Top Two

1. Pairing your hole cards with the highest- and second highest-ranked cards on the board. For example, on a board of A-J-3-9-8, holding A-J would mean having top two pair.

Split Two Pair

Top two pair is a type of "split" two pair, which means that the two pair is made by matching each hole card with one card from the board. Other versions of two pair can occur when there is one hole card matches a community card and there is a completed pair on the board, as well as when there are two completed pairs on the board.

Math Time!

The probability of flopping two pair using both unpaired hole cards is 2%.

The probability of making a full house on the turn after flopping top two is 8.5%.

The probability of making a full house on the river when holding top two is barely better than on the turn: 8.7%.

The probability of making a full house or better on either the turn or river after flopping top two is 16.5%.