Four Card Poker
The object of Four Card Poker is to beat the dealers hand. In Four Card Poker the dealer does not need to have a qualifying hand to play.
It is played on the same type of table as Three Card Poker and uses the Shuffle Master automatic shuffling machine.
The basic game is the Ante-Play where the players
compete against the dealer.
The optional second
bet of the game is called Aces Up and the player receives a payout on a hand of a pair of aces or better based on the pay table.
How To Play
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. In some casinos the player must bet the same amounts on each bet if the player chosees to play both bets.
Although it is called Four Card Poker the player is dealt five cards face down and must make the best four card poker 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 the games of Caribbean Stud and Three Card Poker, the dealer does not have to qualify in order for the game to continue. The house edge in this game comes from the fact the dealer gets an extra card to make his poker hand.
After looking at the cards the player only has two choices of play.
1. Fold and lose the Ante bet or
2. Make an additional Play bet
to continue. The minimum bet the player can make must be equal to the original
bet but the player can choose to make a bet two times or three times the amount of
the
original Ante bet.
Hand Rankings
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 (beats a straight flush)
- Straight Flush
- Three of a Kind (beats a straight and the flush)
- Flush
- Straight
- Two Pairs
- Pair
- High Card
After all the players have made their playing decisions the dealer will turn over his cards and set his highest poker hand.
Showdown continues for each player's hand. If the player’s hand beats the dealer’s hand the player wins both 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 kicker is never used to break a tie.
Bonus Payment
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.
- three of a kind the player is paid 2 to 1
- straight flush the player is paid 20 to 1
- four of a kind the player are paid 25 to 1
The player will be paid for the bonus regardless if the dealer beats your hand or not. (This pay schedule may vary in different casinos.
Aces Up
The Aces Up bet is not affected by the dealer’s hand. If the player has a pair of aces or better the player will be paid for the Aces Up bet based on the pay out schedule posted on the table.
Even if the player loses the Ante bet the player still gets paid for the Aces Up bet. The pay table for the Aces Up bet varies from casino to casino. Three popular pay tables are listed below.
| Hand | Pay Table 1 | Pay Table 2 | Pay Table 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 of a kind | 50 to 1 | 50 to 1 | 50 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 40 to 1 | 40 to 1 | 30 to 1 |
| 3 of a kind | 9 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 |
| Flush | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| 2 Pairs | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| Pair of Aces | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
Strategy
Here is one popular betting strategy.
Bet 3 times the Ante if the player has a pair of Tens or better.
Bet one time the Ante if the player has a pair of 3s through 9s.
Fold if the player has less than a pair of 3’s.
Based on this strategy the player will find that the he will fold about 47 percent of the time.
The player will bet 1 time, 24 percent of the time. The player will bet 3 times about 29 percent of the time.
The player can expect to win about 70 percent of the times they bet the maximum.