Short-deck poker can be played according to the exact same rules as regular Texas Hold'em. The betting can be fixed-limit or no-limit (although most often the game is played no-limit), and the same. While Short Deck poker rules may differ in some aspects from those of No-Limit Hold’em, there are many similarities as well. The biggest one is, of course, the fact you’re still playing against people who will have certain tendencies. A good player will look to exploit these tendencies and turn them to their advantage.

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Short Deck Poker Rules and Strategy

There are several pokervariations developing recently, and today it’s time to talk about Short Deck Poker and why to play itonline. As the name suggests, this game has less cards. All the 2s, 3s, 4s and5s are removed, so the deck is left with just 36 cards. This creates a moreinteresting and action packed game.

The game gained a lot ofpopularity lately, and there are plenty of major tournaments all over the worldthat attract plenty of players, including some of the pros. There are also moreand more casinos that are integrating Short Deck Poker into their offer ofgames.

Among the popular proplayers that are playing this game (also known as Six Plus Poker) we can findNick Schulman, Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey.

Now let’s have a look at thedifferences between Texas Hold’em and Short Deck Poker. As mentioned before,the first and most important difference lies in the cards found in the deck(there are no 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s). The game then takes place just as usual, with2 cards given to each player and bets placed on the flop, the turn and theriver.

But another major differencelies in the rankings of the hands. With those small cards missing, the math ofthe game changes a lot and some hands are now more difficult to make, whileothers are easier.

The ranking of the hands inTexas hold’em is: Royal Flush – Straight Flush – Four of a kind – Full House –Flush – Straight – Three of a kind – Two pairs – Pair – High Card

But in Short Deck poker, theranking is slightly different: Royal Flush – Straight Flush – Four of a kind –Flush – Full House – Three of a kind – Straight – Two pairs – Pair – High Card

Gg Poker Short Deck Rules

So as you can see, now“three of a kind” is better than a “straight”, and a “flush” beats a “fullhouse”. With so many high cards in the game, you have more chances of creatingstrong hands, there is more action, but also more gambling according to somepeople.

Since the odds of the gameare now different, so should be your strategy. In Six Plus poker it’s mucheasier to hit a draw, and the chances of improving your hand increase both inthe flop and the river, compared to Texas hold’em.

As mentioned before, a flushis now a stronger hand because it’s more difficult to make. There are now 6cards of each suit, compared to 13 in Texas hold’em. So in case you have adraw, you have 30 % chances to make the flush by the river and 15 % after theturn (compared to 36 % and 18 % in Texas hold’em).

Straight draws are morecommon in Short Deck Poker and so are the chances to make that straight. Younow have 8 outs on the flop to complete the straight out of 31 cards left inthe deck (compared to 47 in Texas hold’em). So straight draws are good handsand worth to be played more aggressively compared to flush draws for example.

Another thing to keep inmind when doing your Short Deck strategyis that if you have a top pair and a top kick you have just as many chances of winningas someone with a straight draw. This is because top pairs are not as strongbecause of the straight draws that can occur more often.

Since there are few cards inthe deck, you have more chances of seeing high cards pre-flop. In this game youwill get pocket aces once every 100 hands, as opposed to Texas hold’em whereyou can have 2 aces right from the start only once every 221 hands.

In the Six Plus poker game,odds are 8.6 % that you get a pocket pair, compared to just 5.9 % in TexasHold’em. Here you also have 12.7 % chances to hit trips by the river and 33 %chances to receive premier hands such as A-K.

Don’t get too excited thatyou have high cards, as your opponents have just the same odds as you. They arealso likely to have high cards, straight draws and other good hands. So youmust be very careful when deciding to call or to raise. In this game you haveto be willing to fold great hands more often than in Texas hold’em.

Several players tried thegame and felt that it’s a really unique and interesting experience, quitedifferent than a classic game of poker. According to poker player Parker“Tonkaaaap” Talbot, heconsiders Short Deck Poker variant bringing more fun to the game andbeing much more different than other poker games, but he is skeptical it canoverpass popular variants like Texas Holdem or Omaha on the long run.

It is a quick, fun anddynamic game where more players get involve in the pot. It’s fairly new to themarket and it caters to a certain type of player. While not everyone will liketo play Short Deck Poker, there arestill many who will love this game and maybe will switch to it completely.

While some players aresolely focused on Pot Limit Omaha or Razz, we might see players who areworld-class experts in Short Deck. Others are skeptical, saying that this gamerelies more on good luck than on skills, but they might be wrong. If majorprofessional poker players like Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey are playing it, youshould definitely consider giving it a try as well.

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You're probably going to like Short Deck poker - also known as Short Deck Hold'em or Six Plus (6+) Hold'em.

As you might guess from its name, Short Deck poker plays with all of the cards below six removed from the deck.

With a 36-card deck and all the low cards removed you can likely visualize what that means for both the average hand made and the betting action on most streets - at least for players coming from standard Hold'em who tend to overvalue their hands.

Short Deck poker can be a bit wild, is what we're saying, and it's quickly becoming a favorite game of high-stakes pros and amateurs alike.

Short Deck Poker Rules

Short Deck Poker Rules - How to Play

First things first -- the basic rules of Short Deck poker are very much the same as they are for standard Texas Hold'em. That means there are blinds put in before the hand starts, action rotates around the table the same way, betting rules and practices are the same ... so playing Short Deck Hold'em is no different in that regard.

For a refresher on the rules and game play of regular Texas Hold'em, check our Texas Hold'em rules page here:

Where things do get different in Short Deck poker, however, is in the ranking of poker hands from highest to lowest and which cards are actually in the deck. Short Deck poker also frequently incorporates antes into the game to increase the pot sizes and make the action even more frenetic.

