How to Play

All Fours is the 17th-century English trick-taking game that invented the High-Low-Jack-Game scoring system and became the ancestor of Pitch, Setback, Seven Up, Don, and Cinch; 2-4 players compete for the four 1-point awards each deal.

All Fours is a historic English trick-taking card game first documented in Charles Cotton's 1674 treatise 'The Compleat Gamester', and it is the ancestor of the entire North American Pitch family, of Don, of Auction Pitch, of Seven Up, and of the game Cinch. It takes its name from the four scoring points awarded each deal: High (holding the highest trump), Low (holding the lowest trump), Jack (capturing the trump Jack), and Game (holding the most pip-value in captured tricks). A 52-card deck, 6-card hands, and a single face-up trump define the layout. The Elder hand (non-dealer) may accept the proposed trump, or 'beg' for a new one; the dealer may accept the beg by granting a free point ('one for his heels') or refuse by 'running' the cards (dealing three more to each player and turning a fresh trump). Play proceeds trick by trick with the unusual permissive-trumping rule: a player may trump even when able to follow suit. The first side to 7, 11, or (in tournament play) 14 points wins.

Players

2 to 4 players. Two-handed is the original and purest form; 4-handed is usually played in fixed partnerships (partners opposite); 3-handed is cutthroat. Dealer rotates clockwise after each hand. Partnership play is popular in the English-speaking Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago especially) where it is considered the national card game.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Card rank within a suit, high to low: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The trump suit (named by the upturned card after the deal) is chosen afresh each deal. Card point values for the Game scoring category: Ace = 4, King = 3, Queen = 2, Jack = 1, Ten = 10. 9 down to 2 have zero pip value. Total pip value across a deal's 24 played cards (4 players × 6) is 80; with fewer players, only the cards dealt enter the count.

Objective

Score more of the four available points each deal (High, Low, Jack, Game) than the opponent(s), and reach the agreed target (commonly 7 or 11 points cumulative) first. The four points are available each hand, so a partnership can score anywhere from 0 to 4 points per deal.

Setup and Deal

1. Cut for first dealer; lowest card deals. Deal rotates clockwise after each hand.
2. Shuffle the deck. Dealer deals 6 cards face down to each player, in packets of 3 (so each player receives 3 + 3).
3. Dealer turns the next card of the stock face up; its suit is the proposed trump. If this card is a Jack, the dealer scores 1 point immediately ('one for his heels').
4. The remainder of the deck stays face down as the stock; the turned-up card remains as an indicator.

The Beg and Run

1. Elder's decision: After seeing their hand and the turn-up, the elder hand (non-dealer, or player to the dealer's left in 3+) may accept the proposed trump ('Stand') or reject it ('Beg').
2. Standing: The proposed trump stands; play begins.
3. Begging: Elder says 'I beg'. The dealer now chooses:
4. Gift: Dealer may grant elder 1 point ('gift' or 'one for your gift'), after which the proposed trump stands and play begins. This is often the wisest choice if the dealer's hand is strong.
5. Run the cards: Dealer refuses the gift and deals 3 more cards to each player from the stock, then turns the next card as a new proposed trump. If the new turn-up is the same suit as the previous turn-up, repeat the run. If the cards run out mid-run, the deal is void and a fresh one begins.
6. Jack on run: If a Jack turns up during a run, the dealer scores 1 point for it regardless of whether the new suit is accepted.
7. Hand size after runs: Multiple runs can leave players with 9, 12, or more cards; at the end of the runs, each player discards down to 6 cards before play begins, keeping their strongest hand in the final trump suit.

Gameplay

1. Lead: The elder hand (non-dealer, or player left of dealer) leads to the first trick by playing one card face up.
2. Following suit: Each player in turn must either follow the led suit or play a trump. A player with none of the led suit and no trump may play any card.
3. Permissive trumping: Unlike most trick-taking games, a player may play a trump even when able to follow suit. This is often used to secure the trump Jack for the Jack point or to draw out opponents' trumps.
4. Winning a trick: The highest trump wins, or if no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The trick winner gathers the cards face down into their capture pile and leads the next trick.
5. Play all 6 tricks: Continue until each player's hand is empty. Count captured pip values and tally the four scoring points.

