One Pair

What hand you form at the end of every poker game determines your winning position. This page will talk about ‘One Pair’ in poker and its relevance when it comes to forming hands. For players, who are just beginning to understand the game this piece of information will help them understand the basics of ‘One Pair’ and as for seasoned players, this information will help them gain an upper hand over their own flaws and their opponents. Let us look at how significant ‘One Pair’ in poker is.

What Is One Pair in Poker?

One Pair makes the list of poker hand rankings in 8th place. It consists of two cards of equal denomination – such as J-J or 10-10. The word ‘One Pair’ should have you thinking quite simply about a single pair in the same denomination or rank. To be precise, it's a pair of equally ranked cards. The probability of you getting this hand is 1 out of 1.37 times, which implies you can easily obtain this hand.

How to Play One Pair at the Table?

Playing One Pair in Texas Hold’em poker depends solely on the value of the pair. Small pairs have a strong chance of winning a showdown scenario against overcards but they’re also vulnerable, so play cautiously.

Be heedful of raising bets. Middle pairs are alike but can be considered slightly stronger given their higher value. The face cards are kind of a minefield. A pair of Jacks are deceptively dangerous. They appear strong but can often end up leaving you on the losing side. Aces are powerful in this context, so a pair of Aces is the best possible pair and will defeat all other pairs.

One Pairs When Compared to Other Hands

A One Pair is the eighth best possible hand when it comes to the poker hand ranking system. Two Pair ranks above it directly. There is only one hand that ranks below One Pair. The hand that ranks under it directly is called High Card. Below are a few examples of One Pair poker hands:

  • A♠A♣ Q♥10♦8♠.
  • K♠K♦A♣J♥10♥.
  • A♠A♦Q♣J♥10♥.
  • A♠A♣ Q♥J♦9♠.
  • K♦K♣10♥9♣5♥

Can you identify from the above example, which pair ranks the highest?

Still confused a bit? Let’s revise the hand ranking once again: 

1. Royal Flush.

2. Straight Flush.

3. Four of a Kind.

4. Full House.

5. Flush.

6. Straight.

7. Three of a Kind.

8. Two Pair.

9. One Pair.

10. High Card.

To have a deeper understanding of poker hands visit our hand rankings page and become a pro.