Short Deck Poker: A Complete Guide to This Exciting Poker Variant

Poker’s many variants are the reason for the game’s broad appeal. If you don’t like one form of poker like Texas Hold’em, there are countless other poker games to try. The variety also means poker veterans feeling burnt out can try poker in a different form to rekindle their passion for the game.

If you haven’t left your Texas Hold’em comfort zone, we encourage you to try different poker variants. Well-known options include Omaha poker, Seven-Card Stud poker, or Five-Card Draw. You may have also heard of Short Deck (also called Six Plus Hold’em or 6+ Hold’em), a poker variant that’s been rapidly growing in popularity, particularly in Asia. If you have been thinking of trying it out at GGPoker, here’s a guide on how to play this exciting poker game.

What is Short Deck Poker?

Short Deck is a poker variant similar to Texas Hold’em but with two key differences. Popularized in Asia high-stakes games and later through the Triton Poker Series (co-founded by Paul Phua and Richard Yong), the game has rapidly grown in popularity worldwide, with some accounts crediting them with refining the format and bringing it to major poker tournaments.

It uses a trimmed-down version of the standard 52-card deck, using just 36 cards. All twos, threes, fours, and fives are removed from the deck. The trimmed deck also causes a significant change in the hand rankings compared to traditional poker games.

The second major difference is in the forced betting structure. While Texas Hold’em uses blinds, Short Deck poker uses antes, but more on that later.

Other than those two differences, Short Deck plays the same as Texas Hold’em. It’s a community card poker game where players compete to create the best hand using a mix of their hole cards and community cards.

Understanding the Basic Rules

Card Mechanics and Betting Rounds

In both Texas Hold’em and Short Deck poker, players are dealt two “hole cards,” cards only they can see. These hole cards can be used in any combination with the five face-up “community cards” to create the best possible five-card hand.

Just like Texas Hold’em, Short Deck poker doesn’t reveal all the cards at once. It takes place over four betting rounds. The first, known as the pre-flop, occurs after every player receives their hole cards. The second betting round is the post-flop action, which happens after the first three community cards are revealed.

The following betting rounds are called the turn and river, and each brings a single community card to the table. After the river, the final betting round concludes, and the showdown begins. At the showdown, all players still in the hand reveal their cards, and the player with the best hand wins the pot.

Single Card Rankings

Short Deck follows the traditional single-card rankings in poker. In order of weakest to strongest, the cards are 6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A.

Five-card hands have different combinations with their own rankings, and this is where Short Deck poker begins to deviate from Texas Hold’em.

Hand Rankings in Short Deck Poker

Understanding hand rankings is crucial when playing any poker variant, and Short Deck poker features a unique twist on traditional poker hand rankings. Here are Short Deck’s hand rankings in increasing order of strength:

High Card – This poker hand creates no other combinations. It is ranked from the highest card down to the lowest.

One Pair – This hand has a single pair of two cards with the same rank (eg. 6-6-8-9-10).

Two Pair – This hand has two pairs of two cards with the same rank (eg. 6-6-7-7-K).

Three-of-a-kind – This hand has three cards of the same rank (eg. 9-9-9-K-Q).

Straight – This hand consists of five cards in consecutive order. Aces can be high or low; the lowest straight is A-6-7-8-9, while the highest is T-J-Q-K-A.

Full House – This hand has both a pair and a three-of-a-kind (eg. J-J-K-K-K).

Flush – This poker hand has five cards of the same suit. With the elimination of all 2’s through 5’s, the odds of making certain hands changes, which is why a Flush is ranked above a Full House in this poker game.

Four-of-a-kind – This hand has four cards of the same rank (eg. A-A-A-A-8).

Straight Flush – This hand has five cards of the same suit and in consecutive order (eg. 7-8-9-10-J all clubs).

Royal Flush – This is the best hand possible: a Straight Flush with an Ace as the high card: A-K-Q-J-T of the same suit.

Important Note on Hand Ranking Variations

House rules vary: While many poker rooms rank Flush above Full House and Straight above Three-of-a-kind (as shown above), some venues rank Three-of-a-kind above Straight. Always check the specific rules at your table or online poker site before you play to avoid costly mistakes.

The modified hand rankings are one of the most important aspects of Short Deck poker strategy. Unlike Texas Hold’em, where a Full House typically beats a Flush, Short Deck poker reverses this order due to the mathematical probabilities created by the reduced deck.

How to Play: Betting Actions

Short Deck poker uses the same betting actions as most other poker games. Without an active bet, players can choose to check or make a bet. Checking just means passing the action to the next player. If everyone checks, the betting round ends.

Once someone bets, other players have three options for how they can respond. They can fold, leaving the hand and tossing their cards back to the muck. They can call, matching the exact amount of the bet. Or they can raise, increasing the size of the bet and forcing other players to respond to the new size.

Once the last bet is called, the action is considered “closed” and the round ends.

Forced Bet System: Antes vs Blinds

Instead of Texas Hold’em’s big blind and small blind structure, Short Deck poker uses antes, which are forced bets everyone must pay. At the start of the pre-flop round, everyone at the table pays an ante.

The seat that acts last post-flop, known as the “button” or dealer button, pays a button ante (often a double ante, though some venues size it at 2-4× the ante). Pre-flop, players must at least complete to the button ante size to remain in the pot.

This ante structure is a key difference from Texas Hold’em and creates different strategic considerations throughout the game.

Playing Short Deck Online

Short Deck poker has become popular for online poker players. When playing online poker at platforms like GGPoker, you’ll find Short Deck available in both cash games and poker tournaments.

Online poker offers the convenience of playing Short Deck from anywhere, with options for both real money games and practice tables. Whether you’re new to the poker variant or an experienced player, online poker platforms provide an accessible way to enjoy this fast-paced poker game.

Many online poker sites also offer Short Deck poker tournaments, where players can compete for substantial prize pools. These poker tournaments primarily feature no-limit betting structures (with pot-limit occasionally available), adding even more excitement to the game.

JOIN THE EXCITEMENT!

Strategic Differences vs Texas Hold’em

We’ve explained the basic rules of Short Deck poker for players new to this poker variant, but if you have experience in Texas Hold’em and want to start learning the finer points of Short Deck strategy, here are a few things to consider.

Hand Strength and Equity

Hands are much closer to each other in relative strength compared to Texas Hold’em. Texas Hold’em can have hands that have significantly higher win rates pre-flop like pocket aces. However, these hands lose a lot of relative value in Short Deck poker since the bottom four cards are cut from the deck.

In Texas Hold’em, while one pair is often enough to win the pot, Short Deck poker places an emphasis on good post-flop play since it’s easier to make stronger hands like three-of-a-kinds and straights.

Pre-Flop Strategy

In Short Deck poker, limping is very common. Antes make the pots bigger even without raising, improving the odds for calling. Limping helps disguise your hand and ensures you don’t get put in a bad spot if you are re-raised by other players.

Post-flop play is far more important in Short Deck than in many other poker games, so it’s natural players will gravitate to limping in pre-flop rather than aggressive raising strategies common in Texas Hold’em.

Adjusting Your Poker Strategy

When transitioning from Texas Hold’em to Short Deck poker, remember that drawing hands become more valuable, and you’ll need to adjust your betting strategy accordingly. The game rewards players who can adapt their poker skills to the unique dynamics created by the reduced deck and ante structure.

Whether playing online poker for real money or in live poker tournaments, mastering these strategic differences is key to becoming a winning player in Short Deck poker.