Two Pair in Poker

As the name suggests, a two pair is a combination of cards when you have two pairs of the same value. For example, in A♠️A♥️10♦️10♣️9♦️you have two pairs, a pair of aces and a pair of 10s. 

Two pair is the 8th most powerful hand in poker. It ranks just above one pair and right below three-of-a-kind. 

1. 1. Royal Flush 
   2. Straight Flush 
   3. Four of a kind 
   4. Full House 
   5. Flush 
   6. Straight 
   7. Three of kind 
   8. Two pair
   9. One pair 
   10. High card 

What is Two Pair in Poker?

As mentioned above, two pair is a combination that has 2 one-pairs in it. The biggest two pair that you can have is 2 aces and 2 kings while the smallest is 2 threes and 2 twos. 

If two players have the same two pairs, then the one with the bigger kicker will decide the winner. For example: 

Player 1: A♠️A♣️K♥️K♦️10♦️

Player 2: A♥️A♦️K♣️K♠️5♦️

Player 1 will win the because they have a bigger kicker –  10♦️> 5♦️

How Does a Two Pair Hand Rank?

There are a total of 1,23,552 combinations of two pair hands that you can make in poker. Here are a few examples: 

A♠️A♣️K♥️K♦️10♦️

9♠️9♣️5♥️5♦️2♦️

J♠️J♣️7♥️7♦️A♦️

4♥️4♦️Q♣️Q♠️9♣️

How Does a Two Pair Hand Match Up?

Two pair is the 8th best poker hand but that does not mean it is not good. The probability of having a two is less than 5% and this is what makes it a good hand to have. It ranks above a one pair and below a three-of-a-kind. 

Two Pair Poker Probabilities

Hold’em Probabilities

Poker game heavily relies on probability. The lesser the probability of having a hand, the greater is its power. Here’s the probability of all the hands in poker: 

Hand	Probability
Royal Flush	0.000154%
Straight Flush	0.00139%
Four of a kind	0.02401%
Full House	0.1441%
Flush	0.1965%
Straight	0.3925%
three-of-a-kind	2.1128%
Two pair	4.75359%
One pair	42.2569%
High card	50.1177%

The probability of having a two pair increases if you already have a pair as hole cards:

Pair as hole cards	Probability
From flop to turn	6.4%
From turn to river	6.5%
From flop to river	12%

Pot Limit Omaha Probabilities

Phase	Two pair probability
Pre-flop	4.75%
Flop (when you have a pocket pair)	16.7%
Turn (when you have a pocket pair)	19.5%
River (when you have a pocket pair)	20%

FAQ

1. Who wins if two people have two pair?

If two players have two pair, then the one with a higher pair wins. For example, the player with a pair of aces beats a player with a pair of kings, and so on. If two players have the same two pair, then the kicker decides the winner. 

2. What does 2 pair beat in poker?

As per poker rules a two pair beats one pair, and a high card in poker. 

3. Does two pair beat three-of-a-kind?

Two pair ranks below three-of-a-kind in poker hand rankings as the probability of getting a two pair is higher than getting the other. So, a two pair does not beat a three-of-a-kind.