The Basics of 4 Card Poker
4 card poker, a recent creation by Roger Snow, is a spin off from the regular 5 card poker. This game is played slightly like 3 card poker. That is, this game can be played in dual ways.
As it is 3 card poker, 4 card poker is played on a table which has three labeled circles. One circle is labeled "Aces Up;" another is labeled "Ante;" and another circle is "1x to 3x Ante."
The player has also two wagering options. One is to play one's card only, and this happens when the player decides to play Aces-Up. The other option is to play one's card against the dealer, and this happens when the player opts for Ante and Raise. As it is in 3 card poker, players do not gamble against other poker players in this game.
In 4 card poker, the player receives 5 cards and the dealer, 6 cards. However, since only 4 cards are used to comprise a hand, the player has to discard a single card while the dealer has to get rid of two cards.
To win in Aces-Up, as the phrase connotes, the player's hand must contain, at the least, two Aces. An Ace pair wins even money. The higher the rank of the player's hand, the bigger the payout. The dealer's hand has no bearing on the win-loss chances of the player in Aces Up. How much the player can win depends solely on the kind of hand the player has.
Here are the other winning Aces-Up hands and their respective payoffs: Two Pairs pay 2:1. Straight pays 4:1. Flush pays 6:1. Three of a kind pays 9:1. Straight flush pays 40:1. Four of a kind pays 50:1.
If the player wagers on Ante, the player still has the option, after seeing their cards, to play their card or forfeit their wager by folding. Should the player decide to stay on the game, the player has to throw another bet. The bet must be, at the minimum, of the same value as the Ante. The maximum amount that the player can raise is 3x the value of the Ante.
Unlike 3 card poker, there's no "qualifying" rule in 4 card poker. To determine who wins in Ante and Raise, both the dealer's and the player's hands are compared. Whoever has the stronger hand wins. If the dealer wins, the dealer takes all the player's bets. If the player wins, however, the dealer pays the player 1:1 on all bets.
You may also get bonus on the Ante, and the bonus is given regardless of the dealer's hand, or who has the stronger hand. Three of a kind gets the player 2:1 payoff. Straight flush fetches 20:1, and four of a kind, 25:1.
4 card poker is a newly created game, where two different wagers can be played: Aces Up and Ante-and-Raise. Easy to play and generous in payback, 4 card poker can bring you as much as 50 times your original bet. So double your fun, get multiple payback on your bet: play 4 card poker.