Does two pair beat a pair?
Yes. Two pair beats a pair in poker — every time. In the ranking of 10 hand categories, two pair is #8 and one pair is #9. Categories are compared first: even threes and deuces beats a pair of aces — the category always decides first.
Two different pairs.
Two cards of the same rank.
How rare is each hand?
Rarity is exactly why the order is what it is. Out of 2,598,960 possible five-card hands, two pair shows up in 4.75% of them (123,552 combinations), while a pair appears in 42.3% (1,098,240 combinations). The harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks.
Does a pair ever beat two pair?
No — never. The category comparison is absolute: the highest possible one pair still loses to the lowest possible two pair. Ranks inside a category only matter when both players hold the same category.
Prove it to yourself
Which hand wins? Tap it.