444 is a Hold'em style game built around the number four. Everyone gets four cards, four cards go on the board, and every four in the deck is wild. Wild cards make huge hands common, including one you never see in normal poker: five of a kind.
How a hand plays
- Blinds. Small and big blind.
- Four cards each. Everyone gets 4 cards face down. Round of betting.
- Four board cards, one at a time. A single card goes on the board, then a round of betting. That happens four times.
- Showdown. Your hand is the best five cards from any of your four and the four on the board.
That is five rounds of betting in all: one before the board, and one after each board card.
You can use any mix of your cards and the board. There is no rule about how many of your own cards you must use.
Fours are wild
A four can stand for any card you like, in any suit. You choose what it becomes, and it always becomes whatever makes your hand best.
- 4♣ with K♠ K♥ is three kings.
- 4♣ with A♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥ is a royal flush.
Hand rankings with wild cards
The usual rankings apply, with one hand added at the top:
- Five of a kind, like five kings, beats everything.
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- One pair
- High card
An example hand
You hold 4♣ K♠ K♥ 7♦. The board comes K♦ 4♥ 9♠ 2♣.
You have three kings and two wild fours. Both fours become kings: K K K K K. Five of a kind, the best hand in the game.
Now say you held A♠ A♦ Q♣ J♥ with no four. On the same board your best is a pair of aces. With two wild cards out there, that's almost never good.
Tips
- Fours are everything. Holding one or two fours is the best start you can have. A hand with no four needs a lot of help.
- Count the fours you can see. There are only four in the deck. If two are on the board, any player could hold the others.
- Big hands are normal. With up to two wild cards in play, a straight or a flush is often not enough at showdown.
- Use the five betting rounds. Cards come one at a time, so there are plenty of chances to make your opponents pay.
Play it
Play 444 on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. The table works out what each four should be for every player at showdown.