1
Initial Deal
You are dealt two private hole cards. All five community cards go down face down in a cross.
Complete game guide
How to Play Criss Cross Poker
Two hole cards, five community cards and two poker hands built from one cross. Here is every rule in the order it happens.
Across hand
Down hand
Your cards
Ante
Across
Across
$25
Across
$25
Ante
Down
Down
$25
Down
$25
Middle
$25
5-Card
Bonus
Bonus
$25
1
Table Setup
One 52-card deck, two hole cards and five community cards in a cross.
Across
Down hand
Your cards
Across Hand = your 2 hole cards + the 3 horizontal community cards
+
Down Hand = your 2 hole cards + the 3 vertical community cards
+
Both hands share the centre community card.
The centre card belongs to both hands.
Seven cards are in play, but each hand is only five: your two hole cards plus three from the cross. The three horizontal community cards make the Across hand. The three vertical community cards make the Down hand. The card in the middle sits in both rows, so it is doing work in both directions at once. That is why one centre card can make or kill both hands together: it is the only community card neither hand can ignore.
2
Place Your Bets
Two mandatory antes and two optional side bets.
Across Ante
Required $25A flat, mandatory wager. It covers your Across Hand and is graded on that hand alone.
Down Ante
Required $25The same wager for the Down Hand. It must be exactly the same size as your Across Ante.
Five-Card Bonus
Optional $25Paid on the five community cards alone, whatever your hole cards are.
Black Ace Bonus
Optional AceTriggers only when the centre card is the A♠ or the A♣. Not offered at every casino. Amounts and availability vary by casino.
The Across and Down Antes are mandatory and must be the same amount.
The antes are flat bets, not raises. You post both antes before a single card is dealt, and they stay exactly as posted for the rest of the hand. The 1x, 2x or 3x raise is a separate wager made later (the Across, Down and Middle bets) once you have seen your two cards and the cross. An ante is never 1x, 2x or 3x; it is the flat stake those later bets are measured against.
How each wager is settled
- Ante Across and Ante Down. Flat 1 to 1 on a high pair or better, push on a low pair (6s to 10s), lose below that.
- Across, Down and Middle. All three share the main pay table, up to 500x for a royal flush. Middle is graded on whichever of your two hands finishes higher.
- Five Card Bonus. Scored on the five community cards only, and paid independently of everything else.
- Folding. Folding a line forfeits that line’s bet and its ante; your other live wagers carry on. If both the Across and Down bets are folded, the Middle bet is not offered at all. Only the Five Card Bonus can still be paid.
- Most you can have at risk in one hand. 11 units: two antes plus 3x on each of the three lines. At $25 units that is $275.
3
How a Round Works
Every decision and card reveal, in order.
2
Across Bet
Fold, or bet 1x, 2x or 3x your Ante Across. The two outer horizontal cards are then turned over.
Fold
3
Down Bet
Fold, or bet 1x, 2x or 3x your Ante Down. The two outer vertical cards are turned over.
Fold
4
Middle Bet
Fold, or bet 1x, 2x or 3x. There is no Ante Middle, so skipping it costs nothing. It is the best-informed wager at the table, because four of the five community cards are already face up when you make it. The shared centre card is then turned over and both hands are complete.
Fold
5
Evaluate Both Hands
Across and Down are graded separately against the same pay table. There is no dealer hand to beat.
6
Pay the Winners
Every live wager is settled off the pay table. The Middle bet pays on whichever of your two hands ranks higher.
4
See How the Two Hands Are Built
The same two hole cards, graded twice.
Across Hand
+
Straight
pays 5x
Down Hand
+
Two Pair
Kings & queens, pays 2x
Across reads the row: your K♠ Q♠ joins the A♦ J♠ 10♣ to make a straight. Down reads the column: the same K♠ Q♠ joins the K♦ J♠ Q♣ and makes two pair, kings and queens. One deal, two separate gradings.
The Middle Bet uses whichever qualifying hand ranks higher.
That single rule is why the Middle bet matters here. It is graded on the better of your two hands, so it is paid at the Straight rate of 5x even though the Down Hand only made two pair. You never have to guess which direction will come in. The Middle bet simply follows the stronger one. That is why it is rarely worth skipping. More on the Middle bet
| Wager | Staked | Result | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ante Across | $25 | Straight beats a high pair | +$25 |
| Ante Down | $25 | Two pair beats a high pair | +$25 |
| Across bet | $75 | Straight, 5x | +$375 |
| Down bet | $75 | Two pair, 2x | +$150 |
| Middle bet | $75 | Graded on the Straight, 5x | +$375 |
| Five Card Bonus | $25 | Community cards make a straight, 6x | +$150 |
| Total | $300 | +$1,100 |
Every figure above is the return on top of the stake. This is a free, play-money guide. The numbers are here to show how the three lines and the bonus settle together, not to suggest a typical result.
5
Standard Bet Payouts
6
Five-Card Bonus Payouts
An optional side bet, settled on the five community cards on their own.
Five Card Bonus
Scored on the five community cards alone.
Your two hole cards take no part in this bet.
No hole cards. No dealer comparison.
This example
K♦ A♦ J♠ 10♣ Q♣ is a Straight, so the Five Card Bonus pays 6x. A $25 bonus bet returns $150 in winnings.
What the bonus pays
The cross is read as one five-card hand, so the Across and Down splits are ignored here. A pair of 6s or better is the smallest hand that pays; anything under that loses the bonus.
