Iron Cross Rules: 5-Card Poker at Its Best

Iron Cross rules are fairly simple to understand, especially for players who take the time to play the best online Hold'Em titles out there. It is often referred to as Church Poker because the cards are lined out in the sign of the cross, which is a widely regarded religious symbol in the United States. Again, this is very much like the other forms of Hold'Em with a few differences in the way things play out and the placement of the cards.

Like other variants, there may or may not be a pot limit. If there is, the ante will usually be about 10% of the pot limit. If there isn't, then all of the players will need to decide on an acceptable blind. All of the participants will place their antes or blinds, and then the dealer hands out four cards to each one. Then, people will need to take a look at these to determine whether or not it has some potential to win. After another round of wagering takes place, five more are placed down in the center of the table for community use in the sign of a cross with one in the middle and one each on top, on bottom, to the left and to the right.

After everyone has chosen whether to raise, check or fold, the top of the cross will be revealed according to Iron Cross rules. All of the participants will see whether or not this will help them in their endeavors to create winning hands, and then more betting takes place clockwise around the table. Each of the community cards will be revealed in a clockwise fashion from the dealer's perspective, and more wagers are placed with each one that is revealed. The one in the center is the last to be turned over, followed by all of the final bets.

If two or more people are still in the game once the center has been revealed, then a showdown will take place. Like Omaha Hold'Em, individuals are required to use two of their own cards and three of shared ones to create the highest valued hand possible. The winner gets the pot, and it is split if both are of equal value. It truly is simple enough, but there is no payout for a low hand and the parts of the cross are revealed individually instead of a triple flop out of the gate. As you can see, the Iron Cross rules are very straightforward and tend to follow in the footsteps of its more traditional counterparts.

Of course, those who want to play the best Hold'Em online against their opponents will need to remember that there are some significant differences when it comes to strategy here. First and foremost, no limit games have the potential to become incredibly competitive simply because it can grow exponentially per hand. Second, because people have a total of nine cards to work with, phenomenal hands occur all the time. Thus, a straight flush could easily be beat with a royal one.