Short Deck Poker Rules: How to Play 6+ Hold'em

Short Deck poker, also known as Six Plus (6+) Hold'em, is an action-packed variant of Texas Hold'em. By removing cards 2 through 5, players hit strong hands far more often, producing explosive pots and dynamic post-flop play.

The 36-card deck

A standard poker deck has 52 cards. In Short Deck, all 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s are stripped out of the deck. This leaves 36 cards: 6s through Aces across all four suits. Because 16 low cards are missing, the probabilities of hitting specific combinations change drastically compared to traditional Hold'em.

Key rule difference: Flush beats Full House

The most important hand ranking adjustment in Short Deck is that a Flush beats a Full House. With only nine cards remaining in each suit instead of thirteen, completing a five-card flush is mathematically rarer than making a full house. Many newcomers make the costly mistake of assuming full house still beats flush.

• Royal Flush: A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
• Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards in the same suit.
• Four of a Kind: Four cards of matching rank.
• Flush: Any five cards of the same suit (beats Full House).
• Full House: Three of a kind plus a pair.
• Straight: Five cards in numerical sequence.
• Three of a Kind: Three cards of matching rank.
• Two Pair: Two distinct pairs.
• One Pair: Two cards of identical rank.
• High Card: The highest card in hand.

The Ace plays high and low (A-6-7-8-9)

In regular Texas Hold'em, the Ace can complete a low straight as A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel). In Short Deck, because the lowest rank in the deck is 6, the Ace wraps around to complete a low straight as A-6-7-8-9. The high straight remains 10-J-Q-K-A. This rule makes pocket Aces and hands containing an Ace even more valuable.

Ante structure and Button Blind

Most Short Deck tables, including those on PokerClub, do not use traditional small and big blinds. Instead, every player at the table posts an ante, and the player on the button posts an additional button blind (typically equal to the ante). Action starts with the player to the left of the button pre-flop.

How rare is each hand in a 36-card deck?

There are 376,992 different five-card hands in a Short Deck. The table counts how many fall into each category and compares the chance with a full 52-card deck. It shows exactly why the flush moves up: a flush is almost four times rarer than a full house once the low cards are gone.

Notice that three of a kind (4.28%) is still more common than a straight (1.62%) in five cards, which is why PokerClub keeps the Hold'em order: a straight beats trips. Some high-stakes tournament series swap the two, so always check the house rules before you play elsewhere.

Why the math feels so different

With 16 cards gone, every draw and every pair changes value. These are the numbers that matter most at the table:

Straight draws get much stronger, because the same eight outs now sit in a deck of 31 unseen cards instead of 47. Flush draws get weaker: only nine cards of each suit exist, so after you see four of them just five remain. That is the single biggest adjustment for Hold'em players. In Short Deck, an open-ended straight draw is often a better hand to chase than a flush draw.

Example hand: when a flush beats a full house

Six players, ante 5, button blind 5: the pot starts at 35 before anyone acts. You hold A♥ 7♥ and call a raise. The board runs out K♥ 9♥ 9♣ 6♥ J♠.

• You: A♥ K♥ 9♥ 7♥ 6♥, an ace-high flush.
• Your opponent: holds K♠ 9♦ for nines full of kings, a full house.

In Texas Hold'em the full house would win. In Short Deck your flush takes the pot. Your opponent may well have put you on the flush and still paid you off, which is exactly the mistake new Short Deck players make.

One more trap: with A♣ 7♦ on a board of 6♠ 8♥ 9♦, you already hold a straight, A-6-7-8-9, the lowest one in the game. But an opponent holding 10♠ 7♣ has 6-7-8-9-10 on the same board and beats you.

Strategy tips for your first Short Deck sessions

• Play more hands, but not every hand. Everyone antes, so the pot is bigger before the flop and folding too much bleeds chips. Hands play closer together in equity, so position and big cards still matter.
• Connected cards gain value. Hands like J-10 or 9-8 make straights far more often than in Hold'em. Suited hands gain less, because flushes are harder to complete.
• Two pair is a weaker hand than you think. It is twice as common as in Hold'em, and straights and sets arrive often. Do not stack off with bottom two pair on a connected board.
• Re-learn your hand ranking reflex. Before you call a big bet with a full house, check the board for three cards of one suit.
• Use position. The button acts last before and after the flop, and it has already posted the button blind. It is the best seat at the table.

Playing Short Deck on PokerClub

PokerClub deals Short Deck at Free Play tables, open to everyone who signs in, and at private club tables where you set the stakes. A table seats two to six players. Every player posts the ante and the button posts the button blind, from one to two antes as the organiser chooses. The minimum opening raise is to twice the button blind. Straddles are off, and club cash tables can allow running it twice or three times when players are all in. Every chip is virtual and can never be cashed out.

Short Deck questions

Does a flush beat a full house in Short Deck?

Yes. With only nine cards of each suit in a 36-card deck, a flush is harder to make than a full house, so it ranks higher. Everything else follows the normal poker hand rankings.

Does three of a kind beat a straight in Short Deck?

Not on PokerClub. A straight beats three of a kind, exactly as in Texas Hold'em. Some high-stakes tournament series play trips over straights, so check the rules before you sit down anywhere else.

What is the lowest straight in Short Deck?

A-6-7-8-9. The ace plays low in place of the missing 5, so this straight takes the place of the wheel. The highest straight is still 10-J-Q-K-A.

How many players can play Short Deck on PokerClub?

Two to six per table. Short Deck is a six-handed game: with 36 cards, a full ring of nine would leave too few cards for the board.

How do the ante and button blind work?

Every player, the button included, posts an ante. The button then posts a button blind, equal to the ante by default. Preflop, action starts left of the button and the button acts last.

Is Short Deck on PokerClub played for money?

No. Every chip is virtual, has no cash value and can never be cashed out. Free Play Short Deck tables are open to everyone who signs in.

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