How 4D Works

4D, short for "four digits," is one of the most popular draw games in Asia. You choose a four-digit number, pay a small stake, and wait for the operator to draw winning numbers. What makes 4D different from a standard lotto is the range of bet types: you can bet one number in exact order, cover every rearrangement of its digits, or let one position "roll" through all ten digits. Each choice changes what you pay and what you can win. This page walks through every bet type, what it costs, how prizes work, and when and where you can place a bet.

What a 4D bet is and how a draw works

At its core, a 4D bet is a wager on a four-digit number from 0000 to 9999. The operator holds a draw and publishes a set of winning numbers, and your ticket wins if your digits match them in the way your bet type requires. Singapore Pools offers several ways to place your bets: Ordinary, System Entry, iBet, 4D Roll and Quick Pick¹. Quick Pick is a random selection of four digits generated by the system, for players who do not want to choose their own number¹.

The prize structure is what gives 4D its character. In the Singapore and Malaysia style of the game, a draw does not produce just one winning number. It produces a full set: a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize number, plus a group of Starter numbers and a group of Consolation numbers. With a Big bet on Special Cash Sweep's 1 + 3D, for example, you can match against 23 sets of winning numbers, meaning the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, ten Starters and ten Consolations⁵. A Small bet only matches against the top three sets, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize numbers, but pays more when it hits⁵. So Big gives you many more ways to win at lower prizes, while Small concentrates the payout on the top three. This is the same trade-off that runs through every 4D bet type: pay less and aim narrow, or pay more and cover more ground.

Japan runs its own version of the game called Numbers 4. It is a number-selection lottery in which you choose your favorite four-digit number and an entry type⁶. The entry types are Straight, Box and Set, which we will look at below. Numbers 4 draws every Monday to Friday, making it a daily-style game rather than a twice-weekly one⁶.

If you are new to draw games generally, the page on how lotteries work explains prize pools and ticket types, and how lottery draws are conducted covers draw machines and oversight.

Straight bets: matching digits and order

A Straight bet, called an Ordinary bet at Singapore Pools, is the simplest form of 4D. You select four digits in a specific order¹, and you win only if the drawn number matches your digits in that exact order. If you bet 1234 and the draw produces 1234, you win. If it produces 4321, you lose, even though the digits are the same.

The Japanese rules state the condition plainly: for a Straight win, both the four digits you chose and their order must match the drawn number⁴. Ontario's PICK-4 describes the same idea from the player's side: match your numbers to the winning numbers in the exact order drawn for a chance at a larger prize⁷. That last phrase is the point. Straight is the hardest way to win and the best-paying one within any given game.

In Japan, the Straight prize in Numbers 4 is about JPY 1,000,000, with a theoretical value of JPY 900,000⁸. In Ontario's PICK-4, you can win up to $5,000 by matching all four numbers in the order they are drawn on a Straight Play⁹. The exact prize depends on the operator and the stake, but the pattern holds everywhere: exact order pays the most.

On a Singapore Pools bet slip, you mark four digits for an Ordinary bet, and your total stake is the sum of the stake amounts you mark². If you mark a Big and a Small stake on the same number, you pay both.

Box bets: matching digits in any order

A Box bet removes the order requirement. The Japanese rule for Numbers 4 Box says the winning condition is that the four digits you chose match, and the order does not matter⁴. Ontario puts it the same way: Box Play means matching your numbers to the winning numbers in any order drawn, and while your odds of winning a prize are increased, the jackpots are reduced⁷.

So if you Box the number 1234, you win if the draw produces 1234, 1243, 1324, 1342, 1423, 1432, or any other arrangement of those four digits. That is a lot more coverage, which is why the prize per win is smaller than a Straight win on the same stake.

How much more coverage depends on your digits. A number with four different digits, like 1234, can be arranged in 24 different orders. A number with one repeated digit, like 1123, has fewer distinct arrangements, and a number like 1111 has only one. This is why Box on 1111 is pointless: there is no other order to cover. Ontario's PICK-4 lets you play Box in 4-Way, 6-Way, 12-Way or 24-Way versions, which correspond to how many repeated digits your number contains⁹. The fewer distinct arrangements there are, the fewer combinations you are effectively buying, and the payout adjusts accordingly.

