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Tic Tac Toe is a reasonably basic version of community card poker and the name will make sense if you are familiar with other variants such as Otis Elevator and Iron Cross. It’s all about the arrangement of the community cards on the table and how players can use them but we shall explain more below.
Community card poker is a style of play in which the dealer places a number of cards on the table which can be shared by all players. The aim of Tic Tac Toe is to create the strongest five card hand according to standard high poker rankings. A wide variety if Tic Tac Toe rule options means this is usually better suited to home rather than casino play. Blinds or antes can be used.
Tic Tac Toe Rules
To begin with each player receives two hole cards and the dealer places three face-up community cards in a row on the table. There now follows the first betting round during which players can:
- Fold – discard the card
- Check – opt not to bet but remain in the hand
- Call – match the biggest bet placed so far
- Raise – increase the bet
The dealer now places more community cards on the table in the following order – a lower row of three, then two cards to make up the square, then a final card in the centre. You now have a 3 x 3 grid of community cards. After each grid deal, there’s another round of betting.
Assuming two players remain after the final betting round, the showdown takes place and hands are compared. Those hands must comprise both hole cards plus a row of three cards from the grid in any direction – horizontal, vertical of diagonal, once the Tic Tac Toe moniker.
Variations to this game usually feature more hold cards dealt to the players but their final hands may still only contain two.