Four of a kind, also known as quads, is a hand consisting of four cards of the same rank, such as 9-9-9-9. It is the third strongest hand in standard poker, losing only to a straight flush and royal flush. Between two players with four of a kind, the one with the higher-ranked quads wins. The fifth card (kicker) acts as a tiebreaker when two players have quads of the same rank.