Japan adds a third entry type that combines the two: Set. A Set entry is a Straight and a Box bet on the same number bought together, so you get the exact-order payout if the order matches and the Box payout if only the digits match⁴. It costs more than either single entry, since you are buying both.

The same idea appears in other Asian digit games. The Philippine 3D Lotto can be played Straight, matching three numbers from 0 to 9 in exact order, or through the Rambolito System, which allows more flexible number combinations¹⁰. Vietnam's Max 3DPro pays its top prizes only when the digits match the winning number in exact order, with lower tiers for partial matches¹¹. Box-style play is a recurring theme across the region's digit games, and you can read more about the shorter versions in 2D and 3D digit lotteries.

Roll bets: covering 10 combinations with one 'R'

A Roll bet is a shortcut for covering ten numbers at once. At Singapore Pools, you select three digits and one rolling digit in a specific order. The rolling digit, designated by 'R', represents any number from 0 to 9, and only one of your four digits can be the rolling digit¹.

In practice, you write something like 123R. That means 1230, 1231, 1232, and so on up to 1239. The system buys all ten of those numbers for you. On the bet slip, you mark three digits and an R, and your total stake is the sum of the marked stake amounts multiplied by 10². So if you mark a $1 stake, the bet costs $10, because you are buying ten Ordinary bets.

The ticket confirms what R means: it stands for any one of the ten digits from 0 to 9². When the draw happens, each of your ten numbers is checked individually, and any of them that matches a winning number in exact order wins that prize.

Malaysia's Special Cash Sweep offers the same feature in two positions. With 1 + 3D Roll Last, you select the first three digits of a four-digit number and the system rolls the last digit from 0 to 9, for a total of ten four-digit bets¹². With 1 + 3D Roll First, you select the last three digits and the system rolls the first digit from 0 to 9, again giving you ten bets¹². The only difference is which end of the number you leave open.

A Roll bet is a good middle ground between an Ordinary bet and a full permutation. It costs ten times a single bet, not twenty-four, and it keeps three digits exactly where you want them. The trade-off is that it only covers numbers that share your three fixed digits in their fixed positions.

Permutation bets: covering all 24 number orders

A permutation bet covers every possible ordering of your four digits. At Singapore Pools this is the System Entry: you select four digits and place bets on all of their permutations¹. There are 24 permutations in four unique digits¹, so a number like 1234 generates all 24 arrangements, from 1234 up to 4321.

The count depends on repetition. Four different digits give 24 permutations. Fewer distinct digits give fewer: three distinct digits give fewer arrangements, and so on down. The system works out the count for you, and the ticket for a Full System Bet shows the number of permutations and combinations².

Malaysia's operators offer permutation in more granular forms. With 1 + 3D Permutation, you select a four-digit number and the system generates all possible permutations of it, with the total cost depending on the number you selected¹². There are also partial versions: Perm Last 3 generates a permutation of only the last three digits, and Perm Front 3 generates a permutation of only the first three, with the total depending on which three digits you chose¹². These let you cover the rearrangements of half the number at a lower cost.

The same concept exists outside 4D. Malaysia's 3D game lets you select a three-digit number and have the system generate all possible permutations¹³. Even in horse racing betting, a "box" purchase means buying all combinations of the selections you choose. The math is the same everywhere: more distinct items, more permutations.

System Entry and iBet: placing many combinations at once

The System Entry is how Singapore Pools packages permutation betting. On the bet slip, for a Full System Bet you mark four digits, and your total stake is the sum of the marked stake amounts multiplied by the number of Ordinary bet combinations². Each permutation costs a minimum of $1¹, so a full System Entry on a number with four unique digits costs at least $24.

