6+ Plus Hold'em: the Short Deck Poker Variant Explained

The history of poker has always been a history of constant evolution. The game we love has come a long way from the smoky saloons of the Wild West to the glamorous high-stakes tables of Las Vegas, and it is still being reinvented all the time.

One of the most exciting ‘reinventions’ of poker is Six Plus Hold’em, also known as 6+ or Short Deck Poker, where cards from 2 to 5 are removed from the classic 52-card playing deck. It does not sound like a huge change, does it? What is Short Deck Poker? It looks just like Texas Hold’em, but with fewer cards. In fact, it is a huge change, because the removal of those cards turns the game of poker completely upside down!

It does not matter if you are already a poker pro or just a curious newcomer, Short Deck Poker is a fresh twist on the classic game, offering fast-paced action and strategic battles for everyone.

In our comprehensive guide, we aim to take you through Short Deck Poker’s history, its rules, similarities, and differences with classic Texas Hold’em, and also provide you with basic and more advanced strategies to help you get started.

A Brief History of Six Plus Hold’em

Six Plus Hold’em emerged in Asia in the early 2000s, initially played only in high-stakes cash games, usually by rich businessmen and other wealthy players.

The game’s dynamic gameplay, thanks to the stripped-down deck, quickly made it a new favorite game of the gambling community in Macau and other Asian casino centres. Of course, it did not take long for high-stakes players to catch onto the new trend: many of the world’s top poker pros joined the action, including Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan.

It is easy to understand Short Deck Poker’s appeal to players: it is simple and it is fast. What is more, having a smaller number of cards in the deck drastically changes the value of hand combinations, which transforms the game completely. It is hardly an overstatement that this new twist shook up the slowly stagnating poker ecosystem, because it attracted new players, and many of them were not afraid to play for incredibly large pots.

In today’s poker scene, Six Plus Hold’em is very widespread. Most online poker providers offer Short Deck Poker cash games, and several live poker rooms or casinos host regular Six Plus Hold’em tables. The world-famous Triton Poker Series also has the poker variant in its repertoire of tournaments, proving that the game’s popularity is still growing. High-profile poker players also like this kind of extra challenge, as we can see on the Short Deck Poker all-time live money list.

The Rules of Short Deck Poker

Short Deck Poker is based on Texas Hold’em, so its basic structure is similar to the classic game. The removal of cards 2, 3, 4, and 5 leaves only 36 cards in the deck, though, and this significantly changes the gameplay and hand rankings.

Like in Texas Hold’em, players have to make the best possible five-card hand by using a combination of their private ‘hole cards’ and the shared ‘community cards’ on the table.

Before dealing any cards, the two players on the left of the dealer have to post mandatory ‘blind bets’ called the ‘small blind’ and the ‘big blind’. The purpose of these blind bets is to make sure there is always some money in the middle to incentivize action from the players. Some games might include ‘antes’ too, which must be posted by every player in the hand, not just the blinds.

When the blinds are posted, each player is dealt two ‘hole cards’ face down, and the first betting round begins.

In this first betting round, called ‘pre-flop’, players can either:

• throw their cards away or ‘fold’
• put in the same amount of money as the big blind or ‘call’
• put in more money than the big blind or ‘raise’

After all players have acted, three community cards are dealt face-up in the middle, called the ‘flop’, and another round of betting happens.

After all players have acted on the flop, a fourth community card is dealt face-up: the turn, where another round of betting ensues.

After players have acted once again, a single final community card is dealt face-up: the river, where the last round of betting takes place.

If more than one player remains after the final betting round, a showdown occurs where players turn their hole cards face-up and compare their ranks. The pot is awarded to the player with the best five-card hand. The pot is split equally among the winning players in case of a tie.

Six Plus Hold’em Hand Rankings

In Short Deck Poker, the deck has only 36 playing cards: 6 through Ace in all four suits. This change alters hand rankings in a way that the probability of hitting certain hands increases. To follow these changes in probability, hand rankings are reordered so that a flush beats a full house, and a three-of-a-kind outranks a straight. Also, Aces can be low for straights, for example, A-6-7-8-9 is a straight.

Here are the rankings for every possible combination, sorted from highest to lowest:

Basic Strategies & Tips for Six Plus Hold’em

Six-plus Hold’em players must not only have ‘traditional’ poker skills, but they also have to understand the variant’s own unique dynamics in order to be successful at the game.

Here are some essential strategies to help you get started:

Play More Hands

As stronger hand combinations are more common in Short Deck Poker than in Texas Hold’em, you can play a wider range of starting hands than you usually do. Premium pairs like pocket aces or pocket Kings are still very valuable, but suited connectors and gappers have more equity because they are more likely to make flushes and straights than in Texas Hold’em poker.

