In poker, a hand is considered to be a winning hand when a player’s cards are all of the same rank. A four of a kind is a combination of four cards of the same rank, with a fifth card of any value. A four of a kind can be a pair, fours, or quads. When playing poker, higher fours of a kind beat lower ones. When a player has two pairs, they split the pot. In other games, the same three-of-a-kind is called a two-of-a-kind.

In hold’em, a pair is two cards of equal rank, with three cards of different ranks. A pair of four or five is called a high-low pair. The higher pair wins. For example, a pair of jacks and tens beats an eight-of-a-king-queen-high. If a pair is equal, the lower pair is compared. If the two pairs are equal, the higher pair is the winning hand.

In fixed-limit games, any bet may only equal the number of chips in the pot. A player who raises will count some of the chips that he needs to call. If the pot is already full, a player may raise by one more chip. A player can only bet a maximum of 14 chips in the pot, so it is important to determine a limit before betting. For example, an open pair is worth more than a pair of sevens.