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A four flush (also flush draw) is a poker draw or
The first
non-standard poker hand
Non-standard poker hands are hands which are not recognized by official poker rules but are made by house rules. Non-standard hands usually appear in games using wild cards or bugs. Other terms for nonstandard hands are special hands or freak ha ...
that is one card short of being a full flush
Flush may refer to:
Places
* Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States
Architecture, construction and manufacturing
* Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers
* Flush deck, in naval architecture
* Fl ...
. Four flushing refers to empty boasting
or unsuccessful bluffing,
and a four flusher is a person who makes empty boasts or bluffs when holding a four flush.
Four flusher can also refer to a welcher, piker, or braggart.
This pejorative
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
term originated in the 19th century when bluffing poker players misrepresented that they had a flush
Flush may refer to:
Places
* Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States
Architecture, construction and manufacturing
* Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers
* Flush deck, in naval architecture
* Fl ...
—a poker hand with five cards all of one suit—when they only had four cards of one suit.
Optimal strategies for bluffing or folding when holding a four flush have been explored extensively in poker strategy
Poker is a popular card game that combines elements of chance and strategy. There are various styles of poker, all of which share an objective of presenting the least probable or highest-scoring hand. A poker hand is usually a configuration of fi ...
books.
In media
The first Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the '' ex o ...
, Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and politician who was the first governor of Oklahoma. As a delegate to Oklahoma's constitutional convention in 1906, he played a crucial role in draftin ...
, denounced President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
and political opponent Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, calling him a "four flusher".
Metro Pictures
Metro Pictures Corporation was a motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at leased f ...
released a comedy titled ''The Four-Flusher'' in 1919. Several other films have used the term in their titles.
In the 1922 Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55.
One of the most influential film c ...
silent film '' Dr. Jack'' the phrase "a four-flusher" is used to describe the doctor in charge of "The Sick-Little-Well-Girl" in the city.
''The Four Flusher'' is the name of an American comedy written in 1925.
In the 1926 silent film '' The Show-Off'', the character Clara (played by Louise Brooks
Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...
) refers to the character Aubrey Piper (played by Ford Sterling
Ford Sterling (born George Ford Stich Jr.; November 3, 1883 – October 13, 1939) was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4', he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.
Biography
...
) as a four-flusher meaning he is a braggart or a person who makes false or pretentious claims. In the film, his "four-flushing" has resulted in the loss of money needed to pay for the mortgage on the Fisher family home.
In the 1941 movie, '' Hellzapoppin''' the character Pepi (played by Mischa Auer) is called a four flusher.
In the 1945 film '' Detour'' Tom Neal's character calls another character a four-flusher. (The other character is named Charlie Haskell Jr., echoing the name of the Oklahoma governor mentioned above.)
In the 1948 film ''Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...
'' starring Clark Gable, one of the characters calls Gable's character a "four flusher".
Following his dismissal of Gen. MacArthur as Supreme Commander of Allied Powers in 1951, President Harry Truman confided to Merle Miller that Gen. George Marshall referred to MacArthur as a "four-flusher and no two ways about it".
A Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.''The Jungle Book'', Bagheera calls Baloo a "four-flusher" when he sees that Baloo is still alive after believing that he was dead.
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
included the song "Double Dealin' Four Flusher" in their 1975 album ''Stampede
A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Non-human species associated with stampede behavior include zebras, cattle, elephants ...
''.
The phrase was used frequently by screenwriter John Hughes as something of a trademark. In ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas film, Christmas comedy film and the third installment in National Lampoon (magazine), ''National Lampoon'' magazine's National Lampoon's Vacation (film series), ''Vacation'' f ...
'', Clark refers to his boss as "four flushing" in his tirade over his corporate Christmas present. In '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'', it is used by the mafia boss Johnny in the fictional film ''Angels with Even Filthier Souls''. In ''Uncle Buck
''Uncle Buck'' is a 1989 American comedy film written and directed by John Hughes, and starring John Candy and Amy Madigan with supporting roles by Jean Louisa Kelly (in her film debut), Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann, Garrett M. Brown and E ...
'', a quite drunk Pooter the Clown calls Buck a four flusher when ordered to leave the family home, which results in Buck punching the clown right in the face.
In 2014 a screenplay by the name of FourFlush was written by Harley Evseichik
See also
* Flush draw *Glossary of poker terms
The following is a glossary of poker terms used in the card game of poker. It supplements the glossary of card game terms. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon poker slang terms. This is not intended to b ...
References
External links
*{{Wiktionary-inline, four-flusher Poker gameplay and terminology