The Five Card Bonus is settled entirely on the community cards, so it pays whether or not you folded anything else that hand. Fold the Across bet, fold the Down bet, fold both: the bonus is still graded and still paid. That independence is also the catch. Its house edge is 3.53%. The ante’s 4.33% is quoted against a single ante while a full hand puts up to 11 units at risk, which is why the base game’s element of risk is only 1.48%. Per dollar you actually put on the table, the bonus costs you more than twice as much. It is a side bet, and it is priced like one: take it for the top of the pay table, not because it is cheap.
7
Black Ace Bonus Wheel
An optional side bet that only wakes up on one card.
Example layout only. The spaces, the amounts and whether a jackpot space exists at all are set by each casino.
1
The centre community card is revealed as the A♠ or the A♣.
2
The dealer spins the Black Ace wheel for everyone who made the bet.
3
The inner wheel sets the first payout, in the region of $25 to $150.
4
If the outer pointer lands on a seat number that is occupied by a player who made the bet, that player gives up the first bonus and takes a second spin for an outer-ring prize instead.
Second-spin prizes
$200 – $1,000
Progressive jackpots
May be available
Black Ace availability, wheel amounts and any progressive prizes are set by the individual casino and vary from property to property. The figures shown here are examples taken from particular installations, not a standard pay table. Check the posted rules at the table before you bet.
This bet is not part of the core game, is not offered everywhere, and is not covered by the published Wizard of Odds analysis of Criss Cross Poker, so we do not quote a house edge for it. Treat it as a lottery-style extra rather than part of your strategy.
8
Key Rules to Remember
Premium poker hands pay considerably more on the Across, Down and Middle bets than they do on the Five-Card Bonus. A royal flush is 500x against 250x.
The Five-Card Bonus is settled on the five community cards alone. Your hole cards never touch it.
The Middle Bet pays on whichever of your Across and Down hands finishes higher.
Exact rules and payout tables can vary between casinos. Always check the table before you sit down.
9
Hand Rankings at a Glance
Standard poker order, with one twist.
Everything above ranks the way it does in any poker game: a flush still beats a straight, three of a kind still beats two pair. The twist is at the bottom of the ladder. Where most games treat a pair as one result, Criss Cross Poker splits it into three. A pair of Jacks or better wins, a pair of 6s through 10s pushes, and anything below a pair of 6s loses. That single split is where most of the game’s variance lives, because a pair is far and away the most common thing you will make.
What appears most often?
Out of all possible five-card hands
10
Common Rule Questions
Can Across and Down be folded separately?
Yes. They are two independent wagers. Folding Across forfeits the Ante Across but the hand carries on and your Down side stays live. The reverse is also true. Fold both and the Middle bet is never offered: only the Five Card Bonus can still be paid.
Is the Middle bet mandatory?
No. It has no ante attached, so skipping it costs you nothing. It is still the best-informed bet at the table. Four of the five community cards are already face up when you make it, and it pays on whichever of your two hands finishes higher.
Does the centre card count twice?
Yes. It is part of the horizontal row and the vertical column, so it appears in both your Across hand and your Down hand. A single centre card can make both hands or kill both.
Is the Five Card Bonus independent of the main bets?
Completely. It is scored on the five community cards on their own, ignoring your hole cards, and it pays whether or not you folded anything else that hand. Winning it does not require the Across, Down or Middle bets to win, and losing them does not take it away. How the Five Card Bonus pays
How many decks are used?
One standard 52-card deck with no jokers. Seven cards are in play each round: your two hole cards and the five community cards.
Do I have to beat the dealer?
There is no dealer hand and no qualifying requirement. Every wager is paid straight off the pay table, which is why one strong hand can pay on three separate bets at once.
What triggers the Black Ace bonus?
The centre community card turning out to be the A♠ or the A♣. Nothing else triggers it, and it only pays if you placed the optional Black Ace side bet before the deal. When it hits, the dealer spins a bonus wheel to settle it.
Amounts and availability vary by casino. The Black Ace bet is not offered everywhere, and any figures published for it are examples from particular installations rather than a standard pay table. We do not quote a house edge for it because it has not been independently analysed. Read the Black Ace rules
What is the house edge in Criss Cross Poker?
4.33% of the ante. That is the figure usually quoted, and it is the one to compare against other table games advertised the same way. Measured as element of risk (against the total amount you actually put at risk), it works out at 1.48%, because a typical hand ends up with far more than one ante on the table. The Five Card Bonus is a separate wager with its own edge of 3.53%. See the full pay tables
What is the most I can lose on one hand?
Eleven units. Two antes, plus a 3x bet on each of the Across, Down and Middle lines. At $25 units that is $275 gone on a single hand. This is the real reason to size your unit off your bankroll rather than off the table minimum. A $25 table is not a $25 decision. Sizing your bankroll
Can I play Criss Cross Poker free online?
Yes. This site runs a full browser version of the game with no download and no sign-up. It uses play money only, so you can practise the fold decisions and the Middle bet as many times as you like without staking anything. Play a free hand
Ready to See the Cross in Action?
The rules land much faster with cards in front of you. The free table deals real hands, and the built-in coach shows the recommended action before each of the three decisions.
Criss Cross Poker is a table game from AGS, developed by Ron LaDuca and In Bet Gaming. Pay tables and house-edge figures follow the published analysis at Wizard of Odds; the hand probabilities on this page were computed from all 2,598,960 five-card combinations. The Black Ace bonus wheel is a casino-specific side bet that is not part of that published analysis, and its amounts vary by property. This site is free to play, uses play money only, and accepts no wagers.