You’ve probably heard the phrase three of a kind in poker more times than you can count. But how does it stack up against other poker hands? And what are the best strategies to win three of a kind in any given hand? With that, here are six ways to win three of a kind in poker.

1) Know What Two Pairs Is Ranked Above

While you should be aiming for three-of-a-kind, two pairs can also be quite rewarding. You don’t want to make it your main goal—in fact, you’ll need some luck on your side if you do go after it—but if you get lucky and make it happen, there are lots of hand combinations that will pay off more than two pair. For example, two pair with an ace is called an aces up hand and ranks above three of a kind ranking with any other card. It’s easy to remember which ranking order goes by the numbers: Two pair beats one pair which beats high card.

2) Play a Suited Pocket Pair Higher Than Non-Suited

The non-suited pocket pair is 2nd, while your suited pocket pair is ranked 3rd. Play it higher because poker players assume that a player would rather have a pair than 3 of a kind. Therefore, they’re more likely to fold when facing off against your suited pocket pair, since they probably don’t have anything better. So if you can get 4-to-1 odds on that hand by going all-in preflop, then do it! But make sure you use tracking software for poker so you always know what your winnings and losses are.

3) Play Straights & Flushes Higher Than Pairs

In poker, having three cards of one rank is called a set. A hand such as K-K-K would be called trips and would beat Q-Q-Q, which is known as two pair. There’s also something called a straight flush, which is five consecutive cards that all share an identical suit (e.g., 8-9-10-J-Q). The highest possible straight flush — ace through king of hearts — would trump anything else and be an unbeatable hand on its own. That said, you may not want to play your straight flush on its own; such hands are considered incredibly strong and can prompt your opponents to fold too quickly even when they actually have higher pairs.

4) Play Open-Ended Straight Draws Higher Than Closed Draws

In closed straight draws, you’re attempting to draw one card that will make a straight with all four of your cards. With open-ended straight draws, on the other hand, you’re looking for any three cards from four or more cards that make a straight. In some games—such as those at Double Down Casino—players receive bonus credits for hitting their open-ended straight draws as well as their closed ones. That means they can net additional profit if they hit either type of draw depending on what they have left after completing each hand. When it comes to winning two pair poker rank and beating your opponents, every little bit helps!

5) KK is Better than AA Before the Flop

Here’s why: If you have KK before you even see your first card, then chances are there will be at least one other player with KK or AA. It can be hard to win 3-of-a kind against 2 pair, but it is possible. So if there are multiple players with hands that match yours, then KK isn’t necessarily better than AA pre-flop. The chances of one pair tripling up on another also increase as more people take their cards—if four players stay in preflop with AA, you’re much less likely to catch an Ace than if only two other players remain.

6) Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket

It’s easy to want to bet big when you have two of a kind or even three of a kind. However, even if your opponent doesn’t have anything that will beat your hand, it’s often not worth risking all your chips on one hand. Betting too much can be costly because if you lose, you might not have enough left for another chance at winning. If there are no new cards coming up and it’s unlikely that any will change anything about your hand, try betting less than what you think is necessary to win. It will make more sense strategically and it may save you some money in case an ace shows up!