Short Deck makes poker feel fresh again. With the smallest ranks removed and everyone posting antes, pots grow fast, and equities run close. That means your decisions matter on every street. If you’ve only played regular Hold’em, this format, known as Short Deck Hold’em or Six Plus Hold’em, will test your fundamentals and reward clear thinking.
In this guide for BluffingMonkeys.com, you’ll learn the rules that actually affect short deck poker strategy, the preflop plan that avoids common traps, and the postflop lines that print against beginner and intermediate fields in 2026. No fluff, only moves that translate to real tables and club games.
What Is Short Deck Poker (Six Plus Hold’em Rules)
Short Deck, also called Six Plus Hold’em, uses a 36-card deck. Twos, threes, fours, and fives are removed, which changes probabilities and hand dynamics. You still receive two hole cards and five community cards. The ace can play high or low for straights, so A-6-7-8-9 is a valid straight in most rooms.
Most tables use antes instead of blinds. Everyone antes before the deal, and the button often posts a double ante while acting last postflop. This creates multiway pots, faster action, and forces players to think in ranges rather than single hands.
Modern short-deck hold’em strategy thrives on understanding range vs. range play, not just card strength.
Hand Rankings You Must Confirm Before You Play
Different rooms use different ranking orders. Confirm this at the table or in the app rules, it completely changes how you make river decisions.
Classic Short Deck Order (Most Common)
- High card
- Pair
- Two pair
- Three of a kind
- Straight
- Full house
- Flush
- Four of a kind
- Straight flush
- Royal flush
Regular Hold’em Order (Used in Some Rooms)
Here, a straight beats three of a kind, and a full house beats a flush.
Why It Matters
If a flush outranks a full house, suited hands gain value, and you should chase nut flush draws more aggressively on the turn and river. If the room keeps regular Hold’em order, be more selective with weaker flushes and prioritize boats on paired boards.
For more on math-driven decisions, check our Poker Math guide on Bluffing Monkeys.
Why Short Deck Plays Bigger Than It Looks
Antes create a pot before anyone chooses to play. At six-handed tables, you’ll often see five or more players see a flop. That produces action boards and frequent stack-offs with top pair plus draw or strong combo draws.
More dead money preflop means wider fields and closer equities. Your job is to pick hands that realize equity well and avoid bloating pots with hands that only win by showdown.
Modern short deck strategy revolves around selecting playable combinations that perform well postflop, especially suited connectors and high-card links that can make straights.
Short Deck Preflop Plan That Works in Real Games
Many newcomers try to copy regular Hold’em ranges and get punished. Use these simple rules, and you’ll already be ahead.
1. Position Is Everything
Play more hands on the button and cut off. Control pot size. Realize equity. Punish wide limps when you can isolate heads-up. From early seats, over-limp more and raise less.
Modern short deck ranges are position-sensitive, early positions should stick to pairs and suited connectors, while late positions can expand to suited aces and broadways.
2. Limping Is a Tool, Not a Leak
Because many players enter the pot, building a balanced limping range makes sense. Include strong hands for protection so you’re not easy to exploit. Over-limp behind with hands that play well multiway, such as suited aces, broadway suited connectors, and pocket pairs.
3. Premiums Are Still Premiums
AA and KK remain the best starting hands, yet their edge preflop is smaller than in full-deck Hold’em. Expect to see more flops. Favor suited versions and be ready to value-bet thinner postflop rather than forcing big preflop wars.
4. Suited Connectors Climb in Value
Hands like JT suited, QJ suited, T9 suited, and 98 suited are the backbone of good short deck poker starting hands. They connect with more boards and maintain strong redraws.
5. Offsuit High-Card Trash Collapses
Offsuit high-card hands that rely only on showdown value perform poorly. Fold more offsuit junk from early and middle position rather than trying to outmuscle the table.
6. Three-Betting Ranges Stay Tighter
Stacks feel shallower in ante terms, and fields are often multiway. Value three-bet more than you bluff three-bet in early positions. On the button, you can open up slightly when isolating weak limpers.
Understanding Short Deck Board Textures and Continuation Betting
Short Deck flops create straights and trips more often than regular Hold’em. A single pair without redraws is fragile. Adjust like this:
Use Smaller Flop Sizes on Dynamic Boards
On boards like Q-T-9 or 9-8-7, bet small with range and keep your value hands ahead of your bluffs. As turns bring in draws, size up. More details can be found here.
