Four Card Poker is another variation of poker game invented by Roger Snow and marketed by Shufflemaster
. It is a relatively new casino card game similar to Three Card Game. Four cards are used instead of three. There is no dealer qualifying hand and the player can raise up to three times his ante. The dealer is given one extra card to form his best hand.
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. You must bet the same amounts on each game if you chose to play both games.
The player is dealt five cards face down and must make the best four card hand. The dealer is dealt six cards which are used to make the best four card hand. One of the dealers cards is dealt face up. The dealer does not have to qualify in order for the game to continue. After looking at your cards you can fold and lose your Ante bet or make an additional Play bet to continue.
If the player has three of a kind or better, he will receive a bonus based on the ante wager as follows: three of a kind - 2 to 1, straight flush - 20 to 1, four of a kind - 25 to 1. The ante bonus is 'automatic' and is paid regardless of whether or not the player's hand has beaten the dealer's hand.
The ranking of hands for Four Card Poker differs from the traditional five card poker hands. The first in rank is four of a kind, straight flush, three of a kind, flush, straight, two pairs and pair of aces.