Four of a Kind in Poker: Ways to Make it, Playing Strategies

13.08.2024
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Updated 28.10.2024
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Four of a Kind in Poker

What is it? Four of a kind in poker is one of the strongest combinations. In strength, it is inferior only to royal flush and straight flush. However, the chance of make four cards of the same rank is very low. There are several ways to make quads using hole cards and those on the table.

What to consider? If you are lucky and get the rare combination, do not rush to show off your excitement. You need to keep a poker face and strictly follow the strategy for playing this magnificent four.

What Quads is in Poker?

Four of a kind (Quads) is considered one of the strongest poker combinations, almost 100% guaranteeing victory in the hand. Due to its strength, this hand is often referred to as a “monster hand”.

Four of a kind is made up of four cards of the same rank. It is also often called Quads. In some countries, people call it “carre”, which is French for “square”.

Chance of Making Quads in Poker

The combination is one of the three strongest, so the chance of getting it is very small.

With unpaired hole cards on the flop, Quads only appear once in 10 thousand hands. Moreover, if a player has a pocket pair in his hands preflop, he has only one chance in 25 thousand to get Quads on the flop. A flopped set can be improved to the desired combination on the river only 4% of the time.

Due to the low chances of getting Quads in Texas Hold’em, players often do not even consider the possibility of improving their hands to this combo. At the same time, they try to improve to other, more common combinations.

Flop, turn, river in poker

Let’s try to determine the chances of making Quads in poker on each street.

  • With unpaired hole cards, the probability of getting the desired combination on the flop is 0.01%.
  • With a pair in hand, the probability of getting the desired combination on the flop is 0.25%.
  • Getting a set on the flop increases the chances of getting Quads on the turn to 2%.
  • The same hand can be improved to the desired combination on the river with a probability of 4%.
  • A set made on the turn can be improved to Quads on the river with a probability of 2%.

As we can see, in general, the chances of getting the desired combination in poker are small. Therefore, if you have a strong hand, the player should make the most balanced decisions taking into account the probable hands of the opponent, who has the same chances of collecting a combo of four cards of the same rank.

For example, we assume that the opponent made a set on the turn. Then a boat will only lose on the river two hands out of 100, when the opponent makes Quads. In the long run, in such a situation, a win is almost guaranteed.

Now let’s look at the chances of getting Quads in Omaha.

  • With one pocket pair, the probability of getting a combination on the flop is 0.09%.
  • Two pairs in hand increase the chances to 0.17%.
  • A player will be able to get the fourth card on the turn, having a set on the flop, only in 2% of cases.
  • The probability of making Quads on the river increases to 4%. If the set was made on the turn, then it will be possible to get the desired fourth card on the river in 2% of cases.

What is Stronger than Quads in Poker: Hierarchy of Combinations

Straight Flush and Royal Flush are stronger than Quads. Other combinations, including a full house, a straight and a flush, are weaker. Quads appear relatively rarely in gaming practice. A player who has managed to collect this combination has a huge advantage over opponents, especially if there are many of them.

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The strength of Quads is determined by the rank of the component cards. This rule applies to almost all varieties of the game, including Texas Hold’em. The weakest of them is Quads of deuces, the strongest is Quads of aces.

The only player who has managed to collect four identical cards during the game almost always wins. His opponents have very little chance of getting the same combination before the showdown. However, such a situation cannot be completely ruled out. If two players have quads, the owner of the highest ranked cards wins.

If the combination is entirely made up of common cards, the player with the strongest kicker wins. And when the kickers are of the same rank, the pot is divided equally between the players.

It is useful to know the rules for determining the winner in poker in any game situations, even such a rare one.

Ways to Make Quads in Poker

Despite the low probability of getting Quads, there are different ways to make it. It is necessary to know all of them, because it also determines the development of the hand, and therefore directly affects the strategy. We will list all possible methods below.

  • Pocket pair plus two common cards of the same rank. This option is the least predictable and at the same time the most desirable. Players, seeing a pair on the board, are unlikely to take into account that one of their opponents has the same two cards. This situation is considered extremely unlikely. However, if someone managed to collect Quads using two of their own and two common cards, he will most likely take the pot.
  • One hole card plus three common cards of the same rank. The peculiarity of this option is that it becomes more difficult to disguise the hand than in the previous case. Thus, the opponent has a chance to collect a boat with a pocket pair. With Quads in this Case, it is difficult to win, also if the opponent was unable to make a strong hand.
  • The whole combo consists of common cards. A four of a kind in poker, made entirely on the table, is a rather rare situation. All players who have reached the showdown will take a shot at taking this pot down. The fifth card will be decisive here. If an ace is on the table together with four cards of the same rank, the pot is divided equally between all players. Otherwise, the winner will be determined by the kicker.

