How to Play All Fours

1The game in one minute

All Fours is a trick-taking game for four players in two teams. You and your partner sit opposite each other. Each round (a hand) you play six cards, one at a time, and try to win the cards that score points.

• Follow suit. Play the same suit that was led if you can.
• Trump wins. The highest trump takes the trick. If nobody played trump, the highest card of the suit that was led takes it.
• Guard the Jack of trump. If the other team captures it, they score 3.

2The cards

All Fours uses a normal 52-card deck with no jokers. In every suit the cards rank from Ace (highest) down to Two (lowest):

Trump

At the start of every hand one card is turned face up. Its suit becomes trump for that hand. Any trump beats any card of another suit, so a lowly Two of trump beats the Ace of a different suit.

Game points (card values)

Some cards are worth game points. You add them up at the end of the hand to decide who wins the Game point (more on that in Scoring). Notice that the Ten is worth the most.

These count in every suit, not just trump.

3The table

This is what a game looks like on screen. You're always at the bottom, and your partner is always at the top.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. Game info. The winning score ("First to 14") and which hand you're on.
2. Scoreboard. One box for each team, in that team's colour (blue or red).
3. Trump card. The card that was turned up. Its suit is trump for this hand.
4. Your partner, sitting opposite you.
5. The opponents, to your left and right. A D on a player's picture marks the dealer.
6. The trick. Each card played this round lands in the centre, in front of the player who played it.
7. You. A highlighted frame shows whose turn it is.
8. Messages. Who dealt, what trump is, and what's happening now (like "Do you want to BEG?").
9. Your hand. Your six cards. Tap one to play it when it's your turn.
10. Game Log, Table Chat and Emotes. The log shows every hand so far and how each point was given out.

4The play cycle

Every hand follows the same five steps. Learn this loop and you know the shape of the whole game.

1. DealEveryone gets 6 cards. The next card is turned up as trump.
2. KickIf the turned-up card is an Ace, Six or Jack, the dealer's team scores right away.
3. Beg or stayThe player to the dealer's right keeps this trump or begs for a new one.
4. Play your HandEveryone plays one card per trick, following suit. Highest trump wins.
5. ScoreHigh, Low, Jack and Game are given out. Then the next hand is dealt.

↻ Repeat until one team reaches the winning score.

Steps 2 to 5 each have their own section below.

5The deal, trump & kicking

The dealer gives 6 cards to each player, then turns the next card face up. That card's suit is trump. In the app, dealing is done for you.

Kicking

If the turned-up card is one of these, the dealer's team scores straight away. This is called kicking.

6Beg or stay

Once trump is turned, the player to the dealer's right looks at their cards and decides whether they like this trump.

Running the trump

If the beg is allowed but the new card is the same suit as before, the dealer deals 3 more cards each and turns again. If it's still the same suit, one more card is turned. If that is the same suit too, the hand is squashed: the cards are thrown in and dealt again, and nobody scores for it.

Every card turned up along the way can still kick points for the dealer's team.

7Playing the tricks

A trick is one card from each player, four cards in all. There are six tricks in a hand (more if a beg added cards).

1. The player to the dealer's right leads the first card. Its suit is the led suit.
2. Going right, each player must follow suit if they can.
3. If you can't follow suit, you may play any card, including a trump.
4. You may also trump instead of following suit. On a standard table, if you do that while you still hold the led suit, your trump must beat any trump already played in that trick.
5. The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
6. Whoever wins the trick leads the next one.

8Scoring a hand

When all the cards have been played, up to four points are given out, in this order:

9Throwing in

High and Low are decided the moment the cards are dealt, because every card in every hand gets played. If those points alone are enough to finish the game, there's no need to play the hand out.

• Everyone at the table is asked Throw In or Don't Throw In.
• When two players say Throw In, the points are given and the game ends. Computer players always agree.
• Nobody plays while the vote is open. A timer bar shows who still has to answer. No answer in time counts as a no.
• If the vote fails, play carries on as normal. You're only asked once per hand.

Throw In is on by default and can be switched off in the custom rules.

10Partner signs

When your partner is a computer player, you can tell them what to play. When it's their turn, a set of signs appears above your cards. A greyed-out sign means your partner has no card that fits it. You can turn signs on or off from the in-game Menu.

11Custom rules

The rules above are the standard game. When you create a game, set Game Rules to Custom to change them. Game cards in the home chat show Custom in gold when a table uses them, so you always know before you join.

12Your first game

The best way to learn is a few relaxed games against the computer. Nothing is at stake.

In your browser

1. Open Play All Fours and wait a moment for the game to load.
2. Log in with your CardsClan account, tap Join Now to make one, or tap Continue as Guest.
3. Tap the green Play button to open the Game Center, then choose Solo Play.

In the app

1. Get the free All Fours + app for iPhone and iPad or Android.
2. On the home screen, tap the green Play button to open the Game Center.
3. Tap Solo Play to start against the computer, Quick Play to jump into the next open online game, or + (top left) to Create Game with your own settings.

During your first hands, try this

• Before every card, ask yourself: "What was led, and can I follow it?"
• Look at the trump card in the top right and count how many trumps you hold.
• After each hand, open the Game Log to see exactly who got High, Low, Jack and Game, and why.

13Tips for new players

• Guard your Jack of trumpLeading it while higher trumps are still out is how games are lost. Wait until the Ace, King and Queen of trump have gone, or until your partner is winning the trick.
• Count the TensA Ten is worth more than an Ace for the Game point, so one Ten often decides it. Try to win tricks that have Tens in them.
• Think before you begThe dealer may just give you a point and keep a trump that suits them.
• Help your partnerIf your partner is already winning the trick, play low and keep your strong cards for later. If they're losing, try to win it.
• Watch the score near the endOn a standard table a kick can't win the game, and High and Low are counted first. Near 14, every point and its order matter.
• Read the Game LogLooking back at a hand you lost is the quickest way to improve.

14Glossary

Hand

One round: deal, trump, tricks and scoring.

Trick

One card from each of the four players. The winner collects all four.

Trump

The suit of the turned-up card. It beats every other suit for that hand.

Lead

Playing the first card of a trick. Its suit is the one everyone must follow.

Follow suit

Playing a card of the same suit that was led.

Kick

Points the dealer's team scores when the turned-up card is an Ace (1), Six (2) or Jack (3).

Beg

Asking the dealer for a new trump. The dealer gives you 1 point or deals 3 more cards and turns a new trump.

Stay

Keeping the trump that was turned up.

Run the trump

Dealing more cards after a beg because the new trump came up the same suit.

Squash

When the trump keeps coming up the same suit, the hand is thrown in and dealt again. No one scores for it.

High / Low

1 point each for the highest trump dealt and the lowest trump played.

Hang the Jack

Capturing the other team's Jack of trump. Worth 3 points.

Game

1 point for the team whose captured cards are worth the most game points.

Throw in

Ending a hand early because High and Low alone already decide the game.