Criss Cross Poker questions, answered
The things people actually ask about Criss Cross Poker: the rules, the decks, the odds, and where to play it free.
The Basics
What the game is, what it is not, and how the two hands are built.
What is Criss Cross Poker?
Criss Cross Poker is a casino table game from AGS in which your two cards play in two directions at once. Five community cards are dealt face down in a cross; the horizontal row makes your Across hand and the vertical column makes your Down hand, with the centre card shared by both. Both hands are graded against a fixed pay table and there is no dealer hand to beat.
Is Criss Cross Poker video poker?
No. It is a live table game dealt by a dealer with physical cards, although some casinos also offer it on electronic table terminals. The confusion is understandable because, like video poker, you are paid off a fixed pay table rather than by beating an opponent.
How many decks are used in Criss Cross Poker?
One standard 52-card deck, with no jokers. You are dealt two hole cards and five community cards go into the cross, so seven cards are in play in every round.
How are the Across and Down hands made?
Both hands use the same two hole cards. The Across hand is your two cards plus the left, centre and right community cards. The Down hand is your two cards plus the top, centre and bottom cards. Because the centre card belongs to both, a single card can make or break the entire round.
Do I have to beat the dealer?
No. There is no dealer hand and no qualifying requirement. Every wager is paid straight off the pay table, which is why a single strong hand can pay on three separate bets at once.
The centre card belongs to both hands.
It sits in the horizontal row and the vertical column at the same time, which is the whole idea of the game, and the reason each line is bet separately.
Playing It Free
Practising in your browser, and finding the real thing on a casino floor.
Can I play Criss Cross Poker online for free?
Yes. The table on this site is free, requires no download and no sign-up, and uses play money only. It runs in your browser on desktop and mobile, uses the real pay tables, and includes a strategy coach that calls every decision.
Is there a Criss Cross Poker app?
There is no official app required. The free table on this site works in any modern mobile browser, and you can add it to your home screen from your browser's share menu if you want a one-tap shortcut.
Where can I play Criss Cross Poker in a casino?
It is an AGS table game that has been spread in Las Vegas and approved by regulators in several US states. Because floors change constantly, the reliable way to find a table is to check the casino's own table-games page or phone the pit.
Play money only
This site does not take wagers of any kind and does not recommend or link to real-money operators. Everything here is free practice.
Free Table
Real pay tables, a strategy coach and no sign-up.
Find a Casino
How to check whether a property near you spreads it.
Odds and Strategy
What the bets pay, what the game costs, and how to play it well.
What is the Middle bet?
An optional third wager made after four of the five community cards are face up. It has no ante attached and it is graded on whichever of your two hands finishes higher, which makes it the best-informed bet at the table. Only about 4.5% of hands are a genuine Middle fold.
What are the Criss Cross Poker payouts?
The Across, Down and Middle bets share one pay table: royal flush 500 to 1, straight flush 100 to 1, four of a kind 40 to 1, full house 12 to 1, flush 8 to 1, straight 5 to 1, three of a kind 3 to 1, two pair 2 to 1, and a high pair of Jacks or better at even money. A low pair of 6s through 10s returns your bet.
What is the house edge in Criss Cross Poker?
About 4.33% measured against the ante you are required to post, or roughly 1.48% measured against the total amount you actually put at risk over the course of a hand. That second figure, the element of risk, is a competitive number for a casino table game.
What is the best strategy for Criss Cross Poker?
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 treat the Middle bet as close to automatic. There is a printable strategy chart on this site covering all three decisions.
Still Curious? Deal a Hand.
The fastest way to understand the cross is to watch it settle a few times.
Criss Cross Poker is a table game from AGS, developed by Ron LaDuca and In Bet Gaming. This site is an independent guide: it is free, it uses play money only and it accepts no wagers. Full rules · Payouts and odds · History.