rank. This means that four cards out of five in the hand consist of high-ranking identical pairs with a high probability of winning.

The two pair in poker is one of the most common and frequently occurring winning teams in most commonly played poker games. The two-pair hand in poker is the eighth-highest powerful rank in poker games and is one of the most frequently occurring hands.

How do You Make a Two Pair in Poker

Given the cards on hand, a two-pair in poker is a simple yet complicated hand to create. For example, if you are holding a pair of tens and the community cards are a five of diamonds, a three of spades, and a five of hearts, you can make a two-pair or double pair in poker with the pair of tens and fives. This double pair and the triple kicker make for a firm hand. Although you might not have all the most potent cards at your disposal, you shouldn’t give up and wait for the flop and river rounds, where you might just strike gold. 

Two kings and two aces are the highest double pair hands in poker, which can beat even premium hands such as pocket aces and pocket kings. The two-pair in poker or double-pair is one of the most commonly winning pairs in the game of Texas Holdem. There are no specific rules for Texas Holdem 2 pairs; they are the same as any other poker game’s double pair rules. What makes the two pairs in Texas Holdem special is that their winning frequency is much higher due to the nature of the game. 

What if Two Players have a Two Pair in Poker

At times, you might be caught in a predicament where you and another player have two pairs in poker. In such a case, the deal breaker would be comparing the highest-ranking cards of both pairs. This card is called the kicker, and the kicker would be responsible for deciding the winner in such a situation where there are two separate two pairs of poker hands.

Essential Two Pair in Poker Rules

You need to understand a few fundamentals about the two pairs in poker. These fundamentals will help you know the chances and probability of winning a poker game in case you have a double pair in poker at your disposal. First, let’s go through some basic stats for a standard deck of 52 cards:

Number of ways to make distinct double pair hands: 858

Number of ways to make a double pair hand: 1,23,552

Odds of getting a two-pair: 1/20

The probability of getting a two pair: 4.7539%

When it comes to comparing other winning hands, the two-pair hands is the eighth strongest hand when it comes to poker games. Here are the top ten poker hands with examples in ascending order of strength:

1. Royal Flush.

2. Straight Flush.

3. Four of a Kind.

4. Full House.

5. Flush.

6. Straight.

7. Three of a Kind.

8. Two Pair.

9. One Pair.

10. High Card.

Royal flushAny hand that consists of a 10, a jack, a queen, a king, and an ace in the same suit.
Straight flushFive cards in a row of the same suit.
Four of a kindThe same card in each of the four suits. 
Full houseThree of a kind and a pair in the same hand.
FlushFive cards of the same suit but not in a numerical order. 
StraightFive cards in numerical order but not of the same suit. 
Three of a kindThree cards of the same rank and two non-paired cards.
Two-pair or double-pairTwo different pairs of the same rank in one hand. 
Single pairOne pair of the same card in a hand.
High cardThere are no matching cards but one single high-ranking card. 

Basic Rules of the Double Pair in Poker

  1. Suits are less critical: Suits have little relevance regarding a two-pair hand in poker. All that matters is the rank of the cards that the two pair in poker consists of. 
  1. There are multiple possibilities: The two pair in poker has over 1,23,552 possible combinations, which means it is a frequently occurring rank. 
  1. Ranks matter: Ranks are essential for a double pair in poker. Making a two-pair is ultimately boiled down to the ranks of the cards you have in your double pair. The rank of the fifth non-paired card is also essential and acts as a deciding factor for a double-pair showdown. 
  2. Tiebreakers: The kicker or fifth card is ultimately the tiebreaker when deciding between two double pairs in the same poker game. This is a rare case scenario, but still pretty conclusive.

Two Pair Fundamental Statistics in Texas Holdem Poker

The Texas Holdem is the most popular game with many two-pair configurations. Here are the average stats for the two-pair poker in a typical game of Texas Holdem:

  1. The flop: The probability of making a two-pair is about 16.7 percent at a flop round.
  2. The turn: The probability of making a two-pair is increased to about 19.56 percent, given you are already holding a couple. 
  3. The river: The probability of getting a complete double pair with a pre-existing single pair in the river is a solid 20 percent. 

The two-pair is a strong hand when playing a Texas holdem poker game.

Conclusion

The two-pair in poker is one of the strongest suits you can play and is pretty easy to master once you understand the fundamentals of poker. Although the ranking isn’t all that impressive, the fact that the two pairs have a frequently occurring hand independent of suits makes for a pretty strong case.

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