Pair Plus Draw Is Your Best Friend
Top pair plus open-ender, second pair plus open-ender, and strong flush draws with overcards can bet and barrel for value and fold equity. These hands win big pots against opponents who overvalue the top pair.
Respect Fast Action on Paired Boards
Trips and boats arrive more often. If you face large raises on paired textures, continue only with nutted trips, strong full houses, or nut flush draws (when flushes outrank boats). Fold marginal made hands and live for better spots.
Postflop Lines That Keep Money Flowing Your Way
Think in terms of how your hand looks on the next street, not just its current strength. That’s the heart of short deck holdem strategy.
Flop
- Bet small on dynamic textures with hands that benefit from protection.
- Check back medium-strength hands without clean backdoors when ranges are strong, especially out of position.
Turn
- Barrel more when your equity improves, new gutshots, overcards, or flush draws are green lights.
- When the turn bricks and you’re called by a sticky player, slow down unless you can credibly represent a nutted range.
River
- Value bet thin in position when draws miss and your range has top-pair advantage.
- Bluff with ace-high blockers or missed flush draws where your story makes sense.
Simple Heuristics for Common Short Deck Spots
Limped Pots in Early Position
With JJ or QQ early, over-limp more often than raise. Avoid isolating into trapped premiums and keep dominated pairs in play. Value bet across streets on safe boards.
Multi-Limped Pot from the Cutoff
Holding JT suited on Q-T-8, your hand has a second pair plus an open-ender. Bet small for protection and value. If raised, call and reevaluate turns like 9, K, A, or a card of your suit.
Single-Raised Pot Out of Position
With AQ suited on K-9-6, check-call small. Overcards and backdoor straights keep you live. Turns like J or T add equity, apply pressure then.
Three-Bet Pot in Position
With AK suited on 9-7-3, small continuation bets perform well. Mid pairs often fold by the turn when you pick up equity. If they turn bricks, check back and realize.
Short Deck Starting Guide and Ranges
When in doubt, this template keeps you disciplined:
Early Position:
Over-limp pairs 99-AA, suited aces, broadway suited connectors. Raise your strongest for value.
Middle Position:
Add more suited connectors and aces. Raise slightly more with position.
Cutoff and Button:
Attack wide limp fields with suited broadways, pocket pairs, and strong aces. In position, isolation raises shine.
Small Blind:
Avoid massive pots with dominated hands. Complete when odds are good and the pot is multiway.
Big Blind or Button Ante Defender:
Defend suited and connected hands that can make the nuts. Fold disconnected offsuit hands that can’t stand pressure.
Frequent Leaks to Fix This Week
- Treating Short Deck like full-deck Hold’em, don’t overvalue top pair.
- Raising every limp from early seats, save aggression for position.
- Overplaying low flushes when flushes outrank boats. Stick to nut suits.
- Ignoring ranking order, confirm rules before you start. One switch can flip your river strategy.
Table Selection and Learning Loop
Select tables where players limp frequently and show down weak pairs. These games let you apply your short deck strategy with minimal resistance. After each session, review a few hands:
- Did I bloat pots out of position?
- Did I barrel turns that actually improved my equity?
- Did I value bet thinly enough when draws missed?
Bring these hands to the Bluffing Monkeys community, and we’ll break them down together. For more ways to boost your skills, explore our advanced short-deck hold’em discussions.
Conclusion
Short Deck rewards calm structure and clarity. You now know how antes shape the action, why limping belongs in your toolkit, which boards to attack, and where to slow down.
Ready to put this short deck poker strategy into practice? Start learning and playing with the Bluffing Monkeys community today, where strategy meets evolution.
FAQs
Q: What is the best short deck poker strategy for beginners?
A: Focus on strong hands, play tight in early positions, and remember that flushes outrank full houses.
Q: How is Short Deck poker different from Texas Hold’em?
A: Short Deck removes cards 2 through 5, making big hands more common. Flushes beat full houses, and straights are easier to hit, so hand values and strategies change compared to regular Hold’em.
Q: How should beginners approach Short Deck poker strategy?
A: Play tight with strong hands, avoid weak draws, and use position wisely since big hands are more common.
