Short Deck Hold’em Guide – Rules, Hand Rankings & Strategy

Introduction

Short Deck Hold’em (also called 6+ Hold’em) is a fast-paced variant of Texas Hold’em played with a 36-card deck (removing all 2s through 5s). The flush beats a full house.

Game Flow
  1. Remove all cards ranked 2 through 5 from a standard 52-card deck → 36 cards remain.
  2. Each player receives 2 hole cards face down.
  3. Pre-flop betting round.
  4. Flop: 3 community cards dealt.
  5. Second betting round.
  6. Turn: 4th community card.
  7. Third betting round.
  8. River: 5th community card.
  9. Final betting round → Showdown.

Betting is typically pot-limit or no-limit — commonly found in high-stakes cash games and tournaments.

Altered Hand Rankings

Because fewer cards exist, strong hands appear more often. The official ranking (from strongest to weakest) is:

  1. Royal Flush
  2. Straight Flush
  3. Four of a Kind
  4. Flush 🔄 (now beats full house!)
  5. Full House
  6. Straight
  7. Three of a Kind
  8. Two Pair
  9. One Pair
  10. High Card

Why? With only 36 cards, flushes are rarer than full houses — so they rank higher.

Best Starting Hands
  • Premium Pairs: A♠ A♥, K♣ K♦ — play aggressively.
  • Broadway Combos: A♠ K♣, A♥ Q♠ — strong due to frequent straights.
  • Suited Connectors: T♦ 9♦ — more valuable (straights form easily).
  • Avoid: Small pairs like 6♣ 6♦ — easily dominated.

Note: Ace plays both high and as a low straight card (A-6-7-8-9 is a valid straight).

Strategy Guide
  • Play More Hands: Wider ranges due to compressed deck — suited aces and connectors gain value.
  • Three-Bet Light: Frequent straights mean top pair is often not enough — apply pressure.
  • Beware of Sets: Sets (three of a kind) are less valuable — they often lose to straights/flushes.
  • Flush Power: A flush is now a powerhouse — don’t fold strong flush draws cheaply.
  • Position Still Rules: Play tighter early, expand range on the button and cutoff.