{"id":3104,"date":"2026-08-31T12:28:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wolfbet.com\/blog\/?p=3104"},"modified":"2026-08-31T12:28:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:28:06","slug":"what-beats-4-of-a-kind-in-poker-four-of-a-kind-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wolfbet.com\/blog\/what-beats-4-of-a-kind-in-poker-four-of-a-kind-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"What Beats 4 of a Kind in Poker? Four of a Kind Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Only two hands<\/strong> beat four of a kind in standard poker: a straight flush<\/strong> and a royal flush<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s it. Every other hand – full house, flush, straight, trips, two pair, one pair, high card – loses to four of a kind at showdown. Quads is the third-strongest hand in poker, and in practice it wins almost every pot it appears in. The only realistic threat is a straight flush on the same board, which is rare enough that most players never see the matchup in their lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hand<\/th>Beats four of a kind?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Royal Flush<\/td>\u2713 Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Straight Flush<\/td>\u2713 Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Full House<\/td>\u2717 No – four of a kind wins<\/td><\/tr>
Flush<\/td>\u2717 No – four of a kind wins<\/td><\/tr>
Straight<\/td>\u2717 No – four of a kind wins<\/td><\/tr>
Three of a Kind<\/td>\u2717 No – four of a kind wins<\/td><\/tr>
Two Pair<\/td>\u2717 No – four of a kind wins<\/td><\/tr>
One Pair<\/td>\u2717 No – four of a kind wins<\/td><\/tr>
High Card<\/td>\u2717 No – four of a kind wins<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Is Four of a Kind in Poker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Four of a kind<\/strong> (also called quads<\/strong>) is a five-card poker hand containing four cards of the same rank plus one additional card (the kicker). Example: A\u2660 A\u2665 A\u2666 A\u2663 K\u2666 – four aces with a king kicker. This is the strongest possible four of a kind hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a standard 52-card deck there are exactly 624 possible four-of-a-kind combinations<\/strong> across 13 ranks (one set of quads per rank). Out of 2,598,960 possible five-card hands, only 624 are quads – making it one of the rarest hands you’ll encounter at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four of a kind is sometimes called a “poker four of a kind” or simply “quads” in casual conversation. Hearing someone say “I’ve got quads” at the table means they hold four matching cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four of a Kind in the Hand Rankings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rank<\/th>Hand<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1st<\/td>Royal Flush<\/td>A\u2660 K\u2660 Q\u2660 J\u2660 T\u2660<\/td><\/tr>
2nd<\/td>Straight Flush<\/td>9\u2666 8\u2666 7\u2666 6\u2666 5\u2666<\/td><\/tr>
3rd<\/strong><\/td>Four of a Kind<\/strong><\/td>A\u2660 A\u2665 A\u2666 A\u2663 K\u2666<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
4th<\/td>Full House<\/td>K\u2660 K\u2666 K\u2665 5\u2663 5\u2666<\/td><\/tr>
5th<\/td>Flush<\/td>A\u2663 J\u2663 9\u2663 6\u2663 2\u2663<\/td><\/tr>
6th<\/td>Straight<\/td>8\u2660 7\u2666 6\u2663 5\u2665 4\u2660<\/td><\/tr>
7th<\/td>Three of a Kind<\/td>J\u2660 J\u2666 J\u2665 9\u2663 3\u2660<\/td><\/tr>
8th<\/td>Two Pair<\/td>A\u2660 A\u2666 8\u2663 8\u2666 K\u2660<\/td><\/tr>
9th<\/td>One Pair<\/td>K\u2660 K\u2666 9\u2663 5\u2666 2\u2660<\/td><\/tr>
10th<\/td>High Card<\/td>A\u2660 J\u2666 9\u2663 6\u2666 2\u2660<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Four of a kind ranks directly above a full house and directly below a straight flush. Only two hands exist above it in the rankings – both of which are rarer than quads. That near-unbeatable position is why quads is such a decisive hand: when you make it, you almost certainly win the pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Four of a Kind Beat a Full House?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, four of a kind always beats a full house.<\/strong> This is one of the most frequently asked questions about poker hand rankings, and the answer is definitive: quads rank 3rd, full house ranks 4th. No full house – regardless of how high its cards are – beats four of a kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n