FOUR OF A KIND

Four of a Kind is known to be one of the best poker hands any player could get, alongside royal flush and straight flush. It is sometimes also called ‘quads’ since it made up of four matching cards of one rank with different suits, and one card of another rank. An example of this would be a four-of-a-kind, sevens, featuring four sevens, all in different suits, and the kicker, which could be any other card that ranks differently.

You might be asking, what makes one four-of-a-kind hand better than another? In this hand ranking, it’s the denomination that determines the value, not whether cards have the same suit or not. For example, a king of hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs is a four-of-a-kind hand at the higher end of the hierarchy as it beats any lower-ranked hands, such as a four-of-a-kind tens and four-of-a-kind queens. However, it is always beaten by the, quite literally unbeatable hand, quad aces, that ranks the highest out of all possible combinations.

The four-of-a-kind aces is composed of four ace cards and is considered to be the best possible hand in poker games. This is because the ace is the highest-ranking card in poker. Since without a wild card there are 624 hand-combination potentials in a 52-card deck and 156 unique ranks of quads, the kicker could come into play. 

The fifth card matters when coming head-to-head with another four cards of the same rank as it determines which hand takes the cake. For example, suppose you have a four-of-a-kind fours with a jack kicker, and a four-of-a-kind fours with a two kicker, the hand with jack kicker beats the hand with the two kicker.

Keep reading ahead to find out the strongest four-of-a-kind combinations you can get your hands on!

Highest Four-of-a-Kind combinations in poker

The best quads hand you could achieve in poker would be one composed of the four aces — since the ace is the most valuable card, it also produces the highest-ranking cards. This powerful quad consists of an ace of spades, ace of clubs, ace of hearts and ace of diamonds, which piled together beat all other hands,  like, for example, an opposing hand of four king cards, despite the king being the next best thing. An ace is considered to be the highest card, and alternatively, a hand of quad twos is considered to be the worst combination as it does not rank higher than any other set of four cards.

Therefore, we can say that the hierarchy goes as follows, from highest to lowest combinations in numerical order:

1. Ace
2. King
3. Queen
4. Jack
5. Ten
6. Nine
7. Eight
8. Seven
9. Six
10. Five
11. Four
12. Three
13. Two

How to get Four-of-a-Kind in poker

Getting a hold of four-of-a-kind is undeniably a desirable position to be in, yet it is also one that does not occur too often. When it does actually happen, a handful of players are unsure as to what to do and how to play their cards right after that. That’s why we’re here to give you a few examples and tips!

Firstly, it is important not to panic and keep things simple by examining the board and your opponent’s field. If you’re blocking valuable cards, aim for playing slow, but if you are in a strong position, you can afford to play with a tad more aggression — with every powerful hand comes the goal of maximising your winnings. The rule of thumb is to tread with caution when in possession of a low-strength four-of-a-kind, such as a quad seven, as another player may have a stronger hand.

Keep in mind that Omaha Hold’Em deals four cards in the hole instead of five, which means that you just might start with four-of-a-kind! In this case, you should always fold as Omaha requires the use of precisely two of their hole cards. You can’t get a quad hand whenever you’re dealt a four-of-a-kind in the hole as two of those cards would need to be on the board, not in the hole.

With that said, you have to keep in mind that others might have hit an even bigger jackpot by striking any of the two more superior hands, called the royal flush (also referred to as the royal straight flush) and straight flush. It’s always a good idea to check out what community cards are sitting on the table and keep an eye out for player responses. Be mindful of which hand ranks higher than yours!

How does a Four-of-a-Kind hand rank?

In a typical game of poker, players are required to form a five-card hand of a better rank than their opponents. The deciding factor of who takes the winning title home relies on the rank of the poker hand that players bring to the table!

In high games such as Texas hold’em and seven-card stud, the highest-ranking hands win. However, in low games such as razz, the low-hand ranking hands win. When it comes to high-low split games, both the highest-ranking as well as the lowest-ranking hands win, although different rules rank the high and low hands differently depending on the poker variant you play. Suits are not ranked, so hands that differ by suit alone are of the same rank.

Four-of-a-Kind poker probability

Check out the probability of getting a four-of-a-kind in poker play during The Pre-Flop Stage, the Flop, the Turn, and the River in both Texas hold’em and Omaha poker.