It happens very rarely for a player to have four pieces when playing Poker Stud.
The chances to have one such hand are of one to 18,500 hands that you play. However, in the situation this happens, you should know how to play the four cards of a kind hand, because it has a huge value in the game. This is why, even if you know that you have one of the strongest hand and the best chances to win the pot, you will also want to increase the size of the pot.
The main goal is to trick your opponents that you have a weak hand or that you have a medium hand. This may seem simple to be done but it is actually harder than you may think. The idea is to determine your adversaries to not give up their hands but to continue playing by betting or even raising.
The main strategy when having such a hand is to check, even if this might seem weird. This is how you will convince others that you don’t have a significant hand. Also, if you are lucky enough for your opponents to call or raise, you should not make the mistake to raise as well, but instead only choose to call. This is useful because you don’t only want to appear weaker than you are but you also want to offer your adversaries the chance to achieve better hands.
Allowing your opponents to improve their hands is the best possible strategy when four cards of a kind occur at Poker Stud game. Playing with check and call means that you give them this opportunity, which can result in them achieving a full or a quint hand. This will make them be more confident on their game and more ignorant on what cards you may play.
As mentioned above, even if checking might seem suspicious, you have more chances to convince that you have three pieces. However, they will receive another card if you check or call as a reaction to their bet. This is where they could improve their hands and if you miss this opportunity then you have more chances to lose the money.
As a conclusion, raising could be the worst mistake when playing Poker Stud with four cards of a kind because you will make your adversaries understand better that you have a strong hand. Instead, you better try to make the game last longer so they will get optimistic as this is will result in an increase of the pot that you will win. Avoid for your opponents to give up their hands quickly during the game as the pot will be too small for something as valuable as four cards of a kind
