Full House
A full house is three cards of one rank plus two of another, such as 8-8-8-K-K. It beats a flush and loses to four of a kind.
A full house, also called a boat, is a five-card hand made of three cards of one rank and two cards of another, such as 8♠ 8♦ 8♣ K♥ K♠. It is described by its three of a kind first: that hand is eights full of kings. In the hand rankings a full house beats a flush and everything below it, and loses only to four of a kind and straight flushes.
How a full house forms in Hold'em
A full house needs at least one pair on the board, because with an unpaired board, your two hole cards plus five different board ranks can never produce three of one rank and two of another. Common ways to make one:
- You hold a set and the board pairs.
- You hold trips and one of the other board cards pairs, or your kicker pairs.
- You hold two pair and one of your pairs improves to three.
- The board itself has a full house, and you may or may not improve on it.
Comparing full houses
The three-of-a-kind part is compared first. Only if those match is the pair compared. So nines full of kings (9-9-9-K-K) loses to kings full of nines (K-K-K-9-9), even though the first hand has the same cards in a different arrangement.
Worked example
The board is 9♠ 9♦ 4♣ K♥ 2♠. You hold K♠ 9♣ and your opponent holds K♦ K♣. Your best hand is 9-9-9-K-K, nines full of kings. Your opponent's is K-K-K-9-9, kings full of nines. Your opponent wins. This is a classic cooler: you held a very strong hand and still lost to a bigger version of the same hand. On paired boards, always ask which higher full houses are possible.
Odds of filling up
If you flop a set, such as 7♥ 7♣ on K♦ 7♠ 2♣, you have 7 outs on the turn to make a full house or four of a kind: the last seven, three kings and three twos. If the turn misses, the turn card adds three more outs for the river, giving 10. Put together, a flopped set improves to a full house or better by the river about 33% of the time.
Strategy tips
- Top full house versus bottom full house. On a board like Q-Q-5, Q-5 makes queens full of fives, while 5-5 makes fives full of queens. They are very different in strength.
- Bet for value. Full houses are rare and strong. Look for sizes that worse flushes, straights and trips will still call.
- Be careful when the board plays. If the board is 6-6-6-J-J, everyone has sixes full of jacks, and only a six or a higher pair improves.
- Remember quads. On a paired board, four of a kind is possible, but it is usually very unlikely.
Frequently asked questions
Does a full house beat a flush?
Yes. A full house ranks above a flush and below four of a kind.
If two players have a full house, who wins?
The player whose three-of-a-kind part is higher wins. If those match, the higher pair wins; if both match, the pot is split.
Why is a full house called a boat?
Boat is a long-standing slang term for a full house; its exact origin is unclear.
Related poker terms
- Set — A set is three of a kind made with a pocket pair plus one matching card on the board. It is stronger and better disguised than trips.
- Trips — Trips is three of a kind made with one hole card and a pair on the board. Because the board pair is visible, your kicker often decides the hand.
- Two Pair — Two pair is a hand with two cards of one rank, two of another rank and a fifth unrelated card, such as J-J-4-4-A. It beats one pair and loses to trips.
- Flush — A flush is five cards of the same suit in any order. It beats a straight and loses to a full house, and flushes are compared by their highest card.
- Hand Rankings — Poker hand rankings list the ten five-card hands from royal flush down to high card. A rarer hand always beats a more common one.