Interested in Short Deck Poker? Here are the Rules Explained Simply

Short deck poker, which is also sometimes referred to as Six-Plus Hold'em in some gaming circles, is one of the better poker variations players are enjoying these days. Why? Because it provides gamers with a chance to enjoy this iconic card game at a much faster pace. This means more action, and some new strategies. Short deck poker requires some tweaks to the most well-known approaches to poker.

So, how is the game different to the most traditional style of play and how exactly does a person play it? Well, the rules are quite similar in actual fact. Card players familiar with the rules of Texas Hold'em won't have much trouble at all adjusting to this style that's growing in popularity day by day.

There are some noticeable differences, especially when it comes to advanced strategies. This guide only aims to go over the most important rules. If a player is looking for ways to up their game further, this short deck poker guide is a great place to start. Ready to learn the ropes? Let's begin with the basics:

Getting started

First things first, take your regular deck of playing cards and remove all of the threes, fours, fives and deuces. Not familiar with the term "deuces"? It's just a fancy way of saying two. Remove the twos as well. Now your deck should have only 36 cards, instead of the regular 52.

Why are you removing these cards? Good question. This is the secret sauce behind what makes short-deck poker so fast-paced. Without these smaller card denominations, rounds end up playing out much faster. There are much fewer chances to get a weak hand each round with these cards out of the picture. Fewer filler cards also mean fewer low pairs and weak straights. When everyone at the table is more likely to be holding a strong hand, rounds get far more exciting right off the bat.

The core rules of short-deck poker

It's always a good idea to know how to play a casino-style game before jumping in, especially when real money is potentially on the line. But even when there's less pressure, gamers will look for detailed guides designed to help them level up fast. So, let's go over short deck poker rules now to help players who want to jump in without delay.

Minus the extra cards, the rules are pretty straightforward. Anyone who's played a couple of rounds of Texas Hold'em will catch on right away. One of the only main differences has to do with blinds. While Texas Hold'em uses big and small blinds, an ante system is preferred in short-deck poker.

Here's a quick step-by-step breakdown:

Step 0, The Blind: Before any cards are handed out, each player will add a small (or large) contribution to a pot of money. The button player is allowed to offer up a double ante if they want to. Remember to keep that trusty bankroll strategy in mind while placing or raising bets.

Step 1, The Deal: Using the short deck, each player at the physical or online table, is given two cards each. These cards are meant to be kept secret and are dealt face down. These are known as hole cards.

Step 2, The Bet: Now, betting begins. It's traditional to start with the player sitting to the left side of the dealer. Before revealing the community cards, players can choose to call, raise or fold.

Step 3, The Flop: Betting done? Now the dealer will place three community cards, face-up, on the table. After these cards are placed, another round of betting begins.

Step 4, The Turn: After this round of betting is all finished up, a new community card is placed on the table and players get to bet again.

Step 5, The River: Players are reaching the end of the round now. One more card is added to the community cards and the final round of betting happens.

Building a hand to win the round

The aim of the game is to win, right? To take home that all-important pool of money, everyone at the table must use the community cards as well as the two cards in their starting hand to create the very best five-card combination. In short deck poker, the hand ranking system is a little different. This is because, with less low cards to deal with, a six-high straight flush is a lot easier to get.

Need a refresher on which combinations are best? Here you go:

1. Royal Flush (strongest)
2. Straight Flush
3. Four of a kind
4. Flush
5. Full house

1. Straight
2. Three of a kind
3. Two pairs
4. One pair
5. High card (weakest)

The end of the round

Any players who make it to this point without folding will now reveal their highest possible 5-card combination. The person with the best hand wins the pot and the next round may begin after the deck has been shuffled thoroughly. If this is your first time playing, use this time to really examine what the other players did to get to this point. With time, it will become easier to pick up on their strategies.

And there you have it, the basic rules of short deck poker, explained in just a few minutes. With this knowledge in hand, now it's time to read up on extra strategies and try a few games out for real with friends or online.