Four of a Kind or Straight Flush. Which is better?

A common poker question is whether four of a kind beats a straight flush, or if it is the other way around.

Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker variant, so it is likely you are looking for the answer to this question for that game.

In Texas Hold’em, a straight flush beats four of a kind. For full clarification of hand rankings, check out this chart courtesy of KBH Games:

Other poker variants may have slightly different rules, but the majority of games follow the above rule. Both hands are extremely strong, and if your four of a kind loses to a straight flush, it is just very unlucky.