Does a straight flush beat four of a kind?
Yes. A straight flush beats four of a kind in poker — every time. In the ranking of 10 hand categories, straight flush is #2 and four of a kind is #3. Categories are compared first: even a five-high straight flush beats quad aces — the category always decides first.
Five cards in a row, all one suit.
Four cards of the same rank ("quads").
How rare is each hand?
Rarity is exactly why the order is what it is. Out of 2,598,960 possible five-card hands, a straight flush shows up in 0.00139% of them (36 combinations), while four of a kind appears in 0.024% (624 combinations). The harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks.
Does four of a kind ever beat a straight flush?
No — never. The category comparison is absolute: the highest possible four of a kind still loses to the lowest possible straight flush. Ranks inside a category only matter when both players hold the same category.
Prove it to yourself
Which hand wins? Tap it.