How to Win Like the Man Who Hit $1.1 Million Four-Card Poker Jackpot

Four-Card Poker is like the lesser-known cousin of Three-Card poker. Therefore, you wouldn’t think that this game would offer massive progressive jackpots.

However, Four-Card Poker can indeed deliver huge wins. Case in point, an Atlantic City gambler recently won a $1.1 million jackpot through this game.

I’ll discuss the details on this big win along with more on the lucky gambler. I will also cover how it’s possible for you to chase large jackpots with Four-Card Poker.

Frank Nagy Collects Caesars Entertainment’s Largest Poker Jackpot

Frank Nagy has been visiting Atlantic City for a long time. His years spent gambling finally paid off when he hit a $1.1 million progressive jackpot at the Tropicana Atlantic City.

Nagy placed a $5 side bet to qualify for the big prize. He eventually received a royal flush, which delivered a jackpot worth $1,105,757—the biggest-ever poker jackpot paid by Caesars Entertainment.

After winning this massive payout, Nagy gave a more-than-generous $50,000 tip to the dealers on that shift. He also posed for pictures taken by the Tropicana staff.

The jackpot that Nagy won is linked to six of the Tropicana’s table games, including the following:

• Four-Card Poker
• Let It Ride
• Mississippi Stud
• Texas Hold’em
• Three-Card Poker
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Can You Win a Big Four-Card Poker Jackpot Too?

Four-Card Poker doesn’t always offer seven-figure jackpots. However, it does usually offer six-figure payouts.

It’s especially more apt to present large prizes when connected to a series of games, such as Tropicana’s jackpot network. These are the types of jackpots you should be looking for when hoping to win big through Four-Card Poker.

Any time that a table game jackpot nears $1 million, it begins drawing players at an accelerated rate. This same scenario happened when Tropicana publicized that their progressive prize reached seven figures.

At this point, many gamblers within the area came out of the woodwork. The jackpot quickly hit $1.1 million, with Nagy winning shortly afterward.

If you see a table game jackpot getting anywhere near $1 million, then you’d better start playing it. The two reasons why you want to play at this point include:

• The jackpot will be hit soon with so many gamblers rushing to play.
• You’ll be getting positive expected value (+EV) from your wagers.

Regarding the second point, a jackpot begins offering +EV after reaching a breakeven point. At this time, you’ll be earning theoretical profits from your wagers.

Of course, you need to eventually win a jackpot to benefit from your theoretical profits. But you might as well play for progressive prizes when you have a long-term advantage versus not.

Basics of Four-Card Poker

Created by Roger Snow and owned by Shufflemaster, Four-Card Poker is very similar to Three-Card Poker. The main differences, though, are as follows:

• You use four cards instead of three.
• The dealer doesn’t need a qualifying hand (they need queen-high in Three-Card Poker).
• You can raise up to 3x your ante (instead of just 1x).
• The dealer gets an extra card.

The goal of Four-Card Poker is to form a stronger hand than the dealer. The croupier receives an extra card to counteract the bonus payouts that you can collect.

Hand rankings are as follows, going from highest to lowest:

• Four of a kind
• Straight flush
• Three of a kind
• Flush
• Straight
• Two pair
• Pair
• High card

The two main bets are ante and aces up. You must make at least one of these wagers to participate, and you can also place both. You’ll be able to make the jackpot side bet (if available) at this time too.

Upon placing your bet(s), you’ll receive five face-down cards. The croupier also receives face-down cards, but they also get an extra face-up card too.

Both you and the dealer use your available cards to make the best-possible four-card hand. The croupier enjoys a better chance of winning because they have an additional card to work with.

Ante and Aces Up Bets

A Four-Card Poker table features three main betting circles, including “ante,” “aces up,” and “play.” You must put chips in either the ante or aces up circle to play.

After receiving and looking at your cards, you decide whether to play or fold. By folding, you forfeit your ante and/or aces up bets. When choosing to play, you put an additional wager in the “play” circle worth 1x to 3x the ante.

Assuming you beat the dealer, then you’ll collect a 1:1 payout on the ante. If you bet $5 on the ante plus a $10 raise (2x), then you’d receive a $15 payout.

