Four Card Draw

Contributed by Mike Clendenen

The game is for 2 or more players and is more fun with 4 or more players. An international 52-card pack is used.

If gambling, everyone places an equal stake, agreed in advance, into a pool.

The dealer then deals the cards one at a time to the players in clockwise order, placing each player's cards face up in a square like this:

   X X

   X X 

Each player's four cards are scored as follows:

• Two cards of the same rank (for example two 10's): 1 point
• Three cards of the same rank (for example three eights): 2 points
• Four cards of the same rank (for example four queens): 3 points
• Three cards of the same suit (for example three diamonds): 1 point
• Four cards of the same suit (for example four spades): 2 points
• Each card in a different suit (one club, one heart, one diamond, one spade): 2 points
• A sequence of four consecutive cards, counting ace as low (for example 8-9-10-J): 2 points

Points for different types of combination (sets, suits and sequences) can be added. So for example:

• 4, 4, 8, K is worth 2 points - two fours + three hearts.
• 9-9-9-9 is worth 4 points (four of a kind and four different suits)
• 3-4-5-6 is worth 3 points - four-card sequence and three clubs.

Note that since as is low, A-2-3-4 is a sequence but J-Q-K-A is not.

The person with the highest value of combinations wins the round and takes the pool. [If there is a tie, no one takes the pool, players add a new stake and another hand is played for the total pool.]