Short Deck Hold'em: Complete Rules & Strategy Guide

What Is Short Deck Hold'em?

Short Deck Hold'em, also known as 6+ Poker or Six Plus Hold'em, is a thrilling poker variant that uses a stripped-down 36-card deck. All cards from 2 through 5 are removed, leaving only 6 through Ace in each suit. This seemingly simple change fundamentally transforms the game, creating more action, bigger hands, and dramatically different strategic considerations.

The game originated in Asia's high-stakes poker scene, particularly in private games in Macau around 2014. Professional players like Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, and Patrik Antonius helped popularize the format, and by 2016, the Triton Poker Series began featuring Short Deck as a flagship event. Today, it's offered on major online platforms and in live poker rooms worldwide, attracting players who crave more frequent confrontations and higher-variance gameplay.

If you're familiar with Texas Hold'em, you'll recognize the basic structure—two hole cards, five community cards, and the same betting rounds. However, the reduced deck creates an entirely different game. Hand values shift dramatically, certain hands become more common while others grow rare, and your understanding of hand rankings must adapt to new mathematical realities.

The Short Deck: What's Different

A standard 52-card deck becomes a 36-card deck by removing all 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s—sixteen cards in total. This leaves nine cards per suit (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A). The Ace can still play as both high and low for straights, but when used low, it connects with 6 rather than 5. This means A-6-7-8-9 is the lowest possible straight (sometimes called a "wheel" in Short Deck).

The reduced deck has profound mathematical implications. According to probability analysis from CardChat's poker strategy guides, with fewer cards, the odds of hitting various hands change significantly:

• Straights become more common – With cards closer together (6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A), connecting hands is easier
• Flushes become rarer – Only 9 cards per suit means completing a flush is harder
• Sets and full houses appear more often – With fewer cards, pocket pair holders improve more frequently
• Premium hands collide more often – High cards are a larger portion of the deck, creating bigger preflop confrontations

These probability shifts necessitate a modified hand ranking system, which we'll explore in detail below.

Short Deck Hand Rankings: Key Differences

The most significant rule change in Short Deck Hold'em is the adjusted hand ranking hierarchy. Because flushes are mathematically harder to complete than full houses, the rankings swap positions. The complete Short Deck hand rankings from highest to lowest are:

Important variation: Some Short Deck games also rank three of a kind above a straight, since straights are so common. Always confirm house rules before playing, as this can vary between casinos and online platforms. The PokerNews Short Deck rules guide provides additional clarity on regional variations.

How Short Deck Hold'em Is Played

The game flow closely mirrors Texas Hold'em, with some variations in the betting structure. Here's a complete breakdown of a Short Deck hand:

Antes vs. Blinds

While some Short Deck games use traditional blind structures, many use an ante-only format popularized by the Triton Poker Series. In this setup, every player posts an ante before each hand, and the player on the button posts a larger "button ante" (typically 2x the regular ante). This encourages more action by putting more money in the pot preflop without positional disadvantages from posting blinds.

The Betting Rounds

Preflop: Each player receives two private hole cards. Betting begins with the player to the left of the button (or the first active player after the button ante). Players may fold, call, or raise based on their hand strength and position.

Flop: Three community cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. A new betting round begins, starting with the first active player to the left of the button.

Turn: A fourth community card is added. Another betting round follows the same pattern.

River: The fifth and final community card is dealt. The last betting round occurs, after which remaining players proceed to showdown.

Showdown

Players must use exactly two hole cards and three community cards to make their best five-card hand—identical to Omaha's requirement but applied to Short Deck. This differs from standard Hold'em, where you can use one, both, or neither of your hole cards. Always confirm this rule with your cardroom, as some variants follow traditional Hold'em showdown rules.

Short Deck Strategy Fundamentals

Success in Short Deck Hold'em requires recalibrating your entire approach to poker strategy. The mathematics underlying every decision shifts when 16 cards are removed from the deck. Here are the core strategic concepts:

Starting Hand Selection

Premium pairs like AA and KK remain strong, but their dominance diminishes. According to Upswing Poker's strategy analysis, pocket Aces win approximately 63% against a random hand in Short Deck compared to 85% in standard Hold'em. Connected hands gain significant value—hands like 9-8 suited or J-10 suited can flop straights and straight draws far more frequently.

Key starting hand adjustments:

• Suited connectors increase in value – Straight potential is enormous, and flushes are premium hands
• Small pairs decrease in value – 66, 77, and 88 lose set-mining potential without implied odds from deep stacks
• Broadway cards (A, K, Q, J, 10) are everywhere – Expect more confrontations between strong holdings
• Ace-low suited hands (A-6, A-7) – Valuable for wheel straight potential (A-6-7-8-9)

Equity Runs Closer

One of Short Deck's defining characteristics is equity compression. Hands that would be dominated in regular Hold'em often have fighting chances here. A hand like Q-J suited holds approximately 40% equity against pocket Kings preflop in Short Deck, compared to roughly 32% in traditional Hold'em. This means more calling, more multiway pots, and more variance.

Understanding pot odds becomes even more critical when equities run closer. Marginal calls that would be incorrect in regular Hold'em may become correct when your hand has more equity than expected.

Position and Aggression

Position remains king in Short Deck, perhaps even more so than in regular Hold'em. With more drawing hands connecting, acting last allows you to control pot sizes and extract value more effectively. Aggressive play is rewarded because the ante structure (in ante games) creates dead money worth fighting for, and opponents often have calling hands they cannot fold.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Players transitioning from traditional Hold'em frequently make these errors in Short Deck games:

Overvaluing Single Pairs

In regular Hold'em, top pair with a strong kicker is often a premium hand. In Short Deck, single pairs are much more vulnerable. Boards connect with more hands, and opponents frequently hold straights, sets, or better. Don't commit large portions of your stack with just one pair.

Misunderstanding Flush Value

Players forget that flushes beat full houses in Short Deck and fail to properly value flush draws. Conversely, some players overplay flush draws, forgetting that with only 9 cards per suit, your odds of completing are lower than in standard poker. Calculate your poker odds carefully.

Slow-Playing Too Often

With so many draws available on almost every board, slow-playing monsters is often a mistake. Your set of Kings might be ahead on the flop, but two or three opponents could be drawing to straights or flushes that beat you. Build the pot while you're ahead.

Ignoring the Modified Rankings

The single most catastrophic mistake is forgetting the hand ranking changes. Shipping your stack with a full house when your opponent tables a flush will end your session quickly. Internalize the rankings before playing for meaningful stakes.

Where Short Deck Is Played

Short Deck Hold'em has grown from niche high-stakes games to mainstream availability:

Live Tournaments: The Triton Poker Series remains the most prestigious Short Deck tournament circuit, featuring buy-ins from $50,000 to $1 million. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has also added Short Deck events to its schedule, legitimizing the format for competitive players worldwide.

Online Platforms: Major poker sites including PokerStars and partypoker offer Short Deck cash games and tournaments at various stakes. These games are typically available 24/7 with traffic peaks during evening hours in European and Asian time zones.

Live Cash Games: Many casinos in Asia, Europe, and North America now spread Short Deck games, though availability varies. High-roller rooms at venues like the Venetian Macau and select Las Vegas properties regularly offer Short Deck tables.

Short Deck vs. Texas Hold'em: Key Differences