Since poker requires the knowledge of hands value, and formation of the hands many beginners often ask does 2 pairs beat 3 of a kind. Some hands are superior to others, so let’s find out what beats what.

Ranking of the Hand Combination and Does 2 Pairs Beat 3 of a Kind

There are 10 different card hands in poker. They are ranked from the highest to the lowest, and have certain values:

1. Royal Flush: it is the best poker hand combination that can ever appear, it consists of  A+K+Q+J+10. All the cards should be of the same suit.
2. Straight Flush: the second-best card combination where all the cards should be of the same suit. You should gather the cards that have the sequential order to obtain a straight flush.
3. Four-of-a-Kind: the player should get the four cards of the same value, for example, Q of clubs+ Q of diamonds + Q of hearts +Q spades, and any other side card.
4. Full House: to obtain a full house the player needs to get three cards of the same value, and two other cards of the same value, for example, A of clubs+ A of diamonds + A of hearts + Q of spades, and Q of clubs
5. Flush: you simply need to gather all the cards of the same suit to obtain flush.
6. Straight: the player should gather 5 cards of the sequential order, and of the different suits to get straight
7. Three-of-a-Kind: you can also hear the combination to be called “trips”. The main cards should be of one kind, and the side cards can have different suits and values.
8. Two-Pair: the player should gather two pairs of the same kind, for example, 8 clubs + 8 spades, 6 diamonds + 6 hearts.
9. One-Pair: one pair is one of the weakest hands. The player needs to get one pair, for example, K of hearts + K of clubs to obtain one pair. Three other cards don’t affect the value of the hand.
10. High Card: this is the weakest hand, where the cards have random values and suits.

Now, we should analyze the chart to understand whether 2 pairs beat 3 of a kind. As we can see, 2 pairs have the lower position in the chart, and 3 of a kind outplaces it. It means that 2 pairs don’t beat 3 of a kind, but vice versa, 3 of a kind beats 2 pairs.

Why Does 3 of a Kind Beats 2 Pairs?

There are rare and standard hands. The rarest the hand combination — the strongest it becomes. 2 pairs of hand is easier to obtain which is why this card combination is less rare and accordingly is weaker. Three of a kind is much harder to obtain, and 2 pair is in a losing position.