Scoring

• High (1 point): The side that was dealt the highest trump in play that deal scores 1 point, regardless of whether they won the trick it was played in.
• Low (1 point): The side that was dealt the lowest trump in play scores 1 point. (Some traditions give Low to whoever captures the card in a trick; the dealt-to version is the classic English rule.)
• Jack (1 point): The side that captures the trump Jack in a trick scores 1 point. If no trump Jack is in play (possible if a short deck is used, not in standard All Fours), no Jack point is awarded.J♠
• Game (1 point): The side whose captured cards carry the most pip-value (A = 4, K = 3, Q = 2, J = 1, 10 = 10; other cards = 0) scores 1 point. If tied, no Game point is awarded (some houses award Game to the non-dealer on a tie).
• Heels, gift, and run Jacks: Additional 1-point awards from the deal mechanics described above are added to the deal total.
• Match target: First side to 7 points (short game), 11 points (classic English All Fours), or 14 points (tournament Pitch) wins the match.

Winning

A partnership or player wins the match when they reach the agreed target. If both sides cross the target on the same hand, the points are counted in fixed order (High, Low, Jack, Game) and whichever side reaches the target first in that order wins. A match typically runs 4 to 8 deals depending on hand composition.

Common Variations

• Seven Up / Old Sledge: The American descendant, identical core mechanics but dropping the beg-and-run to a simpler 'stand or pass' rule. First to 7 points.
• Pitch (Auction Pitch): The North American tournament variant with a full bidding auction replacing beg-and-run; the high bidder 'pitches' the first card to set trump.
• California Jack (or Shasta Sam): 2-player variant where the stock is kept face up so each new card dealt at the end of a trick is visible; adds information.
• Don: A British All Fours variant with a modified scoring system; the '9 of trumps' scores as an additional point.
• Pitch with the Joker: Adds a trump-equal joker as the second-highest trump, increasing hand complexity.
• Partnership All Fours (Trinidad rules): 4 players in 2 partnerships, 11-point target, partners opposite; the national card game of Trinidad & Tobago.

Tips and Strategy

• Beg aggressively when you lack the trump Ace or Jack. The beg costs you nothing except 1 point (the gift) in exchange for a potentially much stronger trump suit; elder with 0 trump support should beg 70-80% of the time.
• Use permissive trumping to capture the Jack. If you lead a small trump and your opponent is forced to cover with the Jack, you secure the Jack point even without holding the Jack yourself.
• Play small trumps early to draw Jacks. The Jack is usually the most-captured scoring card; lead low trumps on tricks 1 and 2 to strip the Jack from opposition hands.
• Trump the Ace at all costs. Capturing the opponent's trump Ace in a trick denies them both High and 4 pips for Game; trumping the Ace is often a 2-point swing.
• Save your highest non-trumps for Game. The 10 is worth 10 pips and the Ace worth 4; hold them in hand to capture as many pips as possible on late tricks.
• As dealer, refuse the beg and run the cards when your hand is strong in a non-trump suit. A run brings 3 new cards, and dropping into a different trump suit favours a strong hand.

Glossary

• Elder hand: The non-dealer (or player to the dealer's left in 3+ handed). Leads the first trick and decides to stand or beg.
• Turn-up: The card turned face up from the stock after the deal, proposing the trump suit.
• Beg: Elder's request to reject the proposed trump.
• Gift (one for your gift): The dealer's 1-point concession to elder, keeping the proposed trump.
• Run the cards: Dealer's refusal of a beg, dealing 3 more cards and turning a fresh trump.
• One for his heels: 1 point awarded to the dealer when the turn-up is a Jack.
• Permissive trumping: The rule allowing a player to trump even when able to follow suit.
• High: 1-point score for holding the highest trump in play.
• Low: 1-point score for holding (or capturing) the lowest trump in play.
• Jack: 1-point score for capturing the trump Jack.J♠
• Game: 1-point score for the most pip-value in captured tricks (A=4, K=3, Q=2, J=1, 10=10).