You can also earn extra payouts on the ante for top hands. Here’s a common pay table for ante bonuses:

• Four of a kind – 25:1 payout
• Straight flush – 20:1
• Three of a kind – 2:1

As for aces up, the results of this bet depend upon whether you have a pair of aces or not. It doesn’t matter if the dealer beats your hand. Here’s a typical pay table for this bet:

• Four of a kind – 50:1
• Straight flush – 40:1
• Three of a kind – 8:1
• Flush – 5:1
• Straight – 4:1
• Two pair – 3:1
• Pair of aces – 1:1

More on the Four-Card Poker Side Bet

This game already offers one side bet in aces up. However, you can further ramp up the excitement by playing for a progressive jackpot.

The size of this bet differs based on the casino. Some casinos only require a $1 side wager, while others, like the Tropicana, require a $5 bet.

A side wager not only qualifies you for the jackpot but also other payouts too. Here’s a common Four-Card Poker jackpot pay table:

• Royal flush – 100% of jackpot
• Straight flush – 10% of jackpot
• Four of a kind – $300
• Full house – $50
• Flush – $40
• Straight – $30
• Three of a kind – $9

Recap on the Four-Card Poker Rules

Here’s a brief summary on how to play this game:

• Place the ante and/or aces up bets. You can also make the jackpot side bet, too.
• Receive five cards; the dealer receives six cards.
• Either raise your ante (1x to 3x) or fold. In the latter case, you forfeit your ante and/or aces up wagers.
• Use the five cards to form the best-possible four card hand.
• You win 1:1 on your ante by beating the dealer—plus any extra payout for a premium hand.
• You win a variable payout with a pair of aces or higher on the Aces Up bet.

Four-Card Poker Strategy

This game’s strategy can be as basic or difficult as you want it to be. The simplest version can deliver up to 96.6% RTP.


Here’s the most-basic strategy:

• Always bet 3x with a pair of 10’s or higher.
• Always bet 1x with a pair of 2’s through 9’s.
• Fold everything else.

Using more advanced strategy can boost RTP to 97.15%. It’s far more complicated but worthwhile if you’re a serious player.

Here’s a look at the more complex strategy:

• Always bet 3x with a pair of aces or higher.
• Bet 3x with two kings. Exception: Bet 1x in this situation if the dealer’s up card is an ace and you don’t have an ace or four.
• Bet 3x with two queens or jacks. Exception: Bet 1x if the dealer’s up card is higher than your pair and doesn’t match one of your single cards.
• Bet 3x with two 10s or nines. Exception: Bet 1x if the dealer’s up card is higher than your pair.
• Bet 1x with two eights. Exception: Bet 3x if the dealer’s up card is a two.
• Always bet 1x with a pair of sevens through fours.
• Bet 1x with a pair of threes. Exception: Fold against a jack up card if your highest kicker is a 10 or worse.
• Fold a pair of twos or A-K-Q. Exception: Bet 1x if the dealer’s up card matches a card in your hand.
• Fold A-K-J-T. Exception: Bet 1x if the dealer’s card is a jack.
• Always fold with A-K-J-9.

Can You Win Big Jackpots With Online Four-Card Poker?

You can play for big jackpots through plenty of online table games, including Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, and roulette. Unfortunately, online developers aren’t as keen on offering huge Four-Card Poker jackpots.

You can find this game at certain mobile casinos. However, the prospects of you also finding a lucrative jackpot are dicey.

Maybe developers just don’t draw enough play from this poker variation to seed huge progressive jackpots. Whatever the case may be, you probably won’t find any large jackpots for this game online any time soon.

Conclusion

Frank Nagy now lays claim to one of the biggest Four-Card Poker payouts in history. He collected over a million dollars after getting a royal flush.

Jackpots this large aren’t overly common in Four-Card Poker. They are, however, occasionally available—especially when a $5 side bet is involved.

If you enjoy this variation of poker, then you might want to monitor the jackpot scene in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and elsewhere. At some point, there should be another massive progressive payout available.