Four Card Poker is similar to Three Card Poker in the fact that it is two games in one. The base game is the Ante-Play where you compete against the dealer as you do in Three Card Poker. The second portion of the games is called Aces Up and you receive payment on a hand of a pair of aces or better based on the pay table.

Four Card Poker is played with a 52 card deck on a Blackjack type table. There are three circles in front of each player marked: Aces Up, Ante and 1x to 3x Ante. The play begins with the player making independent wagers on either the Aces Up or Ante portion of the game or both by placing the bet in the corresponding circle. You must bet the same amounts on each game if you chose to play both games.

Although it is called Four Card Poker the player is dealt five cards face down and must make the best four card hand. The dealer is dealt six cards which are used to make the best four card hand. One of the dealer’s cards is dealt face up.

Unlike Caribbean Stud and Three Card Poker, the dealer does not have to qualify in order for the game to continue. After looking at your cards you can fold and lose your Ante bet or make an additional Play bet to continue. The minimum bet you can make must be equal to your original bet but you can elect to make a bet up to three times the amount of your original Ante bet.

Hand rankings in Four Card Poker

The ranking of hands for Four Card Poker differs from the traditional five card poker hands. The order is based on the mathematical frequency of hands and is made using just four of your five cards. The hand rankings are as follows.:

• Four of a Kind- Four cards of the same rank.
• Straight Flush- Four cards of the same suit in sequence.
• Three of a Kind- Three cards of the same rank.
• Flush- Four cards of the same suit.
• Straight- Four Cards in sequence.
• Two Pairs- Two cards of equal value and Two other cards of equal value.
• Pair of Aces- A pair of aces.

After all the players have made their playing decisions the dealer will turn over his hand and then the player’s hands. If the player’s hand beats the dealer’s hand they win the Ante bet and the Play bet. If the dealer wins the hand the player loses both bets. In the event of a tie the player will win. Ties are based on four cards only and the fifth card is never used to break a tie.

Four Card Poker also offers an Ante Bonus that is paid in addition to the Ante and play bet, based on the player’s hand for the Ante game. If you have three of a kind you are paid 2 to 1. If you have a straight flush you are paid 20 to 1. If you have four of a kind you are paid 25 to 1. You will be paid for the bonus regardless if the dealer beats your hand or not. (This pay schedule may vary in different casinos).

Four Card Progressive Jackpot

Progressive Jackpot is a feature that you may often find included in a lot of Video Poker machines or Live table versions of poker, not just the Four Card variant. The player can add one dollar to the progressive Jackpot Pot when placing the bets and the payout will depend on the hand rank, highest of which will win the entire Jackpot Pot.

The simplest and most popular strategy for Four Card Video Poker is to raise the bets to the maximum allowed by the Poker Machine anytime you manage to land a hand of with a pair of 10s or better.

Placing a more moderate (x1) bet is recommended on a hand with pairs that are lower than 10 – 2s through 9s. Since you are playing against a machine, bluffing is not a skill you will need to employ in your gameplay, so if your hand is anything lower in value than the pairs, the best thing to do would be to fold and wait for a more favourable round.

You can play four card poker online at casinos of your choice with real AUD or play for free.