Play PopOut Connect Four
PopOut is Connect Four with a way back out. On your turn you can drop a disc as usual, or pop one of your own discs out of the bottom row and let the whole column fall. Play a friend on one device, or take on the Easy or Hard bot. Free, no sign-up.
PopOut rules
- The board, the discs and the goal are the same as ordinary Connect Four: seven columns, six rows, and the first to line up four across, up or diagonally wins.
- On your turn you choose one of two moves. Either drop a disc into any column that is not full, or pop one of your own discs out of the bottom row.
- You can only pop a disc of your own colour, and only from the bottom row. When it comes out, every disc above it in that column drops down one slot.
- Because a pop moves a whole column, it can complete lines for either player at once. If a pop makes four for both of you, the player who popped wins. If it only makes four for your opponent, they win.
- On this board the game is drawn if all forty-two slots fill, or if the same position comes round for the third time.
Controls
Click or tap a column to drop a disc. The POP buttons under the board light up in your colour wherever the bottom disc is yours. On a keyboard, 1 to 7 drops, Shift + 1 to 7 pops, U undoes and R starts again.
How PopOut changes the strategy
In ordinary Connect Four a disc never moves once it lands, so every threat you build stays built. PopOut takes that away. A column you thought was safe can shift under you, and a line your opponent blocked can open again when the blocking disc slides down a row.
- Own the bottom row. Every disc you have along the bottom is a pop you can play later, and a pop your opponent cannot. Bottom discs are your options.
- Look up the column before you pop. A pop lowers everything above it by one. Check whether that drops one of your opponent's discs into a winning line, because if it does you have just lost.
- Use pops to unblock. If your opponent has capped your three in a column, popping your own disc from underneath can line it up with a different row.
- The centre still matters. The middle column touches more lines than any other, so the usual centre advice holds. It just matters a little less, because nothing is permanent.
PopOut questions, answered
What is PopOut in Connect Four?
PopOut is a variant of Connect Four played on the same seven by six board. On your turn you either drop a disc in the usual way or pop one of your own discs out of the bottom row, which makes everything above it in that column fall down one slot.
Can you pop out your opponent's disc?
No. You can only pop a disc of your own colour, and only from the bottom row. If the bottom disc of a column belongs to your opponent, that column can only be dropped into.
What happens if a pop makes four in a row for both players?
On this board the player who popped wins. A pop that only completes a line for the opponent hands them the game, so check what falls into place before you pop.
Can PopOut end in a draw?
Yes. On this board the game is a draw if all forty-two slots fill with nobody connecting four, or if the same position comes round for the third time, which stops two players popping back and forth forever.