OBJECTIVE OF TIC TAC TOE: Create the best hand using the cards dealt in addition to the shared cards on the table.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: standard 52-card
RANK OF CARDS: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
TYPE OF GAME: Poker
AUDIENCE: Adults
INTRODUCTION TO TIC TAC TOE
Tic Tac Toe is a shared poker card game, or community card poker game, in which cards are dealt into a particular configuration. Unlike typical community card poker games, like Texas Hold’Em, there are only certain sets of cards that players can use to construct their final hand. This game is also known as Criss Cross, as well.
Tic Tac Toe is a poker game typically played in people’s homes, not in the big casinos. Players place an ante prior to the deal and the betting begins with the player sitting directly to the left of the dealer.
THE DEAL
The dealer deals two cards, face-down, to each player. Then they deal 9 cards to the table, face-down, in a 3×3 grid. At showdown, players use their two cards with any row (8-1-5, 4-9-2, 7-3-6), or any column (1-9-3, 5-2-6, 8-4-7), or any diagonal (8-9-6, 5-9-7), to form a 5-card poker hand.
In some versions of the game, players are dealt four cards as opposed to two. The players choose two cards to use with a row, column, or diagonal on the table. Or, players may use between 4 and 2 of the cards dealt with them with either 1, 2, or 3 cards from the table. Those cards may come from any row, column, or diagonal.
The nine may be played as a wild card (and all other nines, for that matter).
THE REVEAL
Cards can be revealed one at a time in the order depicted in the image of the layout above. However, this would yield an exuberant amount of betting rounds. So, typically, players group the cards in the reveal. For example, players may choose to reveal 1-4, followed by a round of betting, then reveal 5-8, resume betting, then reveal the ninth card. Typically, this would be followed by a third round of betting and then a showdown for active players.
Players may also reveal by rows or columns, really by whatever mechanism suits the active players.
This is followed by a showdown, in which the player with the highest ranking hand takes the pot.
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