Short Deck (6+)
A Hold'em variant played with a 36-card deck (2s through 5s removed), changing hand rankings and probabilities.
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What Is Short Deck (6+)?
Short Deck, also called Six Plus Hold'em, removes cards 2 through 5 from the deck, which increases the frequency of flushes and full houses relative to straights. To compensate, flushes rank below full houses in most versions, and Aces often play low for straights. The format is popular in high-stakes cash games and televised events due to its faster action and bigger swings.
Examples
A flush losing to a full house in Short Deck, the reverse of standard hand rankings.
A-6-7-8-9 counting as the lowest straight since deuces through fives are removed from the deck.
Strategy Tips
Because there are fewer low cards in the deck, hand equities run much closer together than in standard Hold'em, so hands like small pocket pairs perform worse relative to big cards. Flushes and sets go up in value, and drawing hands realize their equity more often due to the smaller deck. Many Short Deck games use a button ante structure instead of blinds, which encourages more preflop action -- adjust your opening ranges accordingly. Because variance is higher, a larger bankroll buffer is recommended compared to standard No-Limit Hold'em.