Iron Cross

Rules for Playing Iron Cross

Iron Cross is a mix between Texas Holdem with a fun twist. This game can be played with as many as 4 to 7 players and although each player has seven cards to work with, only five of those cards will be used to make the best five card poker hand.

How to Play Iron Cross

After each player has ante the dealer will deal each player two cards down and one card face up. Five cards will be dealt in the middle of the table in a cross like format. These are the community cards and will be shared among the players. The formation of the cards should represent a cross, so three cards horizontally and the remaining cards vertically.

Once the initial deal is complete the first betting round will begin with the player to the left of the dealer.

The dealer will randomly select one of the four community cards to turn face up. It’s important to note that this should be done only with the cards on the outside of the cross. The middle card should always be the last card turned over.

Once the card is flipped another betting round will take place, this time with the player with the highest two card poker hand.
The dealer will again choose another card by random to show the players at the table. Once this card is flipped, another betting round will take place again with the player showing the strongest hand thus far. The strongest hand is assumed by using the player’s up card and the two exposed community cards.

The dealer will turn over another card followed by another betting round with the player who has the best showing poker hand.
Finally the dealer will turn over the final community card on the outer side of the cross. Once this card is exposed another betting round will take place. By now all of the cards within the cross should be face up except for the card placed in the center.

The dealer will turn over the final card and will also deal one more card to each player face down. The final betting round will take place followed by each player showing their best five card hand by combining their cards with the board. The hands should use two of their own cards with three of the board. The player must decide to use either the cards placed in the horizontal position or vertical position. Not both.

Variations – If you want to mix the game up a bit, the final card exposed can also be used as a wild card.

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