01
Place Your Bets
Set your wagers for the Across hand, Down hand and optional 5-Card Bonus.
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Learn Criss Cross Poker by Playing It
Practise every bet, understand both hands and improve your decisions with live strategy tips.
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5
Community Cards
Shared by both hands
2
Poker Hands
Across + Down
1
Simple Goal
Build the best hands and win
How Criss Cross Poker Works
02
Build Two Hands
Five community cards are dealt in a cross. You use them twice — once Across, once Down.
6 + 8 + 8 = Across
J + 8 + 8 = Down
03
Compare and Win
Both hands are graded against the pay table. There is no dealer hand to beat.
Across HandPair of Eights
Down HandJacks and Eights
Try a Practice Hand
Down hand
Across hand
Your cards
Ante Across
$25
Across
$25
Ante Down
$25
Down
$25
Middle
$25
5-Card Bonus
$25
Your best move
Why this move?
Raise Across
Your Across hand shows potential with a pair of Eights and good kickers.
Why this move?
The centre card is an 8, so it pairs your Across row and makes two pair on the Down column. One card is doing the work in both directions.
Start This HandRecent result
Flat $25 on every spot: +$225
Across: Pair of Eights · Down: Jacks and Eights
Why the Cross Changes Everything
One deal creates two hands. The middle card is shared, connecting both hands and creating decisions you will not find anywhere else.
Learn How to Play
Across HandUses the left, centre and right cards
Down HandUses the top, centre and bottom cards
At a glance
Cards dealt7
Player hands2
Betting decisions3
Typical round90 sec
Payouts
Royal Flush500 to 1
Straight Flush100 to 1
Four of a Kind40 to 1
Full House12 to 1
Flush8 to 1
Straight5 to 1
4.33%
House edge
measured against your ante
Jacks or Better
Qualifying high pair
a low pair returns your bet
Play Smarter From Your First Hand
Starting Cards
How your two hole cards shape both hands and how much you should bet.
Across Decisions
Read the row, grade the Across hand and size the bet with confidence.
Down Decisions
Evaluate the vertical hand and keep control of your total exposure.
Learn Criss Cross Poker
Criss Cross Poker Rules
Understand the deal, the betting structure and how both hands are made.
Read ArticleBeginner Strategy Guide
Simple rules that help you make better decisions from your very first hand.
Read ArticlePayouts and House Edge
See the payouts, the house edge and what the odds actually mean for your play.
Read ArticleQuestions Before You Play?
What is Criss Cross Poker?
Criss Cross Poker is a casino table game played as two hands at once — Across and Down — using five community cards dealt in a cross. You place separate wagers on each line, both hands are graded against a fixed pay table, and there is no dealer hand to beat.
Can I play for free?
Yes. The table on this site is free, needs no sign-up and uses play money only. Your bankroll is stored in your own browser and nothing can be cashed out.
How are the Across and Down hands made?
Both hands use your two hole cards. The Across hand adds the left, centre and right community cards; the Down hand adds the top, centre and bottom. The centre card belongs to both, which is why one card can make or break the whole round.
What is the best beginner strategy?
Raise the maximum with any pair or with suited cards headed by a Jack or better. Fold only when you are unsuited, unpaired and hold nothing above a 5. And almost never skip the Middle bet — it has no ante and it pays on whichever of your two hands finishes higher.
Ready to Deal Your First Hand?
It is free, it is fast, and it is the best way to learn. Jump into a practice table and start improving today.