4D Box vs i-Box: Permutations Explained Simply

A 4D Box bet places one full stake on every arrangement of your four digits, while an i-Box bet covers the same arrangements for a single stake and pays a reduced share of the prize. Both let you win without getting the exact order of your digits right, but they differ in cost and payout. This guide explains permutations in plain language, shows you how to count them for any number, and covers how to check a Box-type bet against the latest 4D results.

First, what is a permutation?

A permutation is simply one way of arranging your four digits. A straight 4D bet only counts if the drawn number matches yours in the exact order: if you pick 1234 and 4321 is drawn, a straight bet doesn't win.

Box-type bets solve that by covering every arrangement of your digits at once. The question is how many arrangements there are — and that depends entirely on whether your number has repeated digits.

How many permutations does your number have?

There are five possible patterns:

Four different digits (e.g. 1234): 24 permutations.
One pair plus two different digits (e.g. 1123): 12 permutations.
Two pairs (e.g. 1122): 6 permutations.
Three of the same digit (e.g. 1112): 4 permutations.
All four digits the same (e.g. 1111): only 1 arrangement, so there is nothing to box.

A quick way to remember it: 24 is the number of ways to order four different digits (4 × 3 × 2 × 1). Every repeated digit cuts that number down, because swapping two identical digits gives you the same number.

Worked example: 1123

The digits 1, 1, 2 and 3 can be arranged as 1123, 1132, 1213, 1231, 1312, 1321, 2113, 2131, 2311, 3112, 3121 and 3211. That's 12 — exactly what the rule above predicts.

Box: every arrangement as a full bet

A Box bet places a full straight bet on every permutation of your number.

Cost: your stake multiplied by the number of permutations. Boxing 1234 means paying for 24 straight bets; boxing 1122 means paying for 6.
Payout: if any one of those arrangements is drawn, it pays like a normal straight bet on that number — because that's exactly what it is.

Box is the "pay more, keep the full prize" option. It suits players who are attached to a set of digits but not to a particular order, such as the digits of a birthday or a car plate.

i-Box: one stake spread across all arrangements

An i-Box bet covers the same set of permutations, but for a single stake instead of one stake per arrangement.

Cost: one stake covers every permutation.
Payout: the prize is shared across the arrangements, so a winning i-Box pays a fraction of what a straight bet on the exact number would. The more permutations your number has, the smaller that share. For the exact i-Box payout, log in at go2win.bet, then check with live chat: what live chat confirms is what applies.

i-Box is the "pay less, accept a smaller prize" option. Numbers with fewer permutations (like 1112, with 4) keep a much bigger share of the prize than numbers with 24.

Box vs i-Box side by side

What's covered: both cover every arrangement of your digits.
Cost: Box costs one stake per permutation; i-Box costs one stake in total.
Prize if you win: Box pays the full straight prize for the arrangement that was drawn; i-Box pays a reduced share.
Effect of repeated digits: fewer permutations make Box cheaper and an i-Box prize bigger.

Neither option changes the chance of any single number being drawn. Every number from 0000 to 9999 has the same chance in every draw; Box and i-Box only change how many of those numbers you cover and how the prize is split.

Combining Box with Big or Small

Box and i-Box are about order. Big and Small are about which prize tiers count. You choose both:

Big covers all prize tiers — 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize, plus the ten special and ten consolation prizes.
Small covers only the top three prizes.

For the full comparison of the two, see 4D Big vs Small.

So an i-Box Big on 1234 counts if any arrangement of 1, 2, 3 and 4 appears anywhere among the 23 winning numbers, while an i-Box Small counts only if an arrangement lands in the top three.

How to check a Box or i-Box bet

Open the Go2win 4D result page and choose the block of the operator you played, for the correct draw date.
For each winning number, ask: does it use exactly the same four digits as mine, in any order?
If you played Small, check only the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize. If you played Big, check all 23 numbers.
A sorting trick helps: write your digits in ascending order (1234), do the same with a winning number (4213 becomes 1234), and compare.

For more on reading a result — draw days, draw times and what "No verified data yet" means — see how to check 4D results.

Common mix-ups

"i-Box gives me 24 chances for the price of one." It covers 24 arrangements, but the prize is divided across them, so a win pays much less than a straight bet.
"Box and i-Box are the same thing." They cover the same arrangements; the difference is cost and payout.
"Repeated digits are bad luck for Box." They simply mean fewer arrangements: a cheaper Box and a bigger i-Box share.

4D at Go2win

Go2win is an online casino in Malaysia that offers 4D in its lottery section. To get started, sign up for Go2win with your Malaysian mobile number (+60) and a password; new members get the RM18 sign-up bonus. To confirm which 4D bet types are available, log in at go2win.bet, then check with live chat: what live chat confirms is what applies.

Choosing the digits is a separate step from choosing the bet type. If you like to pick numbers from a dream, the 4D dream number chart lists the traditional Tua Pek Kong number for each dream; it is a cultural reference and does not change your odds.

FAQ

What does Box mean in 4D? A Box bet places a full straight bet on every arrangement of your four digits. It costs one stake per permutation, and a winning arrangement pays like a normal straight bet. Boxing 1234 means paying for 24 straight bets, while boxing 1122 means paying for 6.

What is i-Box? i-Box covers every arrangement for a single stake, but the prize is shared across the permutations, so a win pays less than a straight bet on the exact number. The more permutations your number has, the smaller that share: 1112, with 4 permutations, keeps a much bigger share than a number with 24.

How many permutations does 1234 have? 1234 has 24 permutations. Numbers with one pair (like 1123) have 12, two pairs (1122) have 6, and three identical digits (1112) have 4. The 24 comes from 4 × 3 × 2 × 1, and every repeated digit cuts it down, because swapping two identical digits gives the same number.

Does Box or i-Box improve my chances? No, every number still has the same chance of being drawn. Box and i-Box cover more numbers: Box costs more for that coverage, while i-Box keeps the cost down by paying a smaller share. Every number from 0000 to 9999 has the same chance in every draw.

Can I box 1111? No, 1111 cannot be boxed. A number with four identical digits has only one arrangement, so there is nothing to box. Box-type bets only help when your number has at least two different digits, giving 4, 6, 12 or 24 permutations to cover.