Overview of 4 Card Poker
When it comes to 4 Card Poker, the game uses the traditional Poker setup. The game is largely the same as 3 Card Poker, with the big difference being that you build a winning hand with four cards, instead of three.
Players will be dealt five cards and will need to use four of those to build their best possible hand. Because the goal is to build a four-card hand, the rankings have been adjusted. Players need to place an Ante bet, but there are also side bets that can be placed.
Hand Rankings in 4 Card Poker
If you’ve never played 4 Card Poker before, we have created a list of hand rankings used in the game. Because the game only uses 4 Cards, you will see the Royal Flush has been removed. This means the best possible hand is Four of a Kind. Below you will find the hand ranks used in 4 Card Poker.
- Four of a Kind – Four cards of the same value (7, 7, 7, 7)
- Straight Flush – Five consecutive cards from the same suit
- Three of a Kind – Three cards of the same value
- Flush – Four consecutive cards from different suits
- Two Pair – Two pairs of equal cards (4, 4, 9, 9)
- One Pair – One pair of equal cards (3, 3, 6, 8)
- High Card – A hand with no winning combinations, the highest valued card wins.
4 Card Poker Bonus Payout
When it comes to 4 Card Poker, there is another built-in way to win more money. If your hand is a Three of a Kind, or better, players will be given a bonus payout. The best part of this is that you will receive the bonus payout, even if you do not beat the dealer’s hand.
The bonus payout is based on the ante bet, and there are two common pay tables that can apply to the bonus payout. The first column of payouts is the most common. However, the 2nd column is used as well.
| Hand | Most Common | Less Common |
| Four of a Kind | 25:1 | 30:1 |
| Straight Flush | 20:1 | 15:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 2:1 | 2:1 |
Aces Up Side Bet
When playing 4 Card Poker, players also have the option of placing the Aces Up Side Bet. If you have placed this bet, you will receive an additional payout based on your 4 Card Poker hand. Even if the dealer’s hand beats yours, you will still receive this payout. Below we have the two most common paytables used for this side bet.
| Hand | Paytable 1 | Paytable 2 |
| Four of a Kind | 50:1 | 4:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 | 3:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 8:1 | 1:1 |
| Flush | 5:1 | N/A |
How to Play 4 Card Poker
Playing 4 Card Poker is incredibly easy. However, if you have never played the game before or any game that is similar, we’ve compiled an easy to follow, step-by-step guide to help you through your first few games.
- Step 1 – As you would expect, each round of 4 Card Poker will begin with a round of betting. Players will need to begin by placing their Ante Bet, and they can decide whether to place the Aces Up Side Bet if they want.
- Step 2 – Following placing your bets, the round will begin. Players will be dealt five cards, and the dealer will receive six cards. The dealer will receive one card face up and the other five, face down.
- Step 3 – Once the cards have been dealt, players will then check their cards and then they need to make their decision. Players can decide to Fold or Raise. If you fold, you forfeit all bets placed, and the round is over. If you Raise, players will need to increase their bet. The bet increase needs to equal the initial Ante Bet, but can be up to 3x the original.
- Step 4 – If you Raised, then it is time for the next decision. Players will now need to choose the four cards to make the best possible poker hand.
- Step 5 – Once the player has made their hand, the dealer will reveal all their cards and build their hand. After this is done, the hands will be compared, the winning hand will be decided, and payouts will be made.
Strategies for 4 Card Poker
We’ve created a comprehensive guide for 4 Card Poker strategies. We’ve broken this down into strategies for Beginners, Intermediate Players, and Advanced Players. Follow these guides to improve your chances of winning.
Beginner Strategies
The following 4 Card Poker Strategy advice is suitable for beginner players. By using this advice, you can expect a House Edge of around 2.4%, which is quite good.
- If you have a pair of 10s or better, we recommend raising to 3x your Ante Bet.
- If you have a pair of 2s-9s, it is recommended to Raise 1x.
- If you are holding any other hand, we suggest folding.
Intermediate 4 Card Strategies
Once you get more experienced with 4 Card Poker, we have some Intermediate strategies for the game. This will lower the House Edge to 2.853%, a significant improvement.
- With a pair of Aces or better, Raise 3x
- If you have a pair of Jacks, Queens, or Kings, raise 3x when the dealer’s upcard is lower than your pair or is equal to a card in your hand. In all other situations, when holding a Jack, Queen, or King, Raise 1x.
- If you have a pair of 9s or 10s, you should Raise 1x when the dealer’s upcard outranks your pair. In all other situations, Raise 3x
- If you hold a pair of 8s, Raise to 3x when the dealer’s upcard is a 2. If the dealer’s upcard is anything else, raise 1x.
- If you have a pair of 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, or 7s, we recommend Raising 1x. There is no other recommended action from us.
- If your hand has a pair of 2s or A K Q High, you should Raise 1x when the dealer’s card matches any card in your hand. In all other situations, you should fold.
- Fold when holding any hand not mentioned here.
Advanced Strategies
Finally, we get to strategies we recommend for advanced and experienced players. The house edge with these tips drops to 2.850%, which is a very small improvement over the Intermediate strategies.
- If you have a pair of Aces or better, raise 3x
- If you have a pair of Kings, Raise 1x when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, and you do not have an Ace or a 4. In all other situations, Raise 3x when holding a pair of Kings
- When your hand has a pair of Jacks or Queens, Raise 1x when the dealer’s upcard outranks your pair and doesn’t match any other cards in your hand. In other situations, Raise 3x when holding a pair of Jacks or Queens.
- If you have a pair of 9s or 10s, Raise 1x when the dealer’s upcard outranks your pair. Otherwise, Raise 2x.
- If you hold a pair of 8s, Raise 1x when the dealer’s upcard is a 2. In all other cases, raise 3x with a pair of 8s.
- If you hold a pair of 4s to 7s, always raise 1x.
- If you have a pair of 3s, Raise 1x in all situations, except when the dealer’s upcard is a Jack. In that situation, Fold.
- If you are holding a pair of 2s or A, K, Q high, you should generally Fold. The exception is when the dealer’s face-up card matches a card in your hand. In this situation, Raise 1x.
- If you hold an A, K, J, 10, you should always fold. Unless the dealer’s upcard is a Jack. In this situation, Raise 1x.
- If your hand is an A, K, J, 9 or lower, always fold.