Four Card Poker
Your best four from five against the dealer's best four from six: how to play 4 card poker, the payouts and when to raise 3x.
Four Card Poker is a casino poker game where you are dealt five cards, the dealer is dealt six, and each side plays its best four. After seeing your cards you fold or raise one to three times your ante, ties go to you, and two bonus bets pay on your own hand whatever the dealer holds. It was invented by Roger Snow and is owned by Shuffle Master, and plays like a bigger version of Three Card Poker. This guide covers how to play 4 card poker, the hand rankings, both pay tables, when to raise 3x or 1x, and the house edge.
Four Card Poker at a Glance
| Deck | One standard 52-card deck |
| Cards | You get 5 and keep the best 4; the dealer gets 6 (one face up) and keeps the best 4 |
| Bets | Ante, then fold or raise 1x to 3x the ante; optional Aces Up side bet |
| Ties | Go to the player |
| Dealer qualifying hand | None: the dealer always plays |
| Bonuses | Ante Bonus for three of a kind or better; Aces Up from a pair of aces |
| House edge | About 2.8% of the ante with good strategy |
How to Play Four Card Poker
- Place your bets. Bet the Ante, the Aces Up, or both.
- The deal. You get five cards face down. The dealer gets six, with one turned face up.
- Fold or raise. Fold and you lose the ante. To play, place a raise of 1x, 2x or 3x the ante, then keep your best four cards and discard one.
- The dealer reveals. The dealer turns over the other five cards and makes the best four-card hand from six.
- Settlement. If your hand is higher or equal, the ante and raise both pay even money. If the dealer’s hand is higher, you lose both.
- Bonuses. The Ante Bonus and the Aces Up pay on your hand regardless of the dealer.
Four Card Poker Hand Rankings
With four cards the order changes: three of a kind beats a flush and a straight, because it is rarer. From highest to lowest:
| Hand | Example | Chance (best 4 of your 5 cards) |
|---|---|---|
| Four of a kind | 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ 9♣ | 1 in 4,165 |
| Straight flush | 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ | 1 in 1,254 |
| Three of a kind | Q♠ Q♣ Q♦ 4♥ | 2.26% |
| Flush | 2♣ 7♣ 10♣ K♣ | 4.41% |
| Straight | J♦ Q♠ K♥ A♣ | 3.92% |
| Two pair | 8♠ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ | 4.75% |
| One pair | A♥ A♠ 10♣ 3♦ | 40.31% |
| High card | A♣ J♥ 8♠ 4♦ | 44.25% |
Four Card Poker Payouts
Ante Bonus
Paid on the ante when you play a strong hand, even if the dealer beats you:
| Your hand | Ante Bonus |
|---|---|
| Four of a kind | 25 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 20 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 2 to 1 |
Aces Up
A side bet on your own four-card hand that ignores the dealer. The most common pay table:
| Your hand | Aces Up pays |
|---|---|
| Four of a kind | 50 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 40 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 8 to 1 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 |
| Two pair | 3 to 1 |
| Pair of aces | 1 to 1 |
On this table the Aces Up has a house edge of 3.89%. Several other Aces Up tables exist, so read the pay table before betting.
Worked Examples
Each hand starts with an ante of 10:
| What happens | Ante | Raise | Ante Bonus | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raise 3x with a pair of aces; the dealer has a pair of 8s | +10 | +30 | — | +40 |
| Raise 3x with three of a kind; the dealer has a flush | +10 | +30 | +20 | +60 |
| Raise 3x with three of a kind; the dealer has a straight flush | −10 | −30 | +20 | −20 |
| Raise 1x; your hand ties the dealer’s | +10 | +10 | — | +20 |
| Fold | −10 | — | — | −10 |
Four Card Poker Strategy
Because the dealer gets six cards, you need a decent hand to play, and the size of the raise matters as much as the decision itself. This intermediate strategy, published by the Wizard of Odds, comes within 0.07% of perfect play:
- Pair of aces or better: raise 3x.
- Pair of jacks, queens or kings: raise 3x if the dealer’s up card is lower than your pair or matches one of your cards; otherwise raise 1x.
- Pair of 9s or 10s: raise 1x if the dealer’s up card is higher than your pair; otherwise raise 3x.
- Pair of 8s: raise 3x if the dealer shows a 2; otherwise raise 1x.
- Pair of 3s to 7s: raise 1x.
- Pair of 2s, or A-K-Q high: raise 1x if the dealer’s up card matches one of your cards; otherwise fold.
- Anything else: fold.
An even simpler rule, raise 3x with a pair of 10s or better, 1x with any lower pair and fold the rest, is easy to remember but gives up a bit more than half a percent compared with the strategy above.
Four Card Poker Odds and House Edge
With perfect strategy and the 2-20-25 Ante Bonus table, the house edge is 2.79% of the ante; the intermediate strategy above gives about 2.85%. Because you raise on most hands you play, the average total bet is a little over twice the ante, so the expected loss is about 1.3% of all the money you put on the table, one of the lowest among casino poker games. On the same basis, Three Card Poker is about 2.01%, Caribbean Stud 2.56% and Let It Ride 2.85%.
Four Card Poker vs Other Casino Poker Games
| Game | Played against | Your decisions | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Card Poker | The dealer (no qualifier, ties win) | Fold or raise 1x to 3x, once | Best 4 of your 5 |
| Three Card Poker | The dealer (qualifies with Q high) | Play or fold, once | 3 of yours |
| Caribbean Stud | The dealer (qualifies with A-K) | Fold or raise 2x, once | 5 of yours |
| Mississippi Stud | The pay table | Raise 1x to 3x, three times | 2 of yours + 3 community |
Four Card Poker has two unusual rules that work in your favour, ties and a dealer who always plays, and one that works against you, the dealer’s extra card. The choice of raise size is where most of the skill lies.
Playing Four Card Poker Online
Online, Four Card Poker appears as an RNG table game at some casinos, and availability varies by casino and by country. Search the table-games section of the lobby, where you will also find casino poker games such as Three Card Poker and Caribbean Stud. These casinos run large table-game lobbies:
| Casino | Welcome offer | Our rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iWild Casino | Up to 550% + 400 free spins | 4.8 | Open iWild Casino |
| Kaasino | 225% up to £5,000 + 500 bonus spins | 4.3 | Open Kaasino |
| 1Red Casino | 225% up to €11,500 + 225 free spins over 3 deposits | 4.0 | Open 1Red Casino |
More casino poker: poker hand rankings, Ultimate Texas Hold’em and poker rules.
Set a budget before you play for real money and stick to it. Free, confidential support is available at BeGambleAware.org. 18+ only.
Another raise-up-to-3x game: in High Card Flush only your longest flush counts.
Four Card Poker: frequently asked questions
How do you play Four Card Poker?
What beats what in Four Card Poker?
Who wins a tie in Four Card Poker?
Does the dealer need to qualify in Four Card Poker?
What is the Ante Bonus in Four Card Poker?
What does the Aces Up bet pay?
When should you raise 3x in Four Card Poker?
What is the house edge in Four Card Poker?
Fadi Hayek
Author & Casino Expert
After going through several successful experiences with several industry pioneers, Fadi Hayek has managed to excel in the world of content for online gaming by providing unique content for several projects that allowed him to obtain the necessary experience to launch his career. Last but not least, Fadi also holds several certificates, including but not limited to content marketing and iGaming.
