What is the best first move in Four in a Row?

The center column. A disc there can join more lines of four than a disc anywhere else, across, up and down, and on both slants. On the standard seven-column board, the player who goes first and starts in the center can always win with perfect play.

How do you always win at Four in a Row?

Nobody wins every game against a good player, but the surest way to win is a double threat: two open spots that would each make four, so blocking one leaves the other. Build towards spots where two of your lines cross.

What are odd and even threats?

Count the rows from the bottom. A threat on row 3 or 5 is an odd threat; one on row 2, 4 or 6 is an even threat. Late in the game, the first player's odd threats and the second player's even threats tend to come true, because of the order the columns fill.

Should I block every three in a row?

Block any three that has an open spot you can reach now. A three whose open spot is higher up can wait, but don't drop a disc right under it, or you hand the other side the spot.

Four in a Row Strategy: 9 Tips to Win More Games

Four in a Row strategy that wins: play the center column, build two threats at once, and never set up the other side's win.

5 min read · Four in a Row

A seven-column board of coral and teal shell discs on a lagoon deck at night, with a coral disc about to drop

Four in a RowPhone or desktop. Every game earns Hula Points.

Play Four in a Row free

Four in a Row looks simple: drop a disc, line up four. What makes it deep is gravity. A disc always falls to the lowest open spot, so you can’t play anywhere you like. A spot opens up only once the one under it is filled, and that turns the game into a fight over who has to fill which spot first.

These tips fit the standard game: seven columns, six rows, two players taking turns, four in a line across, up and down, or on a slant to win. You can try every one of them in Four in a Row on HulaGames, free in your browser, against a bot with three levels. The moment either side has three with room for a fourth, the winning spot glows, so you always see the threats on the board.

1. Start in the center

The middle column joins more possible lines of four than any other. A disc there can be part of a line going left, right or across both slants. Open in the center, and keep coming back to the middle three columns while they have room.

2. Build lines that cross

One three in a row is easy to block. Two lines that share an open spot, or two threats in different columns, are much harder. Before each drop, look for the disc that adds to two of your lines at once.

3. Make a double threat

The usual way games are won is a double threat: two open spots that would each make four. The other side can block only one, and you drop into the other. A common shape is three across on the bottom row with both ends open.

4. Never set up the other side’s spot

If the other side has three with an open fourth spot higher up, don’t drop a disc in the spot right below it. You’d be building the floor they need. Leave that column alone, and make the other side fill it instead.

5. Watch the slants

Lines across and up and down are easy to see. Slanted lines are the ones players miss, on both sides. After every drop, check the two slants through the new disc, for you and for the bot.

6. Count odd and even rows

Number the rows from the bottom, 1 to 6. Near the end, when the other columns fill and both sides are forced to drop into the last few, the first player usually gets the odd rows and the second player the even ones. So if you went first, a threat on row 3 or 5 is worth more than one on row 2 or 4. If you went second, it’s the other way round.

7. Force the bot’s drops

A drop that makes a three with an open fourth spot forces a block. Use those forcing drops to make the other side put a disc where you want it, for example under a spot you need, then take the spot it opens.

8. Keep columns in reserve

A column where neither side wants to drop is a waiting move. Late in the game, having a safe column to drop into, when the other side has none, can force them to open a spot for you. Don’t use up your safe drops early.

9. Play the long game

Many games are decided long before the last disc. Each threat you build on the right row is a spot the other side can never fill. Even a threat you can’t use yet stops them from playing in that column.

Practice against the bot

Four in a Row on HulaGames has three bot levels. Easy is relaxed and sometimes misses a block, Medium always stops a stack of three but can miss other threats, and Hard plays almost perfectly. When you want a puzzle, Today’s Daily Drop asks you to win in a set number of drops. It’s a good way to practice tip 3. For more classic strategy, read our backgammon strategy guide or our dots and boxes tips.