Adjust Your Hand Reading

In this poker variant, the strength of a hand can change dramatically with each new community card. You have to be prepared to reassess your hand’s value at all times, and avoid overvaluing hands, thinking that ‘they are strong in Texas Hold’em, so they should be good here too’. They probably will not be good, or at least they are not as impressive in Short Hand Poker as in Texas Hold’em.

Play Aggressively

The fast-paced gameplay of Six Plus Hold’em rewards those who are not afraid to play aggressively. You should raise, re-raise, and re-re-raise often to put a lot of pressure on your opponents. Players might get by playing passively in Texas Hold’em, but this will not suffice in Short Deck Poker.

Watch Out for Flush and Straight Draws

Flush draws and straight draws are more common in Short Deck Poker because there are fewer cards in the deck. Be very cautious if you face heavy aggression during a hand, because your opponent may not just have an already made hand, but a very dangerous, strong draw.

Manage Your Bankroll

You guessed it right: the faster dynamics of the game also mean higher variance. In Six Plus Hold’em, swings can be huge. And we mean huge. Make sure to have a sufficient bankroll that can endure the ups and downs of this game.

Advanced Tips & Tricks for Short Deck Poker

If you know the basics already, you might want to up your game with more advanced strategies.

Here are a few aspects to consider:

Understand Blockers

Blockers, the cards that prevent your opponent from having certain hands, are very important in Short Deck, much more than in Texas Hold’em. For example, if you have the Ace of Spades in your hand, your opponent is less likely to have a Spades flush. Use this information to make fundamentally sound decisions.

Exploit Position

Being aware of your position in every hand is critical in Six Plus Hold’em, because players are usually more aggressive than in Texas Hold’em. Try to use your position to control the dynamics of the hand and extract maximum value from strong hand combinations.

Balance Your Range

If you only bet your strong holdings, players might quickly find out about your strategy. You should avoid being predictable by mixing strong hands as well as bluffs in your betting patterns. This will make it more difficult for your opponents to exploit your strategy.

Study Your Opponents

Conversely, you should pay close attention to your opponents’ tendencies. How aggressively do they play? Do they fold too easily under pressure? Adjust your strategy based on this information, and exploit their weaknesses.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Short Deck Poker

There are countless pitfalls in poker. Be easy on yourself if you make a mistake – even experienced players make them from time to time, especially when they transition to Six-plus Hold’em.

Identifying potential pitfalls reduces the likelihood of falling into them. Here are some mistakes you should look out for:

Overvaluing One-Pair Hands

A top pair with a strong kicker is a winning hand very often in Texas Hold’em, but these one pair hands lose lots of value in Six Plus Hold’em. This is simply because stronger hands like straights and flushes occur more often in this poker variant. Avoid ‘marrying’ your marginal hands. Be prepared to fold weak holdings when facing heavy aggression.

Ignoring the Flush Draw

There are only nine cards of each suit in Short Deck, so flush draws are way more common than in Texas Hold’em. And if you do not take this fact into consideration, you are guaranteed to make very costly mistakes. If there are two or more cards of the same suit on the board, you should be very cautious, because your opponent could draw to a flush or have one made already.

Playing Too Passively

Playing passively can very quickly leave you at a disadvantage in Six Plus Hold’em. Don’t be afraid to take the lead and put pressure on your opponents. Limping or calling too often will allow your opponents to walk straight over you in this game.

Misjudging Hand Strength

The different hand rankings of Short Deck Poker can confuse players who are used to Texas Hold’em. Here, a straight is weaker than a flush, but a three-of-a-kind beats a straight. Take the time to memorize these changes and avoid costly mistakes.

Short Deck Poker vs. Texas Hold’em

To help you memorize the differences between Six Plus Hold’em and Texas Hold’em, here is a comparison table:

How to Get Started with Six Plus Hold’em

Want to start playing Short Deck Poker, but don’t know where to start? Here are some tips to help you get ahead of the competition:

Learn the Basic Rules

If you’re new to Short Deck Poker, start by learning the basic rules and hand rankings. Many players aren’t even familiar with the rules of the game, so knowing exactly how the game is played can already give you an edge over them.

Take The Time to Study

Being disciplined about regular study sessions is what separates great players from mediocre ones. There are many free and paid courses on Short Deck Poker online for players of every skill level.

Play Online

Playing online can improve your game fast because hands are played faster than in live poker, and you can also play multiple tables at once. This means that you can gain much more experience playing online than you would if you spent a day in a casino!

What is more, many sites offer low-stakes tables where you can play without risking too much money.

Ready to test your skills? Join an online poker platform like GG Poker , WPT Global , CoinPoker , or Natural8 to practice and compete against players worldwide. Remember, every pro was once a beginner.