What is two-pair in poker?
Two-pair is a hand combination that you’ll see if you’re playing Texas hold ‘em, Omaha, short deck, and other poker formats. Even though two-pair is beaten by stronger hands, it’s a valuable hand combination, if played correctly. We’re going to look at ranking two-pair hands, playing two-pair, and other useful poker tips.
There are several poker terms throughout this article, the first one being “pocket pair”. This means two cards of equal value, like two 7s or two 9s. Pocket aces are the strongest starting hand in Texas hold ‘em poker.
Moving on, there are four ways to make two-pair in poker:
- Without holding a pocket pair: both of your cards make pairs with community cards.
- Without holding a pocket pair: one of your cards makes a pair with a community card and there is one pair among the community cards.
- With a pocket pair: You hold a pair and there is a pair among the community cards.
- There is a two-pair among the community cards (on the board): you do not hold any card that makes a hand combination. In this case, having two-pair does not help you win at showdown, because it is solely made from community cards.
If you need to review other hands like three-of-a-kind, straights, or flushes, free to check out our full guide on poker hand combinations.
How to Rank Two Pair Hands
There are 123,552 possible two-pair combinations in Texas hold ‘em poker, but it’s very easy to rank the combinations.
Two-pair hand strength depends on the highest pair, then the second-highest pair, and then the kicker. Suits never affect the ranking of two-pair hands.
- The best possible two-pair combination is Ace-Ace-King-King-Queen
- The worst possible two-pair combination is Deuce-Deuce-Three-Three-Four
Take a look at Lex Veldhuis playing in a PokerStars tournament. He’s just come up against a higher two-pair. Whenever multiple players have two-pair at showdown, start by looking at the highest pair each player has. Whoever holds the highest pair wins the hand.
But who wins when both players’ highest pair has equal strength? Let’s say both players have a pair of kings and another pair. We need to compare the second highest pairs, because the highest pairs have equal value. Whichever player’s second strongest pair is higher, is the winner of the hand.
When both players have exactly the same two pair combination, we need to check each player’s kicker. A kicker is the highest unpaired card that a player uses in their 5-card combination (ace is the highest and 2 is the lowest). The player with the highest kicker wins the hand.
Probability and Odds of Making Two Pair in Texas Hold ‘Em:
Betting Round | Probability of Making Two-Pair |
|---|---|
| Flop (with pocket pair) | 16.7% |
| Flop (two unpaired cards) | 2% |
| Turn | 19.15% |
| River | 19.57% |
How To Play When You Get Two Pair in Poker
If you make two-pair on the flop, you’re in an interesting situation. In Texas hold ‘em, flopping two-pair means that your opponents have less chance of having pairs. This makes your hand stronger, but it also means they might not have a strong enough hand to call your bets. Drawing hands like straight or flush draws will continue if you choose the right bet size.
Of course, there are thousands of different combinations of community cards and there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for two-pair. Keep in mind that two-pair can be vulnerable to stronger hands that have been improved by the turn and river, like three-of-a-kind, straights, and flushes.
One of the worst feelings in poker is having your two-pair “counterfeited”.
What Is a “Counterfeited” Two Pair?
Let’s say Player A has pocket aces and Player B has made two-pair on the flop with unpaired cards. At the moment, Player B is in a strong position.
If a pair is made among the community cards and it doesn’t improve the two-pair of Player B, then Player A now has a stronger two-pair. This is because Player A’s pair is higher than either of Player B’s pairs.
Player B’s two-pair got “counterfeited”.
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What Does “Top Two” and “Bottom Two” Mean?
Top two-pair means the highest possible two pairs using the community cards. If the flop shows 10-9-8, then the top two-pair combination is 10-10-9-9.
The bottom two-pair combination for the same flop of 10-9-8 would be 9-9-8-8.
Is Two Pair a Strong Poker Hand?
Two-pair ranks third highest in the poker hand hierarchy, just below sets/three-of-a-kind.
Unfortunately, two-pair can never be the strongest possible hand on the flop, because there’s the possibility of sets. There are also different kinds of flops that can directly threaten two-pair hands like:
- Monotone boards: When the flop contains only one kind of suit, there’s an extra risk of opponents making a flush by the turn or river (or they make a flush on the flop).
- Consecutive cards: When the flop has three consecutive cards, there’s a chance for opponents to make a straight on the turn and river cards (or they may have a straight on the flop).
Two-pair is a strong hand and will be ahead of opponents much of the time, but it can be vulnerable.
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