Quads

In Depth Look

Quads, or four of a kind, is a poker hand made up of four cards of the same rank. This means you have all four cards of a particular value, like four eights or four aces. Because there are only four cards of each rank in the deck, quads are rare and powerful. In most poker games, quads rank just below a straight flush and above a full house, making them one of the highest possible hands. The strength of quads comes from their low likelihood and their ability to beat almost all other hands.

In games with community cards such as Texas Hold’em, quads can form in different ways. You might have one or two of the matching cards in your hand combined with the board, or all four could appear on the board itself. This can sometimes make it difficult to know who actually holds the winning hand, especially if multiple players share part of the quads. When quads are made using the board only, the winner is decided by the highest kicker card a player holds in their hand.

Playing quads effectively requires an understanding of the situation and the opponents. Because the hand is so strong, players often want to build the pot but avoid scaring others away too early. Checking or slow-playing can sometimes be a good strategy to encourage more bets. However, in some cases, betting or raising aggressively helps protect the hand from potential straights or flushes that might beat quads. The best approach depends on the game, the players, and the board.

Key Points:

• Quads consist of four cards of the same rank and rank just below a straight flush.
• In community card games, quads can be made from hole cards, the board, or both, affecting hand strength and winner decisions.
• Effective play with quads involves balancing pot-building with not scaring opponents away too early.