‘Quads’ is the common nickname for having ‘four of a kind’ in poker. This means to have four cards all of the same rank, such as four 10’s, or four Kings.
What are “quads” in poker?
In poker, a “quad” refers to four of a kind, which means having all four cards of the same rank in your hand. For example, having all four Aces (Ace of Spades, Ace of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds, and Ace of Clubs) would be the highest possible quads, and having all four 2s would be the lowest.
Quads are a very strong hand in poker and are almost certain to win the pot except in the rare case where a straight flush or a royal flush is on the board or in another player’s hand.
Real-world winning quad hands
For a real-world example, let’s look at the 2008 World Series of Poker $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, where Scotty Nguyen faced off against Michael DeMichele. In a round of Omaha Hi-Lo, Scotty Nguyen was dealt a hand that included a pair of Queens. The flop and turn didn’t help anyone, but the river card was another Queen, giving Nguyen quads over DeMichele’s full house, leading Nguyen to win the hand and eventually secure the championship.
Another notable example is from the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event, where Gaelle Baumann held Quad Queens against an opponent’s full house. The board ran out with two Queens, giving Baumann four of a kind. Her opponent, with a strong full house, pushed all-in, only to be instantly called by Baumann’s unbeatable hand.
Such occurrences are memorable in professional poker due to their rarity and the often dramatic shift in chip stacks they cause when they do happen.
Quads poker hand ranking
In poker hand rankings, quads sit very high on the list, just below a straight flush and above a full house. Here’s the hierarchy of poker hands from highest to lowest:
- Royal Flush – The highest hand possible, a royal flush is the combination of the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of the same suit.
- Straight Flush – Any five consecutive cards of the same suit, but not a royal flush.
- Four of a Kind (Quads) – Four cards of the same rank.
- Full House – Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
- Flush – Any five cards of the same suit, not consecutive.
- Straight – Five consecutive cards of different suits.
- Three of a Kind – Three cards of the same rank.
- Two Pair – Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank.
- One Pair – Two cards of the same rank.
- High Card – None of the above hands, with the highest card in your hand being your best hand.
Quads are a very powerful hand in poker, and the chances of two players both having quads in the same hand are exceedingly rare. As such, if you’re lucky enough to hit four of a kind, you’re almost guaranteed to have the winning hand.