Short deck poker has surged from private high-stakes games into mainstream online and live rooms, challenging traditional Hold’em wisdom and rewarding players who adapt quickly. If you’re used to 52-card Texas Hold’em, learning the 36-card dynamics changes everything: hand values, ranges, and postflop tactics shift in ways that are subtle at first and profound in practice.
What is short deck poker?
Short deck poker (often called “six-plus hold’em”) is a community-card game that removes the 2s through 5s from the deck, leaving 36 cards: 6 through Ace in each suit. The result is faster action, more made hands, and a different balance of equity between common holdings. Because fundamentals change, good Hold’em players don’t always translate to good short deck players — and vice versa.
Core rule differences that matter
- Deck size: 36 cards (2–5 removed).
- Hand ranking: Many games use the standard ranking, but in the most common short-deck variant a flush outranks a full house because full houses are relatively more common in a 36-card deck.
- Straights: The lowest straight becomes A-6-5-4-3 (aces can play high or low depending on structure).
- Preflop combinatorics change: pocket pairs are more frequent, suited hands slightly less so, and broadways and connectors often gain relative value.
Why the ranking change (flush > full house) makes sense
With fewer ranks, it's easier to make trips and full houses. Hand frequency changes tilt equity curves: hands that used to be clear monsters in Hold’em are less dominating here. To rebalance the hierarchy so that rarer hands remain more valuable, many operators and home games rank flushes above full houses. Before you sit down, confirm the table rules — they alter both strategy and pot odds dramatically.
A simple probability insight every player should know
Understanding a few concrete numbers helps you internalize how different the deck is. For example, the chance of being dealt a pocket pair preflop rises noticeably in short deck poker. With 36 cards there are 630 two-card combinations and 54 possible pocket-pair combinations, so pocket pairs occur about 8.57% of the time — versus roughly 5.9% in standard Hold’em. That increase explains why made hands postflop are more common and why overpairs and sets behave differently.
How preflop hand values change
Translating your Hold’em starter hand chart into short deck is the first adaptation every serious player faces. A few general rules:
- High cards and broadways (A-K, A-Q, K-Q) become even more valuable preflop because fewer low cards mean those high-card combinations win more often in showdowns.
- Suited connectors can be deceptive — with fewer ranks, many “connected” sequences exist that hit straights. However, suitedness loses a touch of value relative to full deck Hold’em because flushes are slightly rarer; that said, a made flush is a stronger relative holding in short deck if your game uses flush > full house.
- Pocket pairs are more common; small pairs still have value, but set mining profitability depends more on stack depth and implied odds than in full deck Hold’em.
Postflop strategy: bet sizing, ranges, and board texture
Postflop, you must re-evaluate both range construction and bet sizing. Boards that look “dry” in Hold’em can be more coordinated in short deck because ranks are compressed. A 7-8-9 flop in a standard game is somewhat connected; in short deck those connectors hit more of your opponents’ ranges.
Key adjustments:
- Protect thin value: Some top pairs that you would easily value-bet in Hold’em may be dominated more often here; use sizings that extract value while controlling the pot.
- Polarize vs merge differently: Because two-pair and trips are more common, bluffing frequencies and blocker plays need recalibration. Identify hands that block strong made hands (e.g., an ace that blocks many straights) and exploit them.
- Position increases in importance: With more multiple-way made hands, being last to act gives you clearer information and the ability to control pot size.
Practical hand example
A personal moment that changed how I approach short deck: In my first live short-deck game, I opened A♦K♦ from early position and got called by a button player. The flop came 9♦-K♣-6♦. I bet; he check-called and turned a 6♣. At that point I assumed I was ahead but was surprised to see my opponent river a full house. That hand taught me to respect pair and trip combinations more — and it underscored why many players treat flushes and full houses differently in these games.
Bankroll, variance, and table selection
Variance in short deck poker can be high despite more made hands: the size of pots tends to grow because players get stronger holdings more often and are willing to stack off. Practical money management tips:
- Increase your required buy-in buffer relative to your usual Hold’em thresholds.
- Table selection is huge — look for games where opponents misunderstand short-deck mechanics (e.g., still playing as if flushes are weak) and avoid tables where many players have already adapted.
- In tournaments, I lower my risk tolerance in early levels and widen it in later stages if antes and payouts reward aggressive postflop lines.
Reading opponents: new tells and patterns
Short deck increases the frequency of medium-strength made hands, so timing and bet patterns matter. Notice these tendencies:
- Players who overvalue top pair in Hold’em may overcommit to top pair here; exploit by applying pressure with straight and flush draws when they’re vulnerable.
- Because trips and full houses occur more often, watch how often opponents go to showdown — persistent showdown callers are good value targets when you hold a clean strong hand.
- Blocker awareness: holding an ace, king, or key connector changes the range dynamics, so make deliberate decisions based on how your hole cards remove opponents’ combinations.
Tools, training, and where to play
If you want to move from theory to winning results, use HUDs and solver outputs that support short-deck formats. Many solvers now include modules for 36-card play; studying GTO outputs will reveal surprising default lines that differ from full-deck Hold’em. For practice, reputable online rooms and private cash games are the most practical testing grounds.
For those looking to try online, reputable platforms host short-deck cash and tournament formats; a common starting point is to play low-stakes tables to internalize changed equities and to practice adjusting bet sizes and ranges. If you’d like to review rules and play opportunities you can begin by visiting short deck poker which lists game variants and resources.
Advanced concepts: range merges, blockers, and equity swings
Some advanced strategic pivots I recommend studying:
- Range merging: In short deck, hands that are marginal in Hold’em can fold better into bluff or value mixtures depending on opponent tendencies.
- Blocker-based bluffs: Holding an ace or king in many situations reduces opponents’ capacity to make the very holdings that beat your bluffs.
- Equity swings: Preflop equities shift dramatically for some ACME hands — do the math for your common lines or consult solver outputs to avoid costly assumptions.
Common beginner mistakes
Players transitioning to short deck often:
- Overvalue suitedness without considering the changed flush frequency.
- Fail to adjust preflop opening ranges, either being too tight or mispricing pairs.
- Ignore the flush > full house rule at tables where that ranking is used — always confirm rules and adapt your strategy immediately.
How I improved my short deck game — a short roadmap
- Play low-stakes cash to get comfortable with frequency and showdown characteristics.
- Use solver study sessions focused on 36-card scenarios: preflop and 3-bet pots are particularly instructive.
- Record sessions and review hands where you lost big pots to see whether range or line selection was the issue.
- Network with regulars — short deck meta evolves fast; hearing how others adapt is a huge shortcut.
Where the game is heading
Short deck poker has become a staple in high-stakes circles and online ecosystems because it rewards creativity, rapid adaptation, and a deeper understanding of equity. Expect continued innovation in solvers and training products tailored to the 36-card format, and a growing presence in mixed-game events. As the metagame matures, player advantage will shift toward those who study concrete numbers and practice disciplined bankroll management.
Final checklist before you sit down
- Confirm the house rule on hand rankings (flush vs full house).
- Adjust your opening ranges: widen for value in broadways, be cautious with marginal suited one-gappers.
- Adopt deeper analysis of stack-to-pot ratios (SPR) — set mining and implied odds differ here.
- Keep session records and study with solvers; continual review beats instincts in the long run.
Short deck poker is equal parts mathematical readjustment and psychological game. The quicker you rewire your intuition about frequencies and relative hand strength, the faster you’ll move from breakeven to profitable. If you’re curious to try structured games and get a feel for the format, explore available variations and resources at short deck poker and invest time into solver-driven study — that combination separates good short-deck players from great ones.