The i System Bet, or iBet, is the budget version. You mark four digits the same way, and your total stake is just the sum of the marked stake amounts². In other words, you pay one stake instead of 24, but you are still covering all the permutations of your number. The catch is in the payout: with a System Entry, your prize money is proportionately divided by the number of permutations¹. With iBet, the same division applies, but since you paid a fraction of the cost, the prize is a fraction of the System Entry prize. iBet lets you buy permutation coverage for the price of roughly one bet, at the cost of a much smaller payout when you win.

The bet slip itself supports several bet types: Ordinary, Roll, Full System and i System. If you choose Ordinary or Roll, you do not need to mark any bet type on the slip². You can mark up to four number combinations of the same bet type on one bet slip².

On the Singapore Pools app, you can now place multiple bet types on the same 4D number within the same board, instead of placing them separately, with one exception: 4D Roll cannot be combined this way³. So you could put an Ordinary bet and an iBet on the same number in one go, but a Roll bet needs its own board.

For a broader look at multi-entry betting across lotteries, see lottery system bets, and for the big-prize versions of 4D, see 4D jackpot games.

Odds and prize amounts by bet type

The odds in 4D come from simple arithmetic. There are 10,000 possible four-digit combinations from 0000 to 9999, so the odds of a Straight win on any single number are 1 in 10,000. Ontario's PICK-4 states this directly: the odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 10,000, and prizes and odds vary depending on the number combination you choose⁹.

That last point matters for Box and permutation play. If your four digits are all different, a Box bet effectively covers 24 of the 10,000 combinations, so your chance of a Box win is 24 in 10,000. If your number has a repeated digit, you cover fewer combinations and your chance drops accordingly, which is why the payout for those Box types is higher.

Here is how the main bet types compare:

The prize-division rule for System Entry is worth spelling out. If you hold a full System Entry on 1234 and the draw produces 4321, you win, but your prize money is proportionately divided by the number of permutations¹. You bought 24 bets, so the prize is split across that coverage. This is how operators keep permutation betting fair: you are not buying 24 separate full prizes, you are buying a share that reflects what you paid.

Big and Small sit on top of all of this. A Big bet matches against the full set of winning numbers, 23 sets in the Special Cash Sweep structure, while a Small bet matches only the top three and pays more per win⁵. You can apply Big and Small stakes to Ordinary, Roll, System Entry or iBet bets.

For how these odds compare with other games in the region, see lottery odds in Asia.

Draw days, sales close and where you can bet

Singapore 4D draws are conducted on Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday³. Sales for each 4D draw close at 6pm on draw day, both online and at outlets³. At an outlet you can bet for any of the current Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday draws, or for six consecutive draws including the current one³, which lets you keep the same number running for weeks without revisiting the counter.

Japan's Numbers 4 runs on a daily schedule: draws are held Monday to Friday⁴, and tickets can be bought at lottery stands every day of the year except the year-end and New Year period⁴. Stand hours are 8:00 to 20:00 daily, with sales on draw days until 18:30⁴. The Straight prize of about JPY 1,000,000 is quoted per the standard stake⁸.

Online, Singapore Pools account holders can place Self Pick bets for Ordinary, 4D Roll, System Entry and iBet for draws conducted on Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday¹⁴. The app also lets you save up to 20 sets of 4D favorite numbers, so you can replay the same numbers without re-entering them³. For the wider picture on official online sales, see buying official lottery tickets online.

A few practical points finish the picture:

• If a four-digit combination is sold out, the number shows with 'S'OUT' next to it on the ticket, and if the only combination you selected was sold out, no ticket is issued at all². Popular numbers can hit the operator's liability limit.
• When a combination is near the sales limit, the operator may accept a lower stake than you selected, and the ticket shows an asterisk next to the stake². Check your ticket before leaving the counter.
• Quick Pick is available if you want the system to choose your four digits for you¹, and Japan's Numbers 4 offers the same computer-selected option⁴.

For where to buy tickets in person across the region, see where to buy lottery tickets, and for ticket prices across games, see lottery ticket prices.