Boat
Slang for a full house (three of a kind plus a pair).
iGaming Journalist & Crypto Casino Analyst
What Is Boat?
The term 'boat' is a shorthand way to describe a full house, one of the strongest hand categories in standard poker hand rankings, beaten only by four of a kind, straight flushes, and royal flushes. When comparing two full houses, the hand with the higher three-of-a-kind component wins, regardless of the pair. Boats are often the result of the board pairing up in combination with a pocket pair or two-pair holding improving on a later street.
Examples
A player holding pocket queens on a Q-8-8-3-2 board makes a boat, queens full of eights.
Two players both make a boat, but the one with trip kings beats the one with trip jacks.
Strategy Tips
When you make a boat, look to build the pot aggressively since it's a very strong hand that is difficult for opponents to beat outside of quads or a straight flush. Be alert to the possibility of a bigger boat when the board pairs and multiple players are showing strength, since your full house may not be the strongest. Slowplaying a boat can be effective on boards where opponents are unlikely to have connected strongly, encouraging them to build the pot with weaker hands. Always compare the three-of-a-kind component first when determining which boat wins at showdown.