Four-card poker is a new poker style which is similar to 3-cards poker only that 4 cards are used instead of 3 (how surprising). It was invented by Roger Snow. There’s no dealer qualifying hand but he does get an extra card, so he (or she) could form the better hand at the table.
Game rules are simple: There are two starting bets available – Ante and Aces High. The dealer gets five cards faced down and one card facing up, while the rest of the players get 5 cards each. Players who are making the Ante bet can either fold or raise, they can’t call. If one folds he immediately forfeits the bets. A raise can vary between the Ante and three times that amount. After all players called or folded, they then discard one of their cards to remain with only 4.
The ranking of the hands is similar to Texas hold’em, only the straight draws (straight, straight flush and royal flush) are being demoted one spot. This means that four of a kind is the winner. The dealer has the next move as they turn their cards and choose the best four. If the dealer’s hand is better the player loses his or her Ante and raise. If it’s equal, the dealer than pays a 1:1 ratio, when a bonus is paid to a three of a kind and better hands.
Four-card poker is a casino game and not worthy of playing at home, since the dealer here plays a more than arbitrary role. If you like to play bingo then you will love four-card poker. Much like Pai Gow, this form of poker is a mixture of the traditional poker ranking system and other card games like blackjack and gin.
Filled Under: Basic rules for four-card poker