Poker is a popular game that has conquered the whole world. If you are a beginner, you have discovered exactly what you need. For a successful game, you need to know a lot: rules, combinations, signs, different strategies, and techniques.
Combinations in poker are the most important part of poker for a professional game. There are 9 combinations in total when playing according to standard rules, and 10 if the game is played with a Wild card (Joker). In this article, we will analyze one of the most common combinations – a pair.
What is a pair in poker? A pair is a combination of two cards of the same value. Pairs can be divided into
- One pair
- Two pairs
As you can understand, a pair is a combination of two cards that is one of the most likely options to get a combination, but a pair is one of the worst combinations. When playing with standard combinations, one pair is only better than a high card, or one pair of lower value. Two pairs of course better than one pair but still will lose to three of a kind.
Looking at the pairs from a mathematical point of view, it can be easily understood why they are so low rated. The chance that you will get a pair on the flop with any two cards is 32 percent. Also, in poker there is a term Pocket pair, it means that the cards that you will be given will be a pair, it is much lower and equal to 6 percent, which means that every seventeenth game you will theoretically have a Pocket pair. While the chance of getting two pairs from your odd cards is only 2%. The chance of getting a pair in the game is from 34% to 49% depending on the number of decks you play with.
Conclusion
We can say that the answer to the question “What is a pair in poker” is quite simple. A pair is a rather weak combination that will almost certainly be collected by one of the players during the hand. However, despite its weakness, most tables advise continuing the game after receiving such a combination, because there is always a chance that your opponent will not collect anything. Pairs consisting of two tens or cards of the higher denomination are considered quite strong because of the possibility of collecting a stronger combination, or because of their already high value that will defeat weaker pairs.
The most important thing you need to know and never forget is that poker is a game of chance. Sometimes there may be several hands without any combination in which the smallest pair will bring you victory, and sometimes even a pair of aces in the hand will not bring you money. Poker is a game that should be played primarily for a good time. Good luck in the games, and may luck be on your side.