Quads
Quads is a hand of four cards of the same rank, also called four of a kind. It beats a full house and loses only to a straight flush or a royal flush.
The simple explanation
If you hold a pair and two more cards of the same rank come on the board, you have quads. It is rare, but very strong. When the board has quads, the highest side card, the kicker, decides who wins.
A closer look
Because quads is so strong, the main question is how to win the maximum. You often check to let an opponent bet, or bet small to be called by a full house or a flush. A flopped quads is especially hard to play, since nobody believes it. When the quads are on the board, everybody plays the same four cards and the kicker matters.
A practical example
You hold 8♣ 8♦ and the board is A♥ 5♦ 8♥ 8♠ 9♥. You have four eights.
Full explanation
Quads is a hand of four cards of the same rank, also called four of a kind. It beats a full house and loses only to a straight flush or a royal flush.
Quads means four cards of the same rank.
It is also called four of a kind.
It beats a full house.
Four of a kind
No-limit Hold’em · Blinds 1/2 chips · No rake
Read the example transcript
Player A has the button (BTN) and posts the 1-chip small blind (SB). Player B posts the 2-chip big blind (BB).
- Preflop · Pot: 3 chips
The blinds are 1 and 2 chips. Heads-up, the dealer (D) also posts the small blind.
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of clubs (Ac)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 199 · In this round 1
- Player B BB 88 of hearts (8h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
- Preflop · Pot: 8 chips
Player A raises to 6 before the flop.
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of clubs (Ac)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Player B BB 88 of hearts (8h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
- Preflop · Pot: 12 chips
Player B calls. Each player has put in 6 chips.
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of clubs (Ac)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Player B BB 88 of hearts (8h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Flop · Pot: 12 chips
The flop gives Player B two more eights. Four cards of the same rank are four of a kind, a very strong hand.
Board: 88 of clubs (8c)88 of spades (8s)22 of diamonds (2d)
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of clubs (Ac)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 194 · In this round 0
- Player B BB 88 of hearts (8h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 194 · In this round 0
Cards are shown for learning; totals are displayed before pot collection.