Online Poker » Dealers Choice Games » Criss Cross Wild

Criss-Cross Wild is a variation of poker that has rules very similar to Criss-Cross. It is a relatively simple game for anyone familiar with any poker variants involving community cards, such as Cincinnati or Texas Hold 'em. Each hand of Criss-Cross Wild has a different card that is designated as wild, but this card is only revealed before the final betting round, giving the game an interesting twist that may heavily affect a player's strategy.

Rules for Playing Criss-Cross Wild Poker

To start a hand of Criss-Cross Wild Poker, the dealer arranges a cross of five cards in the middle of the table. There should be a vertical column of three cards with the middle card also serving as the center of a horizontal row of three cards. These will be the community cards for all players, with the middle card determining which card rank is wild at the end of the hand.

Once the community card cross is in place, the dealer distributes four cards to each player. Players will use these cards in conjunction with the community cards to make the best possible poker hand. However, it is important to remember that a player may only use cards from either the vertical column or horizontal row but not both. The middle wild card can count for either row.

Once each player has received his or her four hole cards, the dealer flips the topmost card in the cross. The first betting round follows. Once all players have either folded or called current bet, the dealer flips the rightmost card in the cross. The players begin a second round of betting, following the same procedures as the previous round. The dealer now flips the bottom card of the cross and a third betting round ensues. When betting is complete, the dealer flips the leftmost card in the cross, which is followed by a fourth betting round. Finally, the dealer flips the center card of the cross. This card is wild, as are all cards of the same rank. For instance, if the center card is a Queen, all Queens on the board and in players' hands become wild as well. A final betting round is held.

If two or more players have not folded by the end of this round, they both flip over their four hole cards. Players now make poker hands using any combination of their hole cards and either the vertical column or horizontal row of the community card cross. The player that has the highest ranking poker hand wins the pot. Criss-Cross Wild is sometimes played in a high-low split format. If this is the case, the highest and lowest ranking poker hands split the pot.