What is Four of a Kind in Poker? (May 2024)

Though it is a rare sight indeed, four of a kind is a poker hand that has all four suits of one card. It is the third strongest hand in poker, and when it is made, then it almost always wins. However, there is a big difference between winning a round and turning it into a massive payout.

What is Four of a Kind in Poker

As the name suggests, this is simply four cards of matching rank. You can have four Kings, four 10s, four 8s or any other set. They are all four of a kind.

What Beats Four of a Kind?

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush

There are only two hands that can beat four of a kind – royal flush and straight flush. As they are both straight flushes, there are only a few things you should keep an eye out for. Both those hands can only be formed if there are 3 suited communal cards that could form a sequence. For example, 6, 7 and 8 of Diamonds. The cards do not need to be in a sequence themselves, as they can have up to two gaps. An 8, Jack and Queen of Clubs can also present dangers, because a player could have the 9 and 10 of Clubs to complete the straight flush.

As long as there are not 3 or more cards of the same suit (that have a maximum gap of 2 in them), you are safe, right? Wrong, as it is possible for another player to form four of a kind too. As rare as it is that you can form four of a kind, it is immensely rarer that another player also forms four of a kind in the same round. But mathematically it is possible. If their four of a kind is of a higher ranking card then yours, they beat you. This is only possible if there are two pairs in the communal cards. And then, if the player does have four of a kind, you will know it must use the other pair on the table.

It is also worth mentioning that the four matching cards may all be in the communal card. If multiple players use the set, then the winner is determined by who has the highest fifth card.

Chances of Drawing Four of a Kind

There are actually 624 different ways to form four of a kind. It may sound like a lot, but the odds of drawing four of a kind are 4,165 to 1. If you convert that to a probability percentage, it comes out to 0.024%. And then you can only imagine how scarce it is that two players can form different four of a kind hands in one round.

Similar Hands to Four of a Kind (Backups)

Before going into a scenario, you have to know which hands are close to four of a kind. Should you play for four of a kind but narrowly miss out, you may still form one of these hands. Or, in a better scenario, your opponents have one of these hands and you can beat them easily. Remember this – for four of a kind you must have at least one pair on the table. For most of these hands, there are similar requirements.

Two Pair

This hand also needs at least one pair among the communal cards. It is far more common than a matching set of four, so most people will play their two pair with confidence. If you have two Kings and there is a pair of Kings on the table, you know your opponent cannot have four of a kind. Though they keep raising confidently, they may have a pair of Aces or Queens. They may take it to the dying betting cycles of the game, as the odds of you having the two remaining Kings is negligible.

Three of a Kind

Now if you are holding on to make four of a kind but the turn and river do not bring your desired card, you are stuck with three. This is not bad, but it means that your hand is weaker than a straight, flush, full house and, of course, four of a kind. Do not overplay a set of three on the flop. There is a very slim chance of you making four of a kind with the next two cards.

Full House

This hand ranks immediately below four of a kind, and it is extremely tricky. It requires a set of three with a pair. Just imagine the scenario where there is at least one pair among the communal cards. If you have the matching pair in the hole, you have four of a kind. Should your opponent have a pocket pair that matches with another communal card, they can use the first pair and their three of a kind to make a full house. It is a gamble, but there are ways to figure out whether a player can have a full house or four of a kind.

How to Use Four of a Kind

Timing is everything with a four of a kind hand. When you get four of a kind – when you start raising big – how slowly you reel in your winnings in the final betting cycle are all key factors. Knowing how to deal with a set of four can greatly increase your winnings.

Preflop

Though it is not the only way, your best bet is if you are drawn a pocket pair in the preflop round. This gives you a massive head start, and you will only require a matching pair to form your set of four. However, you can still settle for a full house, three of a kind or two pair should the communal cards draw unfavourably.

With two different cards, your chances of reaching four of a kind are significantly reduced. This means you need the dealer to draw a three of a kind in the communal cards, and it should match one of the cards you have in the hole.

Flop

The best chance you have of getting four of a kind is after the flop. If you make it with a pocket pair and a matching pair in the communal cards, your chances of winning are near 100%. You have to observe whether there is a remote possibility of a player still pulling off a straight flush. However, your biggest job is to convince the others you have a two pair or three of a kind.

Turn

By the time the fourth card is dealt, the limpers have either already folded or will fold soon. If you have just made four of a kind now, then you can start raising big. Again, do not scare off the other players with outlandish sums of money. They will most likely believe you have a good two pair or maybe even a three of a kind. A set of four high ranking cards works better here in many aspects. It is more believable that you would make big raises and play aggressively with a high ranking two pair or full house. Someone who is betting big with a two pair where the bottom pair are 2s or 3s may attract suspicion.

River and Showdown

With the river, you will see exactly whether there is or is not a chance for someone to beat you with a straight flush. Now, your job is to raise that pot to as high as your opponents will go. Raise incrementally so that if your opponent does not call the last bet, at least you have made substantial winnings.

Best Case Scenario

The best four of a kind is naturally four Aces, where you have a pocket pair. The only possibility of someone beating your hand is if there are three suited cards on the table and they have the complementary cards to form a straight flush. The odds are stacked against it though.

Worst Case Scenario

Four of a kind only makes a difference when it is yours alone. If the four of a kind are all on the table, then the round is determined by who has the highest card. Therefore, the rank of the four of a kind is arbitrary.

Conclusion

Whether you get a four of a kind or not is pure luck. You can only play to its strengths and make the most profit out of the round as possible. It is rather strange, but here you will want to reverse bluff to make the players think your hand is weaker than it is. This way, you can reel them along to get the biggest possible win.