Ask Frank: Is This Variation on Four-Card Poker Worth Playing?

Frank,

One of the Detroit casinos (Motor City) recently opened a four-card poker table. (I'm sure this is much to the chagrin of the Catlin 2001 article on same subject.) The player gets five cards to the dealer's six. Anyhow, the ranking of hands is as follows:

• four of a kind / straight flush / three of a kind (just as the Catlin statistics predict)
• three of a kind / flush / straight (mmmmmmmmmm?)
• two pair / pair

The other beauty to the game is the three of a kind pair plus is replaced by an aces or better bet.

Without any statistics to prove this, I figure the sixth card helps the house make a hand to beat you 70% of the time, so I can't figure out the allure of this game - which doesn't stop the table from having a line of waiting suckers.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Derrick

Dear Derrick,

I have not played or analyzed this game but it looks to me that the casino has its usual big edge in the game. Most players are poor judges of casino games and you are right. There are suckers in abundance coming to the casinos.

All the best!
Frank