Why Is A Full Boat So Called In Poker?

The expression a full boat is slang for a full house in poker. It is also sometimes simply called a boat. It is used in reference to a poker hand which is made up of a pair as well as a three-of-a-kind. For instance this could be a queen of clubs, a queen of spades, a queen of heart, an ace of diamonds and an ace of spades.

A full boat would thus need three matching cards belonging to one rank, in addition to two matching cards that belong to another rank. Such a set of cards comes below the ranking a four of a kind but above a flush.

If there are two people who have full houses, the person who has the set of three with the higher ranking wins. In certain card games if two possess the identical set of three, one with the higher ranking pair wins.