Quick facts by PokerStrategy
- A boat is another name for a full house.
- A boat is a poker hand that includes trips along with a pair, i.e., three of one value card and two of another value card.
- In Texas Hold’em, you can make a boat using none, one, or both of your hole cards.
- As one of the strongest ranked hands, poker strategy with a boat generally involves playing for value with bets and raises.
What Is a Boat in Poker?
A boat in poker is a five-card hand that consists of trips, along with a pair, i.e., three of a kind of one rank card with a pair of different rank cards. It is the slang term for a full house.
Examples of a boat in poker:
A♥ A♦ A♣ K♥ K♣
5♣ 5♥ 5♠ Q♣ Q♥
In the first example, the player has a boat with trip aces and a pair of kings, which is known as aces full of kings. In the second example of a boat, the player has fives full of queens.
A boat is one of the strongest hands in poker, ranked fourth overall in the poker hand rankings. This makes it a key hand to recognize whether you are playing live or on poker sites.
To become more familiar with hand strengths like a boat, regular play helps. Many of the best mobile poker apps offer both real and practice games, so you can sharpen your skills anytime, anywhere.
Where the Term “Boat” Comes From
The term “boat” is the slang word for a full house and refers to the same hand. The term likely came about because, against a backdrop of strict gambling laws, poker was often played on riverboats in Mississippi during the 19th century.
Given that casinos are often referred to as the “house”, it makes sense that “full house” became “full boat” during this time of waterbound gaming. The phrase “full boat” was then shortened to “boat”, which is still used interchangeably to this day to describe a full house.
Different Ways to Make a Boat in Poker
There are several different ways to make a boat in poker, using either one hole card, two hole cards, or when a boat runs out on the board.
Two Hole Cards
You can make a Texas Hold’em boat hand using two of your hole cards, whether you have a pocket pair or not. In both cases, there will be a pair out on the board.
Example with pocket pair:
Player A: Q♣ Q♠
Board: Q♥ 5♣ 2♣ 5♠ 8♥
Boat: Q♣ Q♠ Q♥ 5♣ 5♠
In this example, Player A has flopped trips with their pocket queens. The board pairs on the turn, improving their hand to a boat.
Example without pocket pair:
Player A: A♣ 3♣
Board: A♠ A♥ 4♠ T♣ 3♠
Boat: A♣ A♠ A♥ 3♣ 3♠
In this example, Player A has hit trips with the pair of aces on the board, then found a pair with their kicker to make a boat.
Although all ways of making a boat have the same ranking, using both hole cards will often allow you to gain more value as your hand will be well hidden and opponents won’t be able to predict that you have a boat.
One Hole Card
It’s also possible to make a boat hand in Texas Hold’em using one of your hole cards. In this case, the board will be double-paired or show trips.
Example using one hole card, double-paired board:
Player A: K♥ J♣
Board: K♣ K♦ 8♠ 8♥ 2♣
Boat: K♥ K♣ K♦ 8♠ 8♥
Example using one hole card, trips on board:
Player A: Q♠ 9♠
Board: 9♣ 9♦ 9♥ Q♣ 2♠
Boat: 9♣ 9♦ 9♥ Q♠ Q♣
Boat on Board
Given that there are five community cards dealt in poker games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha, it’s possible, although rare, that a boat can run out on the board.
Example of a boat on the board:
Board: 5♣ 5♦ 5♥ A♣ A♠
If a player has a boat and runs out of cards, it often leads to a chopped pot. However, it’s important to be aware that someone could have a higher boat or even quads. In the example above, a player with an ace in their hand beats the board with aces full of fives.
How a Boat Ranks in Poker Hands
A boat in poker is the fourth strongest hand in the poker hand rankings. It is only beaten by a royal flush, straight flush, and four of a kind. A boat is ahead of high card, pair, two pair, trips, straight, and flushes.
If two or more players have a boat at showdown, the highest ranked full house wins. For example, aces full of sixes beats sixes full of aces. This is known as boat over boat.
Boat over boat example:
Player A: K♣ T♠
Player B: 5♣ 5♥
Board: K♣ 5♦ T♣ T♥ 2♦
In this example, Player B has fives full of tens; trip fives with a pair of tens. Player A has tens full of kings, trip tens with a pair of kings, and wins the pot.
If two or more players have the same value boat, as can be the case when two, one, or no hole cards are used, the pot is split.
Recognizing a Boat in Different Poker Variants
A boat is three of one card and two of another. This hand has the same meaning and strength across most variants of poker, including Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
If you’re playing Omaha, remember that you must use exactly two of your four hole cards, along with three of the community cards on the board, to make your hand. If you don’t use exactly two hole cards, you can’t make a boat.
Example of a boat in Omaha:
Player A: K♣ K♥ 6♠ 7♥
Board: K♠ 5♣ 5♦ 2♠ 3♣
Boat: K♣ K♥ K♠ 5♣ 5♦
Boat Strategy: How to Play a Boat
Since a boat is such a strong hand, you’ll nearly always want to play a it for value, especially if you have the highest possible full house.
The few hands that beat a boat are extremely rare and usually not a major concern. Straight flushes and quads are difficult to make and rare enough that they shouldn’t put you off betting. Most of the time, when you have a boat, you’ll be looking to get maximum value, making opponents pay who have hands like two pair or trips.
If you have the lower boat and there’s a chance that you’re beaten, then you may need to exercise caution. In this case, you can use pot control to keep the pot small and make it to showdown.
Common Misunderstandings About a Boat in Poker
- A boat is different from a full house: This is not true. A boat is simply a different term for the same hand.
- You can only make a boat with a pocket pair: Again, this is not true. In Texas Hold’em, you can make a boat using none, one, or both of your hole cards, with or without a pocket pair.
- All boats are the same: While all boats fall under the same hand strength, if two or more players have a boat, then the highest ranked cards win, starting with the trips and then on to the pair.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a full house and a boat in poker?
There is no difference between a full house and a boat in poker. They are two names for the same hand.
What happens if two players have a boat in poker?
If two players have a boat in poker, the player with the highest ranked cards wins the pot. If both have the same value boat, the pot is split.