What is Pop Out?
Pop Out, also written PopOut, keeps the grid, the discs and the goal of Four in a Row and adds a second kind of move. On your turn you either drop one of your discs into a column, exactly as in the standard game, or you pop one of your own discs out of the bottom row. The popped disc leaves the game, and every disc above it in that column drops down one space.
That one extra move changes how the game is played. A pop moves a whole column at once, so it can complete a line for you, break one of your opponent's threats, or line up discs for the player who moves next. Because both colours in the column shift, you have to check what a pop does for your opponent as well as for you.
If a pop completes four in a row for both players at the same time, the player who popped wins. Otherwise the first four in a row wins, as in the standard game, and a drop that fills the grid without a four ends the game in a draw.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Four in a Row | Pop Out |
|---|---|---|
| Legal moves | Standard Four in a RowDrop one of your discs into any column that is not full. | Pop OutEither drop a disc into a column that is not full, or pop one of your own discs out of the bottom row. |
| Popping a disc | Standard Four in a RowNot allowed: a disc stays where it lands until the game ends. | Pop OutThe popped disc leaves the game and every disc above it in that column drops one space. Only discs of your own colour can be popped. |
| Two fours at once | Standard Four in a RowCannot happen: a drop can only complete a line of your own colour. | Pop OutA pop can complete lines for both players. If it does, the player who popped wins. |
| End of the game | Standard Four in a RowThe first four in a row wins. A full grid without a four is a draw. | Pop OutThe first four in a row wins. A drop that fills the grid without a four is a draw, and so is a grid emptied by pops. |
| Board | Standard Four in a Row7 columns × 6 rows. | Pop OutAny board size in the table setup, and 5-in-a-Row, where the two filled outer columns can never be popped. |
History
The upright game of Four in a Row was created by Howard Wexler and first sold in February 1974. Several later editions of the game have a bar under the grid that lets discs drop out of the bottom one at a time, and that feature made new games possible.
PopOut is one of them. A rule sheet from 2009 for a set with this bar describes five games: the original game, PopOut, Pop 10, 5-in-a-Row and Power Up. In PopOut, the sheet says, you may either drop a checker in or pop one of your own checkers out of the bottom row, and in the rare case that a pop gives both players four in a row at the same time, the win goes to the player whose turn it is. The same sheet suggests combining its games, for example PopOut with 5-in-a-Row.