learned a new game might be interesting to those who have never heard of it.. basically think of it as poker with 4 hole cards but no position advantage ... it is called "iron cross"

i was taught this way... basically everyone gets dealt 4 hole cards and the community cards is 5 cards positioned as such:

* o
o x x
* x

hence the name "cross".... x represents face down cards, o represents face open
ignore the *

everyone either 'drops' their cards on a countdown or holds onto them...

you drop, you don't play, you hold on you play...

here is the interesting thing.... you choose one card from the board that you like and the 2 x's that form a line with the card you liked are also yours as community cards... make best 5 card hand....

if everyone drops, then ante up again... if more than 2 ppl are in, you faceoff, if only one person is in, this part gets interesting... he takes his row of community cards and he plays against a dealer who gets the other row and is dealt four hole cards and if he wins, he wins the pot, if he loses, the pot stays and he loses NOTHING... so the game theory comes to as to having the always positive return of being the only one left in the game.

Basic betting is antes if no money in pot, antes if everyone drops, and if shorthanded, antes if a person loses to a dealer.... if 2 ppl face off then one person grabs the pot whereas the other person has to match it and keep the same amount in there

It's hard to realize but pots grow quickly... and geometrically with the more ppl that play