Does a straight beat three of a kind?
Yes. A straight beats three of a kind in poker — every time. In the ranking of 10 hand categories, straight is #6 and three of a kind is #7. Categories are compared first: even the wheel (A-2-3-4-5) beats three aces — the category always decides first.
Five cards in a row, mixed suits.
Three cards of the same rank ("trips").
How rare is each hand?
Rarity is exactly why the order is what it is. Out of 2,598,960 possible five-card hands, a straight shows up in 0.392% of them (10,200 combinations), while three of a kind appears in 2.11% (54,912 combinations). The harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks.
Does three of a kind ever beat a straight?
No — never. The category comparison is absolute: the highest possible three of a kind still loses to the lowest possible straight. Ranks inside a category only matter when both players hold the same category.
Prove it to yourself
Which hand wins? Tap it.