All Fours – Rules
Play All Fours against the computer
1. Overview
| Name | All Fours |
| Type | Trick-taking game with trumps and partners |
| Players | 4, two teams, partners opposite |
| Recommended age | 10 and up |
| Playing time | one round 3–5 minutes; a game to 14 points 30–45 minutes |
| Material | 52 French cards, pen and paper |
| Goal | As a team, be first to 14 points – through high, low, jack, game and points for turning up trumps. |
| Difficulty | medium |
What is it about? All Fours comes from an old English game and is now the national card game of Trinidad and Tobago – with tournaments, leagues and noisy tables. The name comes from the four points to be won each round: high, low, jack and game. Most feared of all is losing your own jack of trumps to the opponents ("hang jack").
2. Cards and material
- Pack: 52 French cards, ace high, 2 low.
- Card values for "game":
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Ten | 10 |
| Ace | 4 |
| King | 3 |
| Queen | 2 |
| Jack | 1 |
- Face up and face down: Hands concealed, turned-up trump card ("kick") face up.
3. Preparation and start
- Dealing: Everyone gets 6 cards.
- Kick: The next card is turned up and proposes the trump suit.
- Kick points: A turned-up ace earns the dealer's team 1 point, a six 2, a jack 3.
- Stand or beg: The player right of the dealer decides (see section 5).
- Start: The player right of the dealer leads.
Start example: The 6 of hearts is turned up: hearts are proposed and the dealer's team scores 2 points at once.
4. Goal and winning
- A round: Win as many of the four points high, low, jack and game as possible.
- Game: The first team to 14 points wins – even in the middle of scoring or already at the kick.
5. Play in detail
Stand or beg.
- The player right of the dealer says "stand" – then the trump suit holds.
- Or they beg ("I beg"). Then the dealer either gives a point ("take one") and the trump suit stays …
- … or runs: everyone gets 3 more cards and the next card is turned up. If it is a different suit, it is trumps; otherwise they run again.
A trick.
- If trumps are led, you must follow with trumps.
- If another suit is led, you may follow or trump; only a player without the suit may discard freely.
- The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit.
Example with Players 1 to 4. Hearts are trumps. Players 1 and 4 against Players 2 and 3. Order: Player 1, 2, 4, 3.
- Player 1 leads the king of hearts. Player 2 plays the jack of hearts, Player 4 the ace of hearts, Player 3 the 4 of hearts.
- Player 4 wins the trick – with Player 2's jack: "hang jack", 3 points for Players 1 and 4.
- At scoring: Player 4 held the highest trump, the ace of hearts – high for Players 1 and 4. Player 3 held the 2 of hearts – low for the opponents.
- In game Players 1 and 4 count 26 against 19: 1 point for them.
6. Scoring
| Point | Who scores it? |
|---|---|
| High | whoever was dealt the highest trump: 1 |
| Low | whoever was dealt the lowest trump: 1 |
| Jack | the team winning the jack of trumps in a trick: 1 |
| Hang jack | the opponents capture the jack of trumps: 3 |
| Game | more card value in tricks: 1 |
| Kick | ace 1, six 2, jack 3 (dealer's team) |
- Scoring order: high, low, jack, game.
- Tie in game: no point.
7. Special rules and situations
- Running: If there aren't enough cards, they are reshuffled and redealt; kick points stay.
- Undertrumping (Tobago): Forbidden under some rules.
- Jack of trumps: Never lead it unprotected.
- Common mistakes: begging instead of standing with a high trump; throwing the jack into an opponent's trick.
8. Variants
Standard in this description: 4 players, kick ace/six/jack, game to 14.
| Variant | What changes | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Tobago rules | A turned-up two scores 2 instead of the six. | regional groups |
| To 7 | Shorter game. | little time |
| Two players | Everyone for themselves. | two players |
When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone you play with the player opposite as your partner, anticlockwise, game to 14 or 7 points.
9. Tips for beginners
- Stand with a high trump: Begging gives the dealer the choice.
- Protect your jack: Play it only when it is safe.
- Collect tens: They count 10 towards game.
- Hang jack: Lie in wait for the opponents' jack with ace or king.
- Keep low: The lowest trump scores a point no matter who takes the trick.
- Support your partner: Give them tens when they hold the trick.
- Watch the kick: The game can end at the turn-up.
10. Summary in 10 steps
- 52 cards, two teams, anticlockwise.
- 6 cards each, turn up the next card (kick).
- Kick: ace 1, six 2, jack 3 for the dealer's team.
- Right of the dealer stands or begs.
- The dealer gives a point or runs.
- Trumps led: follow with trumps.
- Other suit: follow or trump.
- High, low, jack (hang jack 3), game 1 each.
- Game: 10 = 10, A 4, K 3, Q 2, J 1.
- The first team to 14 points wins.
11. Frequently asked questions
Why is it called All Fours?
Because of the four points high, low, jack and game.
What is "hang jack"?
The opponents capture your jack of trumps – 3 points for them.
What happens when you beg?
The dealer gives a point or runs for a new trump suit.
Must I follow suit?
When trumps are led, yes; with other suits you may also trump.
What counts for game?
Tens 10, aces 4, kings 3, queens 2, jacks 1.
How long does a game take?
To 14 points about 30 to 45 minutes.
Origin & history
All Fours is regarded as the national game of Trinidad and Tobago. It descends from a 17th-century English pub game that acquired its own rules in the Caribbean: turning up the trump card (the “kick”) scores points, and whoever captures the opponents' jack of trumps “hangs” it. It is played loudly and fast, often in tournaments and leagues.