Poker Short Deck
- Short Deck Hold’em only hit the poker mainstream in 2018, but it looks like it’s here to stay. Short Deck Hold’em is an action game very similar to Texas Hold’em, except it’s played with a 36-card deck, with all of the 2s through 5s removed. This game is also known as 6 Plus Hold’em.
- 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 - 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.
You're probably going to like Short Deck poker - also known as Short Deck Hold'em or Six Plus (6+) Hold'em.
Otherwise known as “6+” or “Six Plus Hold’em”, Short Deck poker has become a particular favourite of the very highest rollers in poker, including Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsov. Short Deck Poker Rules. Let’s start at the top. If you’re completely new to the game and have only seen it played a few times, you first need to get the grasp of the Short Deck poker rules. In terms of gameplay, this variation doesn’t differ too much from the full deck Hold’em, so it shouldn’t be too hard to learn.
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 - 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*
Short Deck Hold’em | Standard Texas Hold’em |
Royal Flush | Royal Flush |
Straight Flush | Straight Flush |
Quads | Quads |
Flush | Full House |
Full House | Flush |
3 of a Kind | Straight |
Straight | 3 of a Kind |
Two Pair | Two Pair |
One pair | One pair |
High card | High card |
*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.
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.
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.
Poker Short Deck Rules
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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Sometimes it's enough to make you wonder where to start!
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Related: Eight Crucial Beginner Poker Tips From GGPoker
What is Short Deck Poker?
Short Deck Poker is an exciting poker variant where a 36-card deck is used rather than the full 52-card deck. This means the , , and are removed. For this reason it is also called 6+ Hold'em.
Most first heard of short-deck poker after it was introduced among the mix in the high-stakes cash games in Macau, but it has grown increasingly popular and is readily available across most major online poker sites.
What Did We Find?
Short Deck can be incredibly fun because the odds of making a hand that would be incredibly strong in Texas Hold'em is incredibly high. However, players forget that in order to scoop the pot in Short Deck, you must have a strong hand.
For example, holding a straight on a paired board in Texas Hold'em would be a strong position. However in Short Deck, the odds of an opponent holding a full house or better is much higher, and therefore the strength of that straight is reduced. Nevertheless, we witnessed someone calling off for their tournament life in the exact position and they were eliminated.
People also forget one of the basics of poker - bet sizing. Pre-flop people would look down at big hands like or and think they've got a monster. However, the same rules apply. Because the low-value cards have been removed, the pre-flop hands are always going to be slightly stronger.
Why are Short Deck Bounty Tournaments Soft?
A 'soft' tournament is one where the vast majority of players are weak or inexperienced. It only takes a small level of knowledge in that particular game or variant to easily make money. That's why Short Deck Bounty tournaments can be perfect.
Not many people know the Game Theory Optimal (GTO) way around the game of Short Deck, and when you factor in the bounties that are up for grabs then the tournament can prove very profitable indeed.
For example, inexperienced players may not realise that hand strength is vastly different in Short Deck, and may bet and move all in with a hand that is in no fit position to win. Additionally, in Short Deck, a flush often beats a full house, something beginner players or those used to Texas Hold'em may not be aware of.
By paying attention to the texture of the board, and brushing up on Short Deck hand rankings before sitting down to play, you can be in prime position to dominate these tournaments.
Play Short Deck Bounty Tournaments
GGPoker offer both Short Deck tournaments and cash games that can be easily found within their client, but what we really like here at PokerNews are the Short Deck Bounty tournaments.
Triton Poker Short Deck
With buy-ins starting as low as $2.10 and going up to $31.50 they could prove to be some of the softest tournaments on the site.
Buy-in | Minimum Bounty |
---|---|
$2.10 | $0.75 |
$3.15 | $0.75 |
$10.50 | $2.50 |
$12.60 | $3 |
$21 | $5 |
$31.50 | $7.50 |
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