Remove All Cards 2-5

The first step to playing Short Deck poker is to take all of the cards below six out of the deck. That means you remove all four 2s, all four 3s, all four 4s and all four 5s.

If you're good at math (and if you play poker we certainly hope you are), that means you're left with a deck of just 36 cards (as opposed to the usual 52). What are the consequences of that for both the rules and strategy of Short Deck poker?

• 1) Aces can still used as both high and low so the lowest straight becomes A-6-7-8-9 - the Ace essentially standing in for the removed 5.
• 2) Your probability of getting certain hands pre-flop, like pocket aces, go way up (1 in 100 in Short Deck vs. 1 in 221 in standard Hold'em)
• 3) You will be dealt a lot more 'premium' hands like AK, AQ, pocket pairs, etc.
• 3) It becomes mathematically harder to hit a Flush so its value goes up
• 4) It's easier to make a straight than hit a set

So ... the poker hand rankings change when you're playing Short Deck poker. Gasp! But don't sweat too hard - they don't change that much. Here they are compared to standard Texas Hold'em poker hand rankings:

Short Deck Hold’em Hand Ranking*

*Note: Some poker sites still rank a straight higher than a set or trips in their Short Deck poker games - be sure to check the official Short Deck poker house rules before you play!

The most obvious takeaway here is:

• A Flush is now ranked higher than a Full House
• A Set or Trips are now ranked higher than a Straight

If you think of it from a mathematics perspective, this makes obvious sense. With four cards of every suit removed, there are now only 5 outs to your four-flush as opposed to 9. So mathematically you will hit a flush much less often.

Your odds of hitting a straight draw also go up as there are obviously less gaps or 'missing' cards to fill in your straight. Some more Short Deck odds to contemplate:

• Straight draws now hit the flop 48% of the time, not 31%
• Odds of flopping a set are now 18%, not 12%

How to Play Short Deck Poker - Top 5 Strategy Tips

Ad you might expect, when you alter the deck so drastically and change the value of certain poker hands, this flips traditional Texas Hold'em strategy on its ear somewhat.

What Is Short Deck Poker Rules

The basics of good, solid fundamental poker play still apply of course - focus on making good decisions, pay attention to players and patterns at the table, make every play for a good reason, etc... - but the specific of Short Deck poker obviously change because of the new math.

With more premium hands dealt pre-flop - and this means to every player - the value of a premium hand pre-flop obviously goes down. You'll make more big hands if you carry on in the hand, but so will your opponents so it evens out somewhat.

The biggest strategic difference is the change in ranking between the Flush and Full House and the Set and Straights. In fact if you go by the math you're at 45% to hit a straight draw by the river so you have to make sure you don't overestimate it strength.

By the same token you need to reduce your enthusiasm for Flush draws as you drop to a 30% chance (instead of 36% in standard Hold'em) of hitting it by the river. Here are 5 key strategy differences to pay attention to when learning the rules of Short Deck poker:

1) Pocket Pairs Have a Higher Value in Short Deck Poker

Your chances of hitting a set in Short Deck poker are higher than they are in standard Hold'em so all your pocket pairs go up in value. That said ...

2) Single Pairs Win Less Often

Because overall hands hit in Short Deck poker are usually higher, a single pair - including top pair, top kicker - will not win at showdown very often

3) Premium Hole Cards are Worth Less

As mentioned, even if your overall hands made are higher value, so will your opponents' be higher. That means your premium hands - like Broadway cards, which you'll be dealt almost 1/3 of the time - are worth less. You'll need to make stronger post-flop hands on average to win pots.

Short Deck Poker Rules

4) Rule of 4 and 2 Becomes Rule of 3 and 6

The Rule of 2 and 4 in standard Texas Hold'em means you can find your 'equity' (odds of hitting a winning hand) on the flop and turn by multiplying the outs you have by 2 or 4, respectively. In Short Deck Holdem this changes to 3 and 6.

So on the flop if you multiply your out by 3 you'll find your rough odds of hitting your hand on the turn. If you multiply by 6 you'll find you chances of hitting your out by the turn or river card.

5) You Have to See Flops!

Players who fold too much will not last very long in Short Deck Hold'em. You have to get in and mix it up and let your hole cards improve on the flop!

One of the nice things about Short Deck poker is that it really tightens the equities of all hands in the game so the 'losing' or weaker hand wins more often. This means your big hands will be caught more often but it also means weaker players will stray in the game longer.

Over the long term, that means you'll still be able to earn a nice profit over players who don't quite play optimal strategy.

How to Play Short Deck Poker Online

While Short Deck poker is a newfound phenomenon in North America and Europe, Short Deck poker (also known as Six Plus Holdem or 6+ Holdem) has been a popular staple of high-stakes poker games in Asia for much longer.

Its history isn't exactly written in stone but the general belief is a high-rolling gambler in Macau wanted to hit more big hands so, as these things tend to go when the players with money want to change the game, 6+ Holdem or 'Short Deck' poker was born.

Big-name high rollers like Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and Dan 'Jungleman' Cates have sat in on many of the big Short Deck games in Asia, in fact, alongside the godfathers of Asian poker like Paul Phua, Richard Yong and Winfred Yu. The Triton High Roller series also introduced Short Deck poker to the European High Roller crowd with an event in Montenegro in 2018.

As for playing online, Short Deck poker has been introduced as a variant on the iPoker Network, meaning you can play it on any iPoker Network skin As luck would have it PokerJunkie has an exclusive sign-up bonus deal with William Hill Poker, which is on the iPoker Network and offers 6+ Holdem.

To get your sign-up bonus and create an account at William Hill Poker, visit our review page here:

With its recent surge in popularity we wouldn't be surprised to see Short Deck poker added to both 888poker and PokerStars in the near future. Check our review here for updates:

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