4-Card Poker is an exciting poker variant in which the dealer and player compete to create the best possible four-card hand. In this guide, we’ll review the best places to play 4-Card Poker, how to play, strategy, and much more.
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How To Play 4-Card Poker
The game of 4-Card Poker is relatively simple to understand, especially if you’ve played other similar games like 3-Card Poker. That being said, playing 4-Card Poker does entail some level of strategy. We’ll go over strategy in more detail later, but for now, let’s focus on the basics of how to play. Put simply, the purpose of the game is to create a better hand than the dealer.
The game begins at a familiar table, with three spots to place a bet. To start the round, the player must place their bet on the “Ante” spot. You also have the opportunity to place an “Aces Up” bet here, which is a side bet that pays out if you make a pair of aces or better. (You can see the payout table to the right of the card spots.)
Once you place your ante, you’ll be dealt four cards. The dealer will be dealt six cards in total, with one being face up. As you can see in the screenshot above, you’re now presented with three additional options—double your ante, triple your ante, or fold. If you don’t fold, that’s known as placing the “Play” bet, which allows the game to continue. If you do fold, you lose your original ante bet but don’t risk losing double or triple your ante.
And that’s a full round of 4-Card Poker. As you can see, it’s a quick and easy game to understand and play. However, there’s more information you should know before diving in for real money.
4-Card Poker Hand Rankings
To strategically make your decision after the cards have been dealt, you need to know the ranking of 4-Card Poker hands. This will allow you to make an informed decision based on the cards on the table. Here’s how the hands rank from low to high.
- High Card
- Pair
- Two Pair
- Straight
- Flush
- Three-of-a-Kind (2x Ante Bonus)
- Straight Flush (20x Ante Bonus)
- Four-of-a-Kind (25x Ante Bonus)
4-Card Poker Bets
As mentioned above, there are two main bets you can place in 4-Card Poker: the Ante and the Aces Up bets. In some cases, there’s a third bet that unlocks the potential to win a progressive jackpot. Let’s take a closer look at each.
Ante Bet
This is the simplest bet and the one that starts the game. The ante is your initial wager. Keep in mind that if you decide to play a round after the cards are dealt, you’ll need to double or triple this wager to continue without folding, so you may want to bet lower in the beginning. Winning the ante bet pays even money, with the exception of some of the best hands in the game, which pay an additional Ante Bonus.
Aces Up Bet
The Aces Up wager is an optional side bet that pays even money if you end up with a pair of aces. If you end up with a better hand than a pair of aces, you’ll receive an even larger payout based on the Aces Up paytable that’s displayed on the table.
Progressive Jackpot Bet
Some variations of 4-Card Poker also offer an optional progressive jackpot wager. This simply unlocks a pay table of jackpots for you in that particular round. In most cases, only a Royal Flush will win you the full progressive jackpot, but other hands will win you smaller jackpot amounts.
4-Card Poker Strategy
While 4-Card Poker has some light strategy involved, you should always keep in mind that utilizing strategy on any casino game will never guarantee success. The most that following a strategy will do for you is increase your odds of winning, but never to 100%.
In essence, 4-Card Poker strategy revolves around evaluating your cards and the dealer’s one face-up card, although the dealer’s face-up card factors in less than you’d imagine. The simplest strategy to follow is to 3x your ante with a pair of 10s or better, 1x your ante with a pair of 9s or worse, and fold if you can’t make a pair. As mentioned, you can take the dealer’s face-up card into consideration here as well. For example, if their face-up card is high, odds increase that they can make a high pair, so if you only have a pair and it’s lower than the face-up card, you may not want to 3x your ante.
As with many side bets, both the Aces Up and progressive jackpot bets are completely random and have no strategy to them, so keep that in mind before opting to place those wagers.
Play 4-Card Poker for Free
Give the game a try in free demo practice mode to put our strategy to the test – and practice your 4-card skill without risking your own money.
4-Card Poker
4-Card Strategy Conclusion
In summary, 4-Card Poker strategy is relatively simple, as is the game itself. Players who enjoy table games, and poker games especially, should have no problem picking up the strategy and enjoying this quick game.
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