Hands and boards
Top pair in poker
Definition
A pair made with a hole card and the highest card on the board.
Top pair is a good but vulnerable hand: it beats everything below it, but loses to sets, two pairs and overpairs. Its strength depends on the kicker, which is why top pair top kicker (TPTK) is a favourite hand.
On wet boards top pair is often a bet-and-fold-to-raises hand, while on dry boards it can go for more value.
Example
You hold A♠J♦ on a flop of J♣7♥2♠: you have top pair with an ace kicker.