Short-Deck Poker: How to Play 6+ Hold'em (Official Rules)
What is Short Deck Poker?
Short-deck poker (also known as six-plus hold'em) is 0️⃣ a new variation of traditional Texas hold'em that mostly follows the same rules albeit with a significant difference.
Short-deck poker uses 0️⃣ a smaller 36-card deck rather than the full 52-card deck.
Most first heard of short-deck poker after it was introduced among 0️⃣ the mix in the high-stakes cash games in Macau.
Here we go over the poker rules for Short Deck Poker.
How to 0️⃣ Play Poker for Beginners Check out the rules and basic strategy to all the popular poker formats Click Here
Short-Deck Poker 0️⃣ Rules
Before we discover how to play short-deck poker, let's see how to get to the 36-card deck needed to play 0️⃣ a game of 6+ hold'em.
The 36-card deck in use in poker short deck is created by removing the 2xs, 3xs, 0️⃣ 4xs, and 5xs from the deck (16 cards).
That leaves the 6xs up through the Kxs as well as the Axs.
What 0️⃣ about the Aces?
As in regular hold'em, in short-deck poker the aces still count as high or low when making straights.
The 0️⃣ lowest possible straight in a game of short-deck poker is Ax9x8x7x6x (think of the ace as essentially replacing the missing 0️⃣ 5x).
Poker short-deck is played similarly to regular hold'em.
Each player receive two hole cards and use them in combination with five 0️⃣ community cards to create the best possible hand.
A game of short-deck poker features four streets of betting:
Pre-flop Flop Turn River
However, 0️⃣ there are some differences in the poker short-deck poker that you should know about before playing.
Short-Deck Poker Hand Rankings
Short-deck poker 0️⃣ can be played according to the exact same rules as regular Texas Hold'em.
The betting can be fixed-limit or no-limit (although 0️⃣ most often the game is played no-limit), and the same hand rankings can be used as follows:
Hand Ranking Hand Name 0️⃣ Poker Hand Lowest High card Kx6x9x8xQx One pair K♦K♠5x8xQx Two pair K♦K♠6♥6♦Qx Three-of-a-kind K♦K♠K♥6♦Qx Straight A♠6♣7♥8♥9♦ Flush K♦J♦10♦6♦9x Full house 0️⃣ K♦K♠K♥6♦6♠ Four-of-a-kind K♦K♠K♥K♦6x Straight flush A♦6♦7♦8♦9♦ Highest Royal flush 10♦J♦Q♦K♦A♦
For more info about the hand rankings in poker and which 0️⃣ hand wins, visit our guide to poker hands.
Alternative Short-Deck Hand Rankings
Short-deck poker is played often employing a different hand ranking 0️⃣ system. Here are the alternate hand rankings for short-deck poker (note the differences in bold):
Hand Ranking Hand Name Poker Hand 0️⃣ Lowest High card Kx6x9x8xQx One pair K♦K♠5x8xQx Two pair K♦K♠6♥6♦Qx Straight A♠6♣7♥8♥9♦ Three of a kind K♦K♠K♥6♦Qx Full house K♦K♠K♥6♦6♠ 0️⃣ Flush K♦J♦10♦6♦9x Four of a kind K♦K♠K♥K♦6x Straight flush A♦6♦7♦8♦9♦ Highest Royal flush 10♦J♦Q♦K♦A♦
As you can see, following these alternate 0️⃣ poker short deck hand rankings a three-of-a-kind beats a straight (instead of vice-versa), and a flush beats a full house 0️⃣ (instead of vice-versa).
Why a Different Hand Rankings?
These changes were introduced the because the removal of cards from the standard deck 0️⃣ alter the probabilities of making certain hands.
For example, with only nine suited cards (instead of 13), a flush is harder 0️⃣ to make in shord-deck poker than in regular hold'em.
Six-Plus Hold'em Variation — The Deal (Fifth Street)
One other popular variation often 0️⃣ introduced in six-plus hold'em has to do with the way the river is dealt.
The game can be played according to 0️⃣ the same procedure followed in regular hold'em, with the community cards coming in the same way — flop (three cards), 0️⃣ turn (one card), and river (one card) — and betting rounds after each street.
More often, though, instead of a river 0️⃣ card being dealt to complete a five-card board, players are each dealt a third hole card instead.
Players then make their 0️⃣ five-cardpoker hands by using exactly two of their three hole cards and three of the four community cards.
The building of 0️⃣ hands resembles the procedure followed in Omaha poker where players must use two of their four hole cards plus three 0️⃣ board cards to make a five-card poker hand.
Short-Deck Poker Basic Strategy
As you might imagine, the removal of low cards and 0️⃣ use of the 36-card deck makes it more likely to make higher value hands, a change that tends to introduce 0️⃣ more action.
You should adjust your thinking about relative hand values from what they are used to in regular hold'em.
The smaller 0️⃣ deck makes it easier to make two-pair hands, which means a hand like top pair-top kicker is no longer as 0️⃣ strong in six-plus hold'em as it is in regular hold'em.
Straights and full houses are also easier to make in six-plus 0️⃣ hold'em than in the regular version of the game (a reason for the alternate hand rankings).
The odds of hitting certain 0️⃣ draws change, too, in short-deck pokr.
Just to highlight one example, filling an open-ended straight draw becomes more likely in poker 0️⃣ short-deck.
While you're still looking for the same eight outs there are fewer total cards in the deck, thus increasing the 0️⃣ percentage you'll make your straight.
The smaller deck also affects the likelihood of being dealt certain hands. [∫]You're more than twice 0️⃣ as likely to get pocket aces[/B] in short-deck poker than you are in regular hold'em!
Finally, players being dealt a third 0️⃣ hole card instead of there being a fifth community card obviously affects hand values as well, making it even more 0️⃣ likely that players improve their hands — yet another factor that has to be taken into account when calculating odds 0️⃣ and considering your final-round betting strategy.
Conclusion
Short-deck poker / 6+ hold'em introduces several exciting twists to traditional Texas hold'em, creating an 0️⃣ action-filled alternative that many players are finding especially enjoyable to play.
The changes from regular hold'em aren't terribly complicated, making it 0️⃣ easy to new players to learn and play right away.
Short-Deck Poker FAQ
How do you play Short-Deck Poker? A game of 0️⃣ short-deck poker follows the same rules and gameplay as Texas hold'em poker. The players receive two hole cards and they 0️⃣ need to combine them with five community cards to create the best possible five-card hand. Short-deck poker, however: Uses a 0️⃣ 36-card deck rather than the full 52-card deck
Ranks the hands differently compared to Texas hold'em All the details to know 0️⃣ before playing a game of short-deck poker are in this article. Why is short-deck poker so popular? The game of 0️⃣ short-deck poker, os six-plus hold'em became famous at the high-stakes games in Macau. Due to the smaller deck, the game 0️⃣ makes it more probably for players to hit high-value combinations. Where is short-deck poker played? You can play short-deck poker 0️⃣ live at most poker festivals. If you are looking for games of short-deck poker online, check out the pokes sites 0️⃣ listed on this page. What's the best short-deck poker strategy? The removal of some low-value cards from the deck changes 0️⃣ the game's basic strategy and the value of different poker hands. To understand ranges and odds in short-deck poker, have 0️⃣ a look at this article.
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