The street on which the four of a kind was made is of great importance. Sometimes the combination is already completed on the flop (for example, from two hole and two common cards). This option is undesirable. It is better when the third card comes on one street, and the fourth on another. In this case, it will be more difficult for the opponent to expect this hand.

Correct Plays with Quads in Poker

You should probably only go broke with Quads when it’s clearly the best hand. Most often, you can tell it by the board. You should not be too aggressive with bets and raises if there is a pair or a trips of cards of higher rank on the board, or if there are 3 or 4 consecutive cards of the same suit. This situation increases the opponent’s chances of getting a higher four of a kind or a straight flush.

Лучшие руки в покере и чарты

On a safe board and with a monster hand, you need to try to maximize your profit by forcing your opponents to put money into the pot. It is important not to scare off your opponents with too large of a bet, otherwise the total pot will not grow, and the winnings will be insufficient.

In an ideal situation, other players are forced to go all-in. This happens when one of the opponents has made a strong hand, in his opinion, or all opponents see a loose, often bluffing opponent in front of them. The combination of these two factors will lead to the players competing for the pot most likely to raise and bet aggressively.

In poker, Quads can appear already on the flop. In this case, it is better to stick to the tactics of slowplay – the most passive game, demonstrating to the opponent the absence of a strong hand. An opponent who is especially inclined to aggressive betting will try to raise the previous player’s bet and thereby increase the total pot. On the flop, opponents will also demonstrate the strength of their hands by raising and betting.

When you are out of position, it is recommended to check and force the next opponent to bet. Even if this does not happen, villain may improve on the following street and start betting. Then you can either continue passive play and call or put a mall raise in. The latter action will probably signal to the opponent an attempt to steal the entire pot, and then the opponent may try to re-steal with a re-raise. However, a player who plays a tight strategy will not take such risks.

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Tips for Playing Quads in Poker

Here are the recommended actions when you get four of a kind:

  • Raising right from the start. The main goal of a plyer with a strong hand is to increase the size of the pot. This can be achieved with a raise, which increases the pot and forces opponents to put more money into the pot, if they want to stay in the hand.
  • Raising in a big pot. A raise here would also be fair in order to maximize the size of the potential win. However, it is necessary to maintain a balance so as not to scare off opponents.
  • Hiding the strength of your hand. Sometimes it is preferable not to telegraph strength of your hand right away. At first, it is worth playing passively, allowing opponents to juice the pot, and only then start raising.
  • Mixed style of play. This tactic is also aimed at concealing the strength of your hand. It confuses other players and forces them to make mistakes.
  • Analyzing the board. It is necessary to evaluate the possibility of hands to improve, for example, to a full house or a straight flush. If there is such a possibility, it makes sense to raise the bet, forcing opponents to pay for the opportunity to improve.
Лучшие руки в покере и чарты
  • Analyzing opponents. If a player demonstrates an aggressive playing style, there is a high probability that the player has made a strong enough hand. If you have Quads, you need to keep him in play and allow him to keep on betting.

Each game situation in poker should be considered separately. There are no one-fit-all strategies. Player’s actions depend on his playing style and his opponents’ tactics, on the size of the pot and table dynamics, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions about Quads in Poker

What types of poker have four of a kind?

This combination appears in different variants of the game. Let’s look at some examples:

  • Texas Hold’em. In the most popular type of poker, players receive two hole cards, and another 5 cards are dealt face up on the table. The Quads can be made with or without hole cards. In spots where Quads is completed on the board, the kicker is taken into account, which can be of any value.
  • Omaha. Players receive 4 hole cards, and another 5 cards are dealt face up on the table. Four of a kind here is the same combination as in Hold’em. However, to make it, you need 2 hole cards and 2 common cards, as well as one common card as a kicker.
  • Seven-card stud. Players receive 7 cards, from which the desired combination is collected. Here, four of a kind is also four cards of the same rank.
  • Other variations. You can find this hand in Draw Poker and other types of games. It is always four cards of the same rank, but the details might differ. You should familiarize yourself with the specific rules in advance.

What Quads mean?

Quads stands for “four”. However, in some other languages Four of a Kind also called “carre”. It is French for “square”. It came from the military; carre was a battle formation, in which resistance to the enemy was provided from four sides.

Are there any bonuses for making Quads in poker rooms?

Some poker rooms provide incentives for players who lose with a very strong hand. Quads are no exception. Such bonus is called a bad beat jackpot.

So, in poker, the probability of Quads is very low. However, the rarity of such a combination means high chances of winning. Having such a strong hand, you need to strive to increase the pot to the maximum. It is important to simultaneously conceal the strength of your hand from your opponents and incentivize them to put money into the pot.

Nik Maslov Professional poker coach since 2021
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