Short Deck Hold’em is also known as 6+ (Six Plus) Hold’em. This No-Limit Poker game is
played with a stripped-down👄 deck.
Increasing in popularity
The game is a fast, fun
variation of the world-recognised Texas Hold’em format. Short Deck Hold’em originated
in👄 Asia a few years back and is gaining increased recognition in Europe.
Due to some
recent star-studded High Roller events, the👄 game is attracting growing interest in the
USA and is now being played in Las Vegas.
Difference in pack size
All of👄 the 2’s, 3’s,
4’s and 5’s are removed from the standard 52-card pack leaving a game where only 36
cards👄 are used. This means the 6 is the lowest card…. Unless you use an Ace as low.
An
Ace has added👄 value
As in traditional Hold’em the Ace can be used as either a High or
Low, but in the Short Deck👄 version of the game it can also make up the low and high
ends of a straight. As in:
• A👄 6 7 8 9 is classed as a straight (In this example the
Ace is classed as a ‘5’)
Hand ranking👄 differences – Let the significance sink in!
While
there are only a few differences in the value of a hand between👄 the 2 formats of
Hold’em these are very significant and will prove expensive if forgotten.
In Short Deck
Hold’em
• A Flush👄 beats a Full House – This is because mathematically it is harder to
make a flush than a full house👄 from the reduced deck.
Note: This is the general rule.
However, some houses may still have it the other way around👄 – As ever; check the house
rules before taking your seat.
Flush possibilities
In regular Hold’em, players with
suited hole cards and👄 two community cards of the same suit have nine cards in the deck
from which to make a Flush. Playing👄 the Short Deck game reduces this to five cards.
This means a Flush is far harder to hit.
Easier to hit👄 a set
Playing short deck Hold’em
makes it easier to hit a set than when playing the regular game. Short deck👄 players
holding a pocket pair have 2 cards remaining from the 34 to give them a set as opposed
to👄 2 cards out of 50 in the regular game.
Short Deck Hold’em strategy
Players who are
used to the regular version of👄 Hold’em should be aware of strategy considerations
during a traditional game.
Playing the Short Deck game brings a number of changes.👄 Here
are just 5 you need to bear in mind:
• The rule of 4 and 2 turns into the rule👄 of 3 and
6
• Stronger Post-Flop hands are needed
• The chance of being dealt pocket Aces are
twice as high
•👄 Hands such as top pair and top kicker have a much lower value
• Single
pair hands rarely win a pot
Fast,👄 fun & exciting
There is no doubting that Short Deck
Hold’em (6+ Hold’em) is making waves in Poker communities across the👄 globe so why not
taste the action by giving it a go?
A final word of caution though: While you are👄 sure
to hit far bigger hands than in the regular game this means your opponents will too!