Translation guide
In Japanese, the poker hand 'three-of-a-kind' is commonly referred to using borrowed English terms or descriptive phrases. The most natural way to express it depends on context, with loanwords being standard in poker and descriptive phrases used in general card games.
スリーカード
three-of-a-kind (poker)
Referring to the poker hand consisting of three cards of the same rank, plus two unrelated cards.
The most common term in Japanese poker, directly borrowed from English 'three of a kind'. Used in casual and formal poker contexts.
彼はスリーカードで勝った。
He won with three-of-a-kind.
A more literal borrowing of the full English phrase. Less common than スリーカード but understood in poker circles.
スリー・オブ・ア・カインドは強い役だ。
Three-of-a-kind is a strong hand.
Descriptive phrase meaning 'three cards of the same number'. Used when explaining the hand to beginners or in non-poker card games.
同じ数字が3枚あればスリーカードです。
If you have three cards of the same number, it's three-of-a-kind.
Sometimes used in casual contexts to mean three-of-a-kind, but more commonly means 'triple' in other contexts. Can be ambiguous.
May be confused with other meanings of 'triple'. Use only in clear poker contexts.
Japanese poker terminology heavily borrows from English. スリーカード is the standard term and will be understood by anyone familiar with poker. For general card games, descriptive phrases like 同じ数字が3枚 are clearer.
I got three-of-a-kind!