Does 3 of a kind beat a flush? If yes, how?

Poker is an interesting game with countless variations. People play this game mostly in casinos to not only entertain themselves but also win big. In this game of luck, players should know all about hand rankings because that is the only thing this game revolves around. The stronger the hand ranking, the more are the chances of winning the game. Punters must play wisely in order to win a huge amount.  There are a number of different hand rankings that every punter should be well aware of if they seriously want to win. These hand rankings include the royal flush, straight flush, 3 of a kind, four of a kind, flush, pair, high kind, and a full house, etc. Of all these poker hands, the royal flush is the strongest poker hand whereas the high kind is the weakest poker hand. In this guide, we will find out what is a flush, what is 3 of a kind, and if it is actually possible to beat a flush with a 3 of a kind.

Though poker is a simple game, yet one cannot understand everything about this game in a single session. There is a lot to learn about this game if you are a beginner. The more a person plays this game, the more experience they gain, and ultimately becoming a pro and knowing everything about this game. Beginners struggle initially and they frequently ask questions like what is a poker tournament, is it possible to play poker without chips, what is a flush, does 3 or 4 of a kind beat a flush, etc.  Let’s dig a bit deeper and find answers to some of these questions in detail.

What is a Flush in Poker?

In poker, there are several hand rankings and flush is one of them. A flush basically comprises of 5 cards. All these 5 cards are in a single suit or have the same symbols. The 5 cards that comprise a flush also have the same colors along with the same symbols. In terms of poker hand rankings, the flush falls on the fourth spot. It should be noted that in one of the most popular variants of poker “Texas Hold’em”, the flush is considered to be the strongest poker hand.  Moreover, the greatest possible flush in Texas Hold’em is Ace-high. It has five cards and all in the same suit. But does a flush beat 3 of a kind? We will know that in a while. Before that, let’s discuss another kind of flush.

There is also another kind of flush which is called a straight flush. A straight flush has 5 cards as well just like flush but the cards may not belong to the same suit. For example, 5♥, 6♦, 7♣, 8♣ and 9♠ forms a straight flush. The main difference between a flush and a straight flush is that in flush, the cards are in the same suit (all 5 of them) but the ranking is not consecutively. Whereas, in a straight flush, the 5 cards may not be of the same suit. However, the card ranking is continuous. Though a flush has a quite strong hand ranking and easily beats many hand values. The answer to one of the most common questions related to poker, does a flush beat 3 of a kind? Yes, it does and we will discuss that in a while. Nevertheless, there are certain poker hands that do beat the flush. These include a full house and 4 of a kind.

It is crucial for punters to understand poker hand rankings and play wisely in order to win

What is 3 of a kind?

Three of a kind is a poker hand consisting of 5 cards in total. Of these 5 cards, 3 of them are of the same rank. Whereas, the other two are of different ranks and do not create a pair. In terms of poker hand ranking, 3 of a kind sits on the 6th spot. This poker hand is very easy to recognize, thanks to its name which immediately brings a sequence of 3 cards to a person’s mind. There are a couple of variants of 3 of a kind. They include Trips and a Set. Differentiating between the two types might be a little perplexing. But as you read and learn more about this game, that won’t be an issue. Below are a couple of examples of this game of poker, 3 of a kind.

8♣, 8♠, 8♥, Q♥, 9♣

9♦, 9♣, 9♠, K♥, 7♠ 

Does 3 of a kind beat a Flush?

The answer to this simple question is No. Though 3 of a kind is a strong poker hand, it fails to beat a flush. According to strongest poker hand rankings, the flush sits on the fourth position, whereas, 3 of a kind sits on the 6th position, thereby making it weaker than the flush. In a game of poker, a flush is considered to be a rare hand, and it is not as easy to get a flush as to get 3 of a kind in a game of poker. This ultimately, makes flush a stronger and better poker hand than 3 of a kind. The chances of flush in a standard game of poker using a deck of 52 cards is 0.197%. This does not happen often and is very rare for a person to casually draw 5 cards out of a standard deck of 52 cards and make a flush. The odds of not making a flush are way higher than forming one. On the contrary, if a person randomly draws out 5 cards from a deck of 52, the chances of 3 of a kind are 2%. In comparison, it is highly unlikely to make a flush than to make 3 of a kind.

Conclusion

Even though both 3 of a kind and a flush are good poker hands. Nevertheless, in a head-to-head match, the flush is considered to be the better and stronger hand than 3 of a kind. Moreover, in the poker hand rankings chart, the flush lies above the 3 of a kind which eventually makes it stronger than 3 of a kind, two pairs, and hand high, etc. However, poker hands stronger than the flush includes Royal flush, Four of a kind, and Full house. Knowing all these basics makes a punter win more often, make fewer mistakes, and make them successful in the long run.