Short Deck Hold’em (6+): rules and strategy

What is Short Deck Hold’em?

Short Deck, also called 6+ Hold’em, is a fast, action-heavy version of Texas Hold’em. It removes every 2, 3, 4 and 5 from the deck, leaving 36 cards: 6 through ace in four suits.

Everything else will feel familiar. Each player gets two hole cards, there are five community cards (flop, turn, river) and you make the best five-card hand. ClubGG offers Short Deck tables, so it is easy to try once you know the rules. If you need a refresher on regular Hold’em first, see our Texas Hold’em lessons.

The rule changes that matter

A flush beats a full house

With only nine cards per suit, flushes become harder to make than full houses, so the ranking swaps. In Short Deck, a flush beats a full house.

The lowest straight is A-6-7-8-9

The ace still plays high or low, but with 2–5 gone, the ace “wraps” down to the 6. So A-6-7-8-9 is the lowest straight (the Short Deck version of the wheel), and 10-J-Q-K-A is still the highest.

Straights vs three of a kind: check the table

Some Short Deck games rank three of a kind above a straight; others keep the normal order. This varies by site and by table, so always check the table rules before you play.

Everything else stays the same

Two hole cards, the best five out of seven, the usual actions (check, bet, call, raise, fold) and the usual tie rules. If two players share the same best five cards, the pot is split.

Betting format

Many Short Deck games are played with antes, and sometimes a button blind, instead of the usual small and big blind. Formats vary, so read the table settings as well.

Why the rankings change: the maths

You can see why by counting five-card hands in a 36-card deck. These are exact counts:

A flush is more than three times rarer than a full house, which is why it ranks higher. The table also shows that a straight is rarer than three of a kind in a 36-card deck, which is the argument for the alternative ranking some tables use.

How strategy changes from regular Hold’em

Hands run closer together

With fewer low cards, every hand is made of medium and high cards. Preflop edges shrink: big pairs are still the best hands, but they are much less dominant than in a 52-card game. Expect more all-ins where both players have real equity.

Draws are stronger, pairs are weaker

There are fewer cards that don’t connect. An open-ended straight draw such as 9♠ 8♦ on a 7♣ 6♥ K♠ board has fewer blanks to dodge, and straights come in more often. Meanwhile one pair is weaker than usual, because opponents make two pair, straights and sets more often.

Count your outs carefully

Outs work as normal, but there are fewer unseen cards, so each out is worth noticeably more than the rule of 2 and 4 suggests. Don’t forget the changed rankings: a full house you are drawing to can lose to a flush.

Position is worth even more

With so many draws on the board, the player who acts last gets to see whether a draw has arrived before putting more chips in. Play fewer marginal hands out of position, and use your position to take free cards or control the size of the pot.

Suited and connected hands gain value

Hands like J♠ T♠ and 9♥ 8♥ flop a lot of draws and play very well. Big offsuit hands such as A♣ Q♦ still play well, but be careful with weak aces, which flop top pair that often isn’t good enough.

A worked example

You hold K♥ K♦ and the flop is 9♥ 8♥ 7♣. In regular Hold’em this is already a scary board. In Short Deck it is worse: any 6, T or J in an opponent’s hand gives a straight or a straight draw, and two hearts give a flush draw that beats a full house if it arrives. Bet for value and protection, but be ready to slow down if heavy action follows.

Now flip it: you hold T♠ 6♠ on that flop. You have a straight already (6-7-8-9-T), and in Short Deck that is still a hand that can face a bigger straight or a flush. Play it fast, but don’t treat it as unbeatable.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the flush-over-full-house rule and misreading a showdown.
• Not checking whether trips beat a straight at your table.
• Overvaluing one pair, especially top pair with a weak kicker.
• Playing it like normal Hold’em preflop. Hands are closer in equity, so folding big pairs or overplaying weak aces both cost chips.

Quick checklist before you sit down

1. Confirm the ranking order (flush > full house; straight vs trips).
2. Check the betting format (blinds, antes or both).
3. Remember A-6-7-8-9 is a straight.
4. Value connected and suited hands; be humble with one pair.

Want to refresh the standard rankings first? Review our poker hand rankings.