Understanding Trips in Poker: What Does It Mean?

What Do Trips in Poker Mean?

In poker, the term “trips” refers to a three-of-a-kind hand in which the player has a card in hand, and the other two matching cards appear on the board. A set is the exact opposite of trips, where the two matching cards are in the player’s hand while the third one appears on the board. 

It is generally flop games like Texas Hold’em or Omaha that you will encounter trips. The beauty of trips is that it’s quite a strong hand in poker that can win the pot. But its downside is that when two cards are showing, your opponents can read your physical tell.

Example of Trips in Poker

While you might come across the term trips when talking about hand strength, let’s look at a proper example of what it means. Assume that you have a 7 of diamonds in your hand and the community board reads 7 of spades, 7 of hearts, and 3 of clubs. You have trips as one of the cards in your hand matches two cards on the board. However, if you have the remaining 7 of clubs in your hand, then you hit a full house instead of trips, or as it’s casually called, “triplets”.

Strategies/Tips for Trips

• If you get trips, don’t bet big right away, but bet small or slow-play things. Then, when more cards come out, bet bigger to win more, especially if it looks like your opponents probably don’t have better hands.
• Trips can be quite risky when straights and flushes are possible, so it is wise not to overestimate its value if you indeed get it.
• When you play live poker, look out for your opponents to reveal any physical tell when it comes to the board texture, as they might get excited if they hit trips.
• Whereas, in online poker, look at the betting patterns of your opponents and check how much they bet, as these can be clues that throw a light on their hands.