In standard poker, only a straight flush and a royal flush beat four Aces.
Quads Aces (A♠ A♥ A♦ A♣) crush every other hand, but lose to any straight flush.
Quad Aces in Standard Poker Hand Rankings
| Hand Type | Example | Probability | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A♦-K♦-Q♦-J♦-T♦ | 0.0032% | 1st strongest |
| Straight Flush | 9♥-8♥-7♥-6♥-5♥ | 0.0279% | 2nd strongest |
| Four of a Kind (including quoad aces) | A♠-A♥-A♦-A♣-2♦ | 0.168% | 3rd strongest |
According to official poker hand rankings, 4 of a Kind ranks as the 3rd strongest combination, which includes Four Aces (Quads).
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind (Four Aces is the strongest Four of a Kind hand)
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pairs
- One Pair
- High Card
The only hands that beat four aces in poker are a straight flush and a royal flush. That said, four aces wins against any other hand, such as full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and a high card.
Does a Straight Flush Beat Four Aces?
Yes. Any straight flush, which is made of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, beats four Aces.
Royal Flush vs Quad Aces
Royal flush wins against Four Aces in every game variation simply because it is much harder to make.
Why Quads Aces Are (Usually) Unbeatable: Rarity Math
Poker ranking follows rarity. The rarer the hand, the higher it ranks. Take a look at the probabilities, and you will see how 4 aces in poker rank.
- Royal Flush: 4 combinations → ~0.000154%
- Straight Flushes: 36 combinations → ~0.00139%
- Four of a kind: ~0.168%
Straight flushes (and royals) are far rarer than quads, which is why they outrank even quad Aces.
Tiebreakers & Edge Cases with Quad Aces
If two players have the same hand combination with quad aces, you need to compare the kicker.
- Quads vs Quads: Higher quads win. (A-A-A-A beats K-K-K-K, etc.)
- Same quads on the board (e.g., A♠ A♥ A♦ A♣ X). Your kicker (the 5th card) breaks the tie. You can use the best kicker from your hand or the board. If the board’s fifth card is the highest kicker available to both (e.g., A-A-A-A-K), it’s a chop.
You will almost always win with quad aces since the only way to beat them is for someone to have a straight flush, which is usually not even possible in most situations since it requires a very specific board runout.
Key Takeaways
In standard poker games like Texas Hold'em and PLO, only a straight flush and royal flush beat quad Aces.
Four Aces beat everything else, from full houses down to a high card.
Next, read the matchups between related hands:
