Poker games involve a mix of skill and luck. Online poker requires having a cool, steady hand, and some have an uncanny ability to know when to bluff their opponents. However, if you want to get to grips with how poker hands work in Texas hold’em, then you probably ought to familiarise yourself with some of the rules.
In our comprehensive guide, we will give you the lowdown on one of the kind hands – four of a kind. Although a royal straight flush or ace high straight flush is more common, four of a kind still has its place within the game. We intend to show you how this kind hand works, highlight the odds of as well as suggest strategies that you should adopt to improve your chances of getting this poker hand and landing the pot if dealt
WHAT IS A FOUR OF A KIND IN POKER?
Known as quads, this is a decent hand, as four of the cards here will be the same ranks, and in Texas hold’em, they will be numerically matching cards. So, four aces or four kings would suffice here.
HOW TO GET A FOUR OF A KIND IN POKER?
There’s no surefire way of getting a four of a kind in poker. The best you can do is pursue pairs and three of a kind hands, especially pocket pairs. Although the chances of making a four of a kind are low, they are amplified greatly if you start the round with a pocket pair.
HIGHEST FOUR OF A KIND COMBINATIONS IN POKER
Four of a kind is a powerful hand to play in poker and below, we have listed a few of the best combinations while holding four cards, starting with the strongest to give you an idea of what to expect:
- Four Aces – Hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs
- Four Jacks – Hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs
- Four Kings – Hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs
- Four Queens – Hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs
HOW DOES A FOUR OF A KIND HAND RANK?
Quads or four of a kind can prove to be a monster hand in a game. In the hierarchy of poker hands, a four of a kind reigns as a strong powerhouse, trumping many other combinations.
Only surpassed by a straight flush and a royal flush, a four of a kind stands tall, leaving full houses, flushes, and other hands in its wake.
FOUR OF A KIND POKER PROBABILITY
In a 52-card deck, there are over 600 ways to get four of a kind. A four of a kind is a powerful hand within a poker game. To highlight this, we have shown you the probability of getting four of a kind while playing Holdem and Omaha, and at various stages, including the river.
HOLDEM PROBABILITIES OF FOUR OF THE KIND
- Pre-flop – 0.02% (example based on five cards randomly drawn from 52-card deck)
- Flop – 0.25% (when holding a pair)
- Turn – 2.12% (from a flop with 1 ranked card)
- River – 2.17% (on a board with 1 ranked card)
OMAHA PROBABILITIES OF FOUR OF THE KIND
- Pre-flop – 0.02% (based on five cards drawn randomly from full pack of 52-card deck
- Flop – 0.28% (when holding a pair)
- Flop – 0.53% (when holding a 2 pair)
- Turn – 2.22% (from a flop with 1 ranked card)
- River – 2.27% (on a board with 1 ranked card)
⭐ WHAT BEATS FOUR OF A KIND?
The four of a kind comes in third in the overall poker rankings compared to other hands, with only the Straight Flush and Royal Flush deemed to be more valuable in the game.
⭐ DOES FOUR OF A KIND BEAT A FULL HOUSE?
Yes, a four of a kind is a more powerful poker hand. It ranks in third spot on the list of poker hands, so you can win handsomely here with this hand.
While there are fewer ways to win with four of a kind compared to a full house in poker, if you can grab the best four of a kind with at least one ace, this will counter most things your opponent will try to do in tournaments. Four of a kind ranks well, so make sure the hand you have are of the same rank as in the example we used in this guide.
⭐ CAN FOUR OF A KIND BEAT A STRAIGHT FLUSH?
No, a four of a kind is weaker in terms of rank for poker hands. However, the chances of landing a four of a kind and four cards of the same rank is greater.