What is a full house in poker
A full house is one of poker’s most powerful made hands, combining both a three-of-a-kind and a pair into a single five-card combination. Understanding its strength, frequency, and how to play it optimally is crucial for extracting maximum value and avoiding costly misreads at the table.
What Is a Full House
A full house consists of three cards of one rank plus two cards of another rank. For example, if you hold K♦-K♠ and the board shows K♣-7♥-7♠-2♦-9♣, you have “Kings full of Sevens.” In the standard hand-ranking hierarchy, a full house sits above a flush and below four of a kind, making it an elite but not invincible holding.
Examples of Full Houses
- Three Queens + Two Fives: Q♥-Q♠ on a board of Q♦-5♣-5♦-2♠-9♣
- Three Tens + Two Aces: Ten-ten in hand, A-A-10-J-3 on board yields “Tens full of Aces,” a deceptive but strong variation if opponents overvalue the Aces.
Frequency and Probability
In Texas Hold’em, the odds of flopping a full house with a pocket pair are about 0.09 % (you’d need the flop to pair the board plus hit three of your rank) and roughly 0.27 % by the river. When you hold a non-paired hand, the chance of making a full house by the river is even lower, around 0.14 %. These modest frequencies underscore why full houses win big pots yet also why they require careful play when the board is highly coordinated.
Playing a Full House
Assessing Board Texture
- Dry Boards (disconnected, mixed suits): Your full house is likely the nuts, so heavy betting or raising is warranted. Opponents will call with two-pairs or weaker sets.
- Coordinated Boards (multiple paired or suited cards): Beware of four-of-a-kind or higher full houses. If the board pairs twice (e.g., 8-8-5-5-K), your full house with eights and fives is the lowest possible and vulnerable to stronger full houses.
Extracting Maximum Value
When confident you hold the best full house:
- Slow-play selectively to build a bigger pot against aggressive opponents.
- Use pot-sized or overbets on later streets when you believe opponents have two-pair or a weaker set.
- Size your bets to keep drawing hands (like potential straight or flush draws) in the pot, leveraging their implied odds.
Avoiding Traps
Even strong hands can become losers if misplayed. Folding a full house is rare but sometimes correct against polarized lines (e.g., an opponent shoves all-in on a paired river that completes possible four-of-a-kind).
Conclusion
A full house is a potent weapon in any poker arsenal—rare enough to command respect but common enough to encounter frequently. Mastering when to bet, raise, or occasionally trap with this hand will help you convert its raw strength into consistent profit. Next time you see three-of-a-kind plus a pair on the board, remember both the power and the potential pitfalls of the full house.
