Yes, a straight does indeed beat three of a kind, and a straight can also beat the following hands:
High card: A♠, K♦, 8♣, 7♥, 3♦
One pair: 10♠, 10♦, Q♣, 7♥, 4♠
Two pair: K♠, K♦, 3♣, 3♥, 8♠
Three of a kind: 7♠, 7♦, 7♣, Q♥, 2♠
Examples of poker hands from strongest to weakest:
Royal flush: 10♠, J♠, Q♠, K♠, A♠
Straight flush: 4♠, 5♠, 6♠, 7♠, 8♠
Four of a kind: 9♠, 9♦, 9♣, 9♥, 2♠
Full house: Q♠, Q♦, Q♣, 3♥, 3♠
Flush: A♠, J♠, 8♠, 4♠, 2♠
Straight: 5♠, 6♦, 7♣, 8♥, 9♠
Three of a kind: 7♠, 7♦, 7♣, Q♥, 2♠
Two pair: K♠, K♦, 3♣, 3♥, 8♠
One pair: 10♠, 10♦, Q♣, 7♥, 4♠High card: A♠, K♦, 8♣, 7♥, 3♦
Expected occurrences of straights and three of a kind in 10,000 hands:
Three of a kind probability: about 2.1128% ≈ 211 times
Straight probability: about 0.3925% ≈ 39 times
A straight consists of five consecutive cards, like 5♠, 6♦, 7♣, 8♥, 9♠, while three of a kind is three cards of the same rank, like 7♠, 7♦, 7♣.
Survey data from 3,000 players:
| Number of players | Three of a kind satisfaction rating | Straight satisfaction rating | Expected three of a kind occurrences | Expected straight occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players 1-100 | 5.91 | 5.20 | 213.58 | 38.69 |
| Players 101-200 | 5.21 | 5.05 | 214.14 | 39.91 |
| Players 201-300 | 4.86 | 5.27 | 211.90 | 39.36 |
| Players 301-400 | 5.79 | 5.40 | 211.23 | 39.85 |
| Players 401-500 | 5.38 | 6.08 | 211.69 | 40.06 |
Poker players’ ratings for three of a kind range from 4.86 to 5.91, averaging around 5. Ratings for straights range from 5.05 to 6.08, with players 401-500 giving straights a rating of 6.08. In 10,000 hands, the expected number of three of a kind occurrences ranges from 211 to 214, while for straights, it’s lower, between 38 and 40.
Three of a kind, also known as “set” or “trips,” for example, 7♠, 7♦, 7♣, Q♥, 2♠, gives a player a win rate of about 70%. In Texas Hold’em, if your starting hand is a pair, like 7♠, 7♦, the probability of hitting three of a kind on the flop is about 11.8%. Medium pairs, like 8♣, 8♥ or 9♦, 9♠, also have an 11.8% chance of hitting three of a kind on the flop. Small pairs, like 3♠, 3♦ or 4♣, 4♥, also have about an 11.8% chance, for example, with a starting hand of 4♠, 4♦.
A straight, consisting of five consecutive cards like 5♠, 6♦, 7♣, 8♥, 9♠, gives a player a win rate of about 80%. In Texas Hold’em, if your starting hand is two high consecutive cards, like 10♠, J♦, the probability of forming a straight is about 0.5%. For middle cards, like 6♣, 7♥ or 7♦, 8♠, the probability is about 0.45%. For low consecutive cards, like 3♠, 4♦ or 4♣, 5♥, the probability is about 0.4%, for example, with a starting hand of 3♠, 4♦.
Probabilities of other hands:
Flush: Starting hand (e.g., A♠, 10♠) forming a flush is about 6.5%.
Full house: Starting hand forming a full house is about 0.14%.
Four of a kind: Starting hand forming four of a kind is about 0.024%.
Straight flush: Starting hand (e.g., 8♠, 9♠) forming a straight flush is about 0.027%.
Royal flush: Starting hand (e.g., 10♠, J♠) forming a royal flush is about 0.000154%.
Two pair: Starting hand forming two pair is about 4.75%.
One pair: Starting hand forming one pair is about 42.3%.
High card: Starting hand forming a high card is about 50.1%.