Holdem 6
Short Deck Hold’em (6+) – v133. An adapted Short Deck (6+) variant of GTO+ is now also available. Download 64 bit version Download 32 bit version Download zipped version. The Short Deck variant is currently offered in beta. From what we can tell all equity and hand strength calculations are performed correctly. 6+ Hold’em is a popular ' short deck ' poker format that plays much like Texas Hold’em, but with a few exciting differences: All cards lower than a six are removed from the deck Everyone posts an ante and only the button posts a blind - known as the 'button blind' A flush beats a full-house and Ace, 6, 7, 8, 9 is classified as a straight.
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- In Short-Deck Hold’em the standard 52-card deck that is used in all poker games is culled down to 36 cards by removing all deuces, treys, fours and fives. Short-Deck Poker is also known as Six Plus Poker because the lowest card in the deck is the six. The game can be played with anywhere from 2-10 players but is usually played with six players.
- Recently Pokerstars launched the 6+ NL poker format, I play it on my stream for the first time and answer questions, check it out and get started yourself!
Table Of Contents
What is Short Deck Poker?
Short-deck poker (also known as six-plus hold'em) is a new variation of traditional Texas hold'em that mostly follows the same rules albeit with a significant difference.
Short-deck poker uses a smaller 36-card deck rather than the full 52-card deck.
Most first heard of short-deck poker after it was introduced among the mix in the high-stakes cash games in Macau.
Play Short-Deck Poker Online6+ Short-deck poker is available online on the following websites:
'>Short-Deck Poker Rules
Before we discover how to play short-deck poker, let's see how to get to the 36-card deck needed to play a game of 6+ hold'em.
The 36-card deck in use in poker short deck is created by removing the 2xs, 3xs, 4xs, and 5xs from the deck (16 cards).
That leaves the 6xs up through the Kxs as well as the Axs.
What about the Aces?
As in regular hold'em, in short-deck poker the aces still count as high or low when making straights.
The lowest possible straight in a game of short-deck poker is Ax9x8x7x6x (think of the ace as essentially replacing the missing 5x).
Poker short-deck is played similarly to regular hold'em.
Each player receive two hole cards and use them in combination with five 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, 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 can be played according to the exact same rules as regular Texas Hold'em.
The betting can be fixed-limit or no-limit (although most often the game is played no-limit), and the same hand rankings can be used as follows:
| Hand Ranking | Hand Name | 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 | K♦K♠K♥6♦6♠ | |
| Four-of-a-kind | K♦K♠K♥K♦6x | |
| Straight flush | 6♦7♦8♦9♦ | |
| Highest | Royal flush | 10♦J♦Q♦K♦A♦ |
For more info about the hand rankings in poker and which hand wins, visit our guide to poker hands.
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Alternative Short-Deck Hand Rankings
Short-deck poker is played often employing a different hand ranking system. Here are the alternate hand rankings for short-deck poker (note the differences in bold):
| Hand Ranking | Hand Name | Poker Hand |
|---|---|---|
| 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♠ | |
| Flush | K♦J♦10♦6♦9x | |
| Four of a kind | K♦K♠K♥K♦6x | |
| Straight flush | 6♦7♦8♦9♦ | |
| Highest | Royal flush | 10♦J♦Q♦K♦A♦ |
As you can see, following these alternate poker short deck hand rankings a three-of-a-kind beats a straight (instead of vice-versa), and a flush beats a full house (instead of vice-versa).
Why a Different Hand Rankings?
These changes were introduced the because the removal of cards from the standard deck alter the probabilities of making certain hands.
For example, with only nine suited cards (instead of 13), a flush is harder 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 introduced in six-plus hold'em has to do with the way the river is dealt.
The game can be played according to the same procedure followed in regular hold'em, with the community cards coming in the same way — flop (three cards), turn (one card), and river (one card) — and betting rounds after each street.
More often, though, instead of a river card being dealt to complete a five-card board, players are each dealt a third hole card instead.
Players then make their five-cardpoker hands by using exactly two of their three hole cards and three of the four community cards.
The building of hands resembles the procedure followed in Omaha poker where players must use two of their four hole cards plus three board cards to make a five-card poker hand.
Short-Deck Poker Basic Strategy
As you might imagine, the removal of low cards and use of the 36-card deck makes it more likely to make higher value hands, a change that tends to introduce more action.
You should adjust your thinking about relative hand values from what they are used to in regular hold'em.
The smaller deck makes it easier to make two-pair hands, which means a hand like top pair-top kicker is no longer as 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 hold'em than in the regular version of the game (a reason for the alternate hand rankings).
The odds of hitting certain draws change, too, in short-deck pokr.
Just to highlight one example, filling an open-ended straight draw becomes more likely in poker short-deck.
