Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Poker hands quads

Quads, or four of a kind, is a poker hand consisting of four cards of the same rank and one unrelated kicker card. It is the third-strongest hand in standard poker rankings.

Also called
Four of a kind, four cards, quad(s)
Hand composition
4 cards of one rank + 1 kicker (5 cards total)14
Ranking position
Below a straight flush, above a full house1
Tiebreaker
Higher quartet wins; if equal, the kicker decides15

Key points

  • Quads is the third-best hand in standard poker, beaten only by a straight flush and a royal flush.1
  • The hand's rank is set by the four matching cards; the fifth card (kicker) only matters when two players both hold quads of the same rank.12
  • In community-card games like Texas hold'em, quads can be made using both hole cards and three board cards, or one hole card and three on the board.3

Example hands

A hand with four Kings and a 2 is quads (K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 2♠). If two players each have quads, the higher set wins: four Aces beats four Kings. In a community-card game, if both players have the same quads (e.g., four 10s on the board), the kicker determines the winner.15

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Check poker hands — a general category of ranked poker combinations, not a specific hand
  • Quads poker — may refer informally to the same hand or to an unrelated card game named Quads
  • Poker hand rankings — the ordering system that places quads above a full house and below a straight flush, not the hand itself
Poker Check poker hands Explains the full list of standard poker hand rankings. Poker Quads poker Covers the informal term and the separate card game Quads. Poker Poker hand rankings Describes the hierarchy from high card to royal flush. Poker Poker hands probability Shows the odds of being dealt each hand in various poker games. Poker Omaha poker hands Details how hand rankings work in Omaha hold'em. Poker Boat (poker hands) Explains the full house hand, which ranks directly below quads.

Sources

  1. List of poker hands en.wikipedia.org Provides the definition, ranking position, and tiebreaker rules for quads.
  2. Kicker (poker) en.wikipedia.org Explains the role of the kicker in comparing quads hands.
  3. Texas hold 'em starting hands - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Describes how quads can be formed in Texas hold'em.
  4. Poker Rules - Pagat pagat.com Confirms the hand composition and ranking of four of a kind.
  5. Regole dei giochi di carte: Il Valore delle Mani di Poker pagat.com Supports the tiebreaker rule when quads ranks are equal.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.