Short Deck Poker (Six Plus Hold'em): Rules and Strategy

Short Deck Poker — also called Six Plus Hold'em — is a Hold'em variant that removes all the cards below six, leaving a 36-card deck. This small change reshuffles the odds and the hand rankings, creating a faster, more action-packed game that's become popular in high-stakes circles. Here's what changes.

The rules

Short Deck is played like Texas Hold'em, but:

• The deck has 36 cards (twos through fives are removed; sixes through aces remain).
• The ace plays low to complete a straight (A-6-7-8-9 is the lowest straight), as well as high.
• Hand rankings change because of the smaller deck (see below).

The reshuffled rankings

With fewer cards, the math of making hands shifts, so some hands swap places in the rankings:

• A flush beats a full house. Because flushes are harder to make with fewer cards of each suit, a flush outranks a full house in most Short Deck rules.
• Three of a kind often beats a straight. Straights are easier to make (the cards are closer together), so sets are sometimes ranked above straights, depending on the house rules.

Always confirm the exact ranking rules of the specific game, as they can vary slightly.

How strategy changes

• More action and bigger equities. Hands run closer together, so there's more gambling, more big pots, and more variance. Coin-flips and big confrontations are common.
• Draws are stronger. With fewer cards, you hit your draws more often — flush and straight draws complete more frequently, which changes pot-odds and semi-bluffing math.
• Pairs and sets gain value relative to Hold'em, while flushes become premium because they're harder to make.
• Aggression and big hands dominate. The game rewards playing strong hands fast and being willing to gamble with big draws.

Because the rankings and odds differ, you can't just import Hold'em strategy — you have to relearn which hands are strong and how often draws come in.

The takeaway

Short Deck (Six Plus Hold'em) strips the low cards for a 36-card deck, which reshuffles the rankings (flush beats full house, sometimes trips beat a straight) and makes draws hit more often. The result is a faster, swingier, more action-packed game. It's beatable and fun, but it requires relearning hand values and odds rather than copying Hold'em strategy.