what is a full house in poker

A full house in poker is a five‑card hand that contains three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

Quick Scoop

• Structure: “three of a kind + one pair” in the same 5‑card hand.

• Example: A♠ A♦ A♣ 6♥ 6♣ (called “aces full of sixes”).

• Another example: 2♣ 2♦ 2♥ 3♠ 3♣ (“twos full of threes”).

• Nicknames: Often called a “full boat” or just a “boat.”

• Strength: It’s a very strong made hand, ranking above a flush and straight, but below four of a kind and straight flushes (exact rank can vary slightly by source, but it’s always near the very top).

How full houses are named

Players usually name the hand by saying the three‑of‑a‑kind first, then the pair.

Examples:

• A♠ A♥ A♦ 9♣ 9♠ → “aces full of nines”

• K♦ K♣ K♠ 7♣ 7♥ → “kings full of sevens”

Among full houses, the one with the higher three‑of‑a‑kind wins; if those match, the higher pair wins.