Definition & Meaning of "three of a kind"

What is "three of a kind"?

Three of a kind is a poker hand that consists of three cards of the same rank, along with two other unrelated cards. For example, a hand with three jacks and two other different cards, like 7 and 9, is a three of a kind. It is ranked above two pair but below a straight in standard poker hand rankings. If two players have three of a kind, the hand with the higher set of three matching cards wins. If the three cards are the same, the remaining two cards are used to break the tie.