Four-card poker is easy to learn, even if you’ve never played poker before. It’s a twist on traditional poker as you play against the dealer and not against other players. There is no need to bluff in this game or worry about trying to outsmart other players. It’s all about getting the best four-card hand and knowing when to raise or fold.
The basics
You can play four-card poker at an online casino like betPARX using a poker app. You will be dealt five cards, and the dealer will get five cards and a sixth face up. You have to make the best four-card hand from your five cards. The dealer must do the same using six cards. If you can beat the four-card hand the dealer makes, you will win.
How to start playing
You need to place a bet to start playing, and there are two options – an Ante bet and an Aces Up bet. Your main bet against the dealer is the Ante bet. An Aces Up bet is optional and is a side bet based on your cards. You will place one or both bets before any cards are dealt. You can watch YouTube videos that show you more about these two bets and what you can win when you place an Aces Up bet.
After the cards are dealt
Once the cards are dealt, you will look at them and decide whether you have a good hand or not. If you think you have a weak hand, you can fold. You give up your Ante bet and the round ends.
If you think you have a good hand, you can place a Play bet. This must be one to three times your ante bet. If you place a Play bet, the dealer will turn over his five down cards. If you win, you will get paid even money on your Ante bet and your Play bet. If the dealer beats you, you will lose both your Ante and Play bets.
In some variations of the game, you will receive an automatic bonus on your ante bet when you have three-of-a-kind or better. This happens whether or not your hand beats the dealer’s hand.
Hand rankings
The hand rankings in four-card poker are different from five-card poker. Common four-card hands are four-of-a-kind or a straight flush, which is four cards in the order of the same suit. Then there’s three-of-a-kind or a flush, which is four same-suit cards that aren’t in order. A straight is four in a row of mixed suits. There is also a two-pair, one-pair, and a high card, where there are no combinations, but the highest card wins.
Tips for beginners
If you want to try out four-card poker as a way of passing the time, you can make use of the following tips.
- A basic strategy is to play your Ante bet three times if you have a pair of tens or better. Play your ante bet if you have a pair of nines or worse. Fold if you don’t have at least one pair.
- You must understand the payouts. Betting Aces Up adds some depth to the game, but the odds are higher. This bet is based entirely on luck.
- Evaluate your own hand and factor in the dealer’s up card, as this gives you a clue as to the strength of the hand.
Winning the Aces Up bet
You will win your Aces Up wager if you get a pair of aces or better. This happens even when the dealer has a stronger hand than you.
In a typical Aces Up bonus pay table, two pairs are 3 to 1, and a straight is 4 to 1. A flush is 5 to 1, three-of-a-kind is 8 to 1, and a straight flush is 40 to 1. Four-of-a-kind is 50 to 1. If you can’t make at least a pair of aces, you lose your bet. Be careful when placing an Aces Up bet. While the potential payout is high, there’s about an 80% chance that you won’t receive any return on it at all.
