Iron Cross

How to Play

Iron Cross deals each player two private hole cards, then lays five community cards in the shape of a plus sign — a vertical line of three and a horizontal line of three that share the center card. The twist: at showdown you may use only ONE arm of the cross — either the three vertical cards OR the three horizontal cards, never both. Combine your two hole cards with one chosen arm to make your best five-card hand. The community cards are flipped one at a time with a betting round each, and the center card is turned last — it belongs to both arms, so it often decides the hand. Home rules: everyone antes $1, every bet or raise is exactly $1, capped at three raises per round.

A hand, step by step

1. Ante. Every player puts $1 into the pot before the deal. With four players, the pot starts at $4.
2. Hole cards. Each player is dealt two cards face-down. A betting round follows.
3. The cross. Five community cards are placed face-down as a plus sign (three vertical, three horizontal, sharing the middle).
4. Reveal one at a time. Flip the arm cards one by one — a betting round after each — saving the shared center card for last.
5. Pick one arm. Your final hand uses your two hole cards plus the vertical three OR the horizontal three — not both.
6. Showdown. Best five-card hand wins the pot.

Watch a Full Hand — step by step

A complete 4-player hand from the dealer’s view. The five community cards form a plus sign in the middle; they flip one at a time with the center card last. Use Next to advance, or Auto-play. Player 1 (Dana) is “you” — only you can see your own hole cards until showdown. At the end, the winning arm of the cross is ringed in gold.

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