The preference for most experienced poker players is likely to be tournaments and PvP games in poker rooms, but it must be said that the selection of poker titles at online casinos – both live dealer games and RNG-based games – has evolved considerably, and they are becoming more popular with traditional poker fans.
Typically, online casinos have focused on games like video poker, 3-card poker, live Caribbean poker, and Texas Hold’em, which sit snugly among the vast selection of online slots, blackjack, and roulette. Yet, we noted the addition of Four Card Poker by Light & Wonder at DraftKings Casino online. The game has an interesting approach, and you can appreciate that there is a certain appeal to it.
Mechanics and Gameplay
First, the game’s mechanics and gameplay. You will start by placing your Ante Bet. You are then dealt five cards, and the dealer gets six. Only the dealer’s first card is face-up. Once the deal is made, you get the choice of aggressively betting up to 3X the Ante. The dealer will then reveal their cards, and the bet pays 1:1 if you win based on your best four-card hand. There is, of course, an advantage to the dealer having six cards – that’s clear – but there is also the fact that, unlike many poker variants, a tied result sees the player win.
Four Card Poker usually has one main optional side bet, Aces Up, which pays according to the player’s own hand. The game also includes an automatically applied Ante Bonus for winning hands of three-of-a-kind, straight flush or four-of-a-kind, with the latter paying 25X the bet. The Aces Up Side Bet pays from 1:1 for a pair of Aces up to 50:1 for four-of-a-kind.
What We Like About the Game
One thing that Four-Card Poker offers that is sometimes lacking from similar online poker variants is a sense of strategy. If you start with a good hand and see the dealer’s face-up card, there’s an opportunity to get aggressive with the 3X Ante Bet. You can also make the decision to fold, with the game informing you thereafter if it was a wise decision or not. That little bit of aggressive play being an option really does set it apart from most similar games, though we should stress that it is an RNG-based game so strategy only gets you so far.
What We Don’t Like About the Game
As with all online poker variants, there is a sense that you are relying on luck rather than skill. We can also point out that the dealer gets six cards to make their best hand with four from six cards, whereas you only get to use five, though this does feel negated by the player winning in the event of a push.
Overall Thoughts
Four Card Poker is not as widely available at online casinos as other variants, but the Light & Wonder version we have written about above is among the best. It’s well designed and fast-paced, and it has that extra bit of oomph when you literally up the ante after seeing your cards.