While you're still looking for the same eight outs there are fewer total cards in the deck, thus increasing the percentage you'll make your straight.
The smaller deck also affects the likelihood of being dealt certain hands. [∫]You're more than twice as likely to get pocket aces[/B] in short-deck poker than you are in regular hold'em!
Finally, players being dealt a third hole card instead of there being a fifth community card obviously affects hand values as well, making it even more likely that players improve their hands — yet another factor that has to be taken into account when calculating odds 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 action-filled alternative that many players are finding especially enjoyable to play.
The changes from regular hold'em aren't terribly complicated, making it easy to new players to learn and play right away.
Short-Deck Poker FAQ
A game of short-deck poker follows the same rules and gameplay as Texas hold'em poker.
The players receive two hole cards and they need to combine them with five community cards to create the best possible five-card hand.
Short-deck poker, however:
- Uses a 36-card deck rather than the full 52-card deck
- Ranks the hands differently compared to Texas hold'em
All the details to know before playing a game of short-deck poker are in this article.
The game of short-deck poker, os six-plus hold'em became famous at the high-stakes games in Macau. Due to the smaller deck, the game makes it more probably for players to hit high-value combinations.
You can play short-deck poker live at most poker festivals. If you are looking for games of short-deck poker online, check out the pokes sites listed on this page.
The removal of some low-value cards from the deck changes the game's basic strategy and the value of different poker hands.
To understand ranges and odds in short-deck poker, have a look at this article.
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Six Plus Hold'em could be the future of Poker. Due to its potential appeal to recreational players, Six Plus Hold'em could one day become more popular than Texas Hold'em Poker. The game of Six Plus Hold'em follows the same rules as Texas Hold'em with a few differences. In Six Plus Hold'em the deck consists of 36 cards (compared to the full 52-card deck dealt in Texas Hold'em). In the game of Six Plus Hold'em, all cards ranking 2, 3, 4, and 5 are removed from play. The chart of hand rankings is slightly different between the two games and basic poker strategy must be adjusted to playing with a smaller deck.
Six Plus Hold’em and Texas Hold'em Comparison
Texas Hold'em | Six Plus Hold'em |
52 card deck | 36 card deck |
HAND RANKINGS Royal Flush | HAND RANKINGS Royal Flush |
ODDS OF BEING DEALT POCKET ACES 221:1 | ODDS OF BEING DEALT POCKET ACES 105:1 |
PROBABILITY OF FLOPPING A SET WITH POCKET PAIRS 11.8% | PROBABILITY OF FLOPPING A SET WITH POCKET PAIRS 18% |
LOWEST STRAIGHT A-2-3-4-5 | LOWEST STRAIGHT A-6-7-8-9 |
Six Plus Hold’em Strategy
As there are only 36 cards in the deck, the likelihood of being dealt good cards is higher and the odds of getting specific cards dealt in the flop/turn/river are also increased. Although the rules of playing Six Plus Hold'em are the same as those in Texas Hold'em, certain strategy considerations must be adjusted to the smaller deck.
** In Six Plus Hold'em, the odds of being dealt pocket aces are double the odds in Texas Hold'em.
** Flushes are extremely difficult to make, as there are only 9 cards in each suit. As a result, a Flush is ranked higher than a Full House.
** Straights are much easier to make. Therefore, a Straight is ranked lower than Three of a Kind.
** It's easier to make two-pair hands in Six Plus Hold'em.
Six Plus Hold’em Origins and Ambassadors
Where the game of Six Plus Hold'em originated is not entirely clear, but it is highly likely that it made its first major appearance on the cash tables in Macau. It was there that the game was discovered by poker pros Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan. Both have spoken highly of the game and its potential and admitted that they are still in the process of mastering its strategy.
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According to Ivey, 6+ Hold'em is 'a little bit more exciting than playing regular No Limit Hold'em because you get to play more hands and there's a lot more luck involved,' Ivey said. 'I think it's a lot more exciting for a new player,' he added.
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Despite the differences, Ivey said the game of Six Plus Hold'em is 'still poker, you know. You have to be patient when you need to be patient, and be aggressive when you need to be,' he said.
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Why Play Six Plus Hold’em
The game of Six Plus Hold'em Poker is still a novelty but it will appeal to many groups of players:
** Players who are bored with Texas Hold'em and seek a change.
** Players eager to learn as many varieties of Poker as possible.
** Players seeking to be the first to master a new game and thereby gain an advantage over other players.
** Recreational players who will be happy to be dealt many more 'good' hands.
Will Six Plus Hold'em appeal to you? The best way to know for sure is by playing this new exciting variety of Poker. You could be the first one to know the ins and outs of the game. Invite your friends to join you for a Six Plus festival of Poker.
Photo of Phil Ivey credit: Flickr upload bot, CC-BY-2.0.