Short Deck Hold’em, also known as 6+ Hold’em, follows the core rules of traditional Texas Hold’em but includes a few key rule differences that significantly impact gameplay and hand rankings.
Key Differences Between Short Deck and Regular Hold’em
1. Deck Composition
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In Short Deck, all 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s are removed from the deck.
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The game is played with a 36-card deck, using only cards from 6 to Ace.
2. Hand Rankings
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Because of the altered deck, hand probabilities change — so do hand strengths.
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Flush beats a full house in Short Deck (unlike regular Hold’em).
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This is because flushes are harder to hit with fewer cards of each suit in the deck.
3. Lowest Straight
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In Short Deck, the lowest possible straight is A-6-7-8-9.
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This differs from regular Hold’em, where the lowest straight is A-2-3-4-5 — but those low cards don't exist in Short Deck.
What Remains the Same?
Despite the differences above, most of the game structure and poker fundamentals remain the same:
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Players still receive two hole cards.
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The game follows pre-flop, flop, turn, and river stages.
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Betting rounds and overall poker strategy are similar.
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