Why does 555 beat QQQ in this Doyle vs Elezra hand?

Question

I am confused about this video: Doyle Brunson vs Eli Elezra

Why does 555 beat QQQ? Or I am missing something?

Answer 1

Because the 555 are not just 555, it's a full house (fives full of queens). Elezra only has QQQ.

In Hold'em you have to make the best five cards out of seven: using either 0, 1 or 2 of your holecards and either 3, 4 or 5 community cards.

In the deal you linked to the community cards are:

3⋄5♠Q♠Q♣J♥

The best hand Eli Elezra can make with his Q⋄2♥ is:

Q♠Q♣Q⋄J♥5♠ (a set of Queens)

while the best hand Doyle Brunson can make with his 5⋄5♣ is:

5♠5⋄5♣Q♠Q♣ (a full house, Fives full of Queens)

Answer 2

Doyle started with 55. Elezra started with Q high. That is to say, Doyle started with the better hand.

The board helped BOTH players. Elezra caught QQ, making trip Queens. Doyle caught a pair of Q's. If this were the end of it, Doyle would have two pair (Qs and 5s), meaning that Elezra would have the better hand.

But Doyle also caught a 5 that further helped his hand, making trip 5s AND a pair of queens, for a full house. This beats "trips."

Put another way, Doyle caught a 5 that made trips (lower than Elezra's), but the two queens improved his hand further to a full house.