So what is one pair in poker? One pair (single pair) means having two cards of the same rank in your hand. A pair is any two matching cards that have the same value, like 9-9, Queen-Queen, and so on. If players make a combination, it’s most likely to be one pair.
One pair is the second-lowest ranking hand in poker, only stronger than having a high card with no pair. Although it’s definitely not the strongest hand combination, you’ll win many pots with one pair.
This article explains the rules for ranking one-pair hands, explains some basic strategies, and compares one-pair hands in Texas hold ‘em and Omaha poker.
How Do We Make One Pair Poker Hands?
Pairs can be made in a few different ways, so let’s cover each one with a brief explanation.
- Pocket Pairs: Having a pocket pair means that you hold two matching cards in your hand. Poker players refer to these pairs in the following way; a pair of 9s are “pocket nines”, a pair of Kings are “pocket kings”, and so on, for each card value. There’s a 5.9% chance to be dealt a pocket pair.
- Matching with Community Cards: If one of your hole cards matches a card on the board (community cards), then you’ve made one pair. There’s a 28.6% chance that you will match one of your cards to a card on the flop and make one pair.
- A Pair on the Board: When two cards match among the community cards, everyone playing in the hand can use this pair for their combination. This is what is known as a “paired board”. When there is a pair on the board, it means that a player can make three-of-a-kind if they have a third matching card.
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How Do We Rank One Pair Poker Hands
The strongest one-pair hand in poker is a pair of aces and the weakest is a pair of twos, also known as “deuces”.
Ranking pairs is simple at first. If two players have one-pair hands, then the player with the highest pair wins. For example, a pair of Jacks beats a pair of nines, and so on.
When players have the same pair, there’s a rule to decide who the winner is. Let’s imagine that both players have matched their King with a King on the board so that both have the same pair of Kings.
You can think of a kicker as a tiebreaker card. A kicker is an unpaired card in a player’s hand. We have to look at both players’ “kickers” to decide the winner. The best kicker you can have is an ace and the worst kicker is a 2. When your kicker is higher than your opponent's kicker, you’ll win, even if you have the same pair.
Playing One Pair Hands in Poker
Some pairs have more value than others; it all depends on the board texture, meaning the cards that come on the flop, turn, and river. The strength of a one-pair hand gets considerably lower when the board texture creates the chance for players to make better hands, like straights or flushes.
Having a higher pair can be a good situation for you because you’ll beat every lower one-pair hand. That being said, be careful of risking large amounts of chips with one-pair hands. Most poker players will have much stronger hand combinations than one pair if they are raising or betting big.
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One Pair in Texas Hold ‘Em vs Omaha Poker
There’s a 28.6% chance of making a one-pair hand in Texas hold ‘em, but that number goes up to almost 50% in Omaha poker since there are 4 cards. Since pairs are much more common in Omaha poker, their strength goes way down.
One-pair hands like two Aces or two Kings have a lot of value in Texas hold ‘em, but far less in Omaha poker. If you are trying to get value from opponents, you’ll want to have much stronger hands, like three-of-a-kind, straights, flushes, and full houses.
Texas hold ‘em and Omaha are easily the most popular formats of poker and most players choose one to specialize in. This means all online poker sites, like PokerStars, offer both formats at their cash game tables, but most tournaments are played in Texas hold ‘em.
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