The changed hand rankings
Remove the 2s through 5s and the math of "what beats what" quietly rewires itself. One ranking swaps almost everywhere — a flush beats a full house — and a second (three of a kind over a straight) swaps only in some rooms. Read the board with old Hold'em instincts and you will misjudge who is ahead.
A smaller deck, a new ladder
Short Deck strips every 2, 3, 4, and 5, leaving 36 cards: A down to 6. Rankings follow rarity — rarer beats commoner — so when the deck shrinks, hands can trade places.
Why flush jumps the full house
Each suit holds only 9 cards, not 13, so flushes get much harder to complete. Full houses form at the same rate as always — so the flush is now rarer, and gets promoted above it.
In Short Deck, which player wins this hand at showdown?
Why a set jumps the straight
With only nine tight ranks, everyone connects constantly, so straights get common. Sets still need one of just two remaining cards — still rare. That is why some rooms promote trips above the straight, though Triton and most majors keep the straight higher.
You flopped a flush and villain has a full house. Do you have the winning hand?
The full standard ladder
Top to bottom in the near-universal (Triton-style) game: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Quads, FLUSH, Full House, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, Pair, High Card. Only the flush moved. In a set-over-straight room, three of a kind jumps above the straight too.
Reading the board with new eyes
Two habits flip. A paired board no longer means the full house is king — a flush beats it. And ease off straights: they are common here, and in a set-over-straight room any set runs you down.
- 36-card deck: A down to 6. No 2s, 3s, 4s, or 5s exist.
- Flush beats a full house nearly everywhere; three of a kind beats a straight only in some rooms.
- Flushes are rarer (9 cards per suit), so they outrank full houses.
- Straights are common (tight ranks + the A-6-7-8-9 wheel), which is why some rooms rank sets above them.
- Set-over-straight varies by room; flush-over-full-house is near-universal. Always confirm.
Test yourself
Answer them all — 20/24 to pass. Every answer gets an explanation.
Which cards are removed from the deck in Short Deck Hold'em?
Short Deck strips out every 2, 3, 4, and 5, leaving a 36-card deck of A through 6.
How many cards are in a Short Deck?
Removing 16 cards (four ranks x four suits) from 52 leaves 36.
In the standard Short Deck ruleset, which is stronger?
Because flushes are harder to make with only nine cards per suit, a flush is promoted above a full house.
Why is a flush harder to make in Short Deck?
With four ranks removed, each suit holds just A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 — nine cards.
In a set-over-straight room, three of a kind beats which hand?
Where that variant is used, straights are so common that a set is ranked above a straight. Triton-style rooms instead keep the straight higher.
Why do straights become more common in Short Deck?
Fewer ranks means cards cluster together and connect far more frequently, plus the A-6-7-8-9 wheel adds an extra straight.
In the standard Short Deck ladder, what sits directly above a full house?
The flush is promoted to sit between four of a kind and the full house.
Which two ranking swaps can appear in Short Deck?
A flush over a full house is near-universal; set over straight is the variant only some rooms add.
Does four of a kind change its position in Short Deck?
Quads and straight flushes keep their usual high spots; only the flush and trips move.
You hold a full house and your opponent shows a flush in standard Short Deck. Who wins?
In the standard ruleset a flush beats a full house.
You have a straight, opponent has a set (three of a kind), in a set-over-straight room. Who wins?
In a set-over-straight room three of a kind beats a straight. In Triton-style rooms the straight would win instead.
Why isn't a full house made less often in Short Deck?
Removing low cards doesn't change how often you pair and trip up, so full houses form at roughly the normal rate.
A board is paired and three-suited. In standard Short Deck, a player with a full house should be...
Since a flush now beats a full house, a suited board threatens the full house holder.
In a Triton-style game, which of these is the strongest?
Triton keeps the classic order among these: a straight beats three of a kind, and both beat two pair and one pair.
Which ruleset detail varies most between Short Deck rooms?
Some rooms use 'traditional' rules where straights stay above trips; the flush-over-full-house rule is near-universal.
How many cards of each suit are available in Short Deck?
Each suit contains A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 — nine cards.
Compared to Hold'em, how should you value straights in Short Deck?
Straights are easy to make, so their relative value drops; in a set-over-straight room they also lose to three of a kind.
A straight flush in Short Deck ranks where?
Straight flushes (and the royal flush) keep their place at the top of the ladder.
If a room advertises 'traditional' Short Deck rules, what is likely true?
In the traditional variant only the flush is promoted; straights remain above trips.
The core reason rankings change in Short Deck is that...
Hand rankings are ordered by how rare each hand is, and a smaller deck changes those relative frequencies.
Which single phrase best captures Short Deck's possible ranking swaps?
A flush beats a full house everywhere; set over straight is the room-dependent extra swap.
What is the lowest-ranked card in a Short Deck?
With 2 through 5 removed, the 6 is the lowest card in the deck.
Which ranking is unaffected by Short Deck (keeps its normal relative order)?
Everything from two pair downward is unchanged; only flush and trips are repositioned.
Which special low straight exists in Short Deck?
With the ace playing low above the six, A-6-7-8-9 forms the Short Deck 'wheel'.
Review — all 24 questions & answers tap to expand
-
Which cards are removed from the deck in Short Deck Hold'em?
Answer All the 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s
Short Deck strips out every 2, 3, 4, and 5, leaving a 36-card deck of A through 6.
-
How many cards are in a Short Deck?
Answer 36
Removing 16 cards (four ranks x four suits) from 52 leaves 36.
-
In the standard Short Deck ruleset, which is stronger?
Answer Flush
Because flushes are harder to make with only nine cards per suit, a flush is promoted above a full house.
-
Why is a flush harder to make in Short Deck?
Answer Each suit has only 9 cards instead of 13
With four ranks removed, each suit holds just A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 — nine cards.
-
In a set-over-straight room, three of a kind beats which hand?
Answer A straight
Where that variant is used, straights are so common that a set is ranked above a straight. Triton-style rooms instead keep the straight higher.
-
Why do straights become more common in Short Deck?
Answer Nine tightly clustered ranks connect more often
Fewer ranks means cards cluster together and connect far more frequently, plus the A-6-7-8-9 wheel adds an extra straight.
-
In the standard Short Deck ladder, what sits directly above a full house?
Answer A flush
The flush is promoted to sit between four of a kind and the full house.
-
Which two ranking swaps can appear in Short Deck?
Answer Flush over full house, and set over straight
A flush over a full house is near-universal; set over straight is the variant only some rooms add.
-
Does four of a kind change its position in Short Deck?
Answer No — quads stay near the top of the ladder
Quads and straight flushes keep their usual high spots; only the flush and trips move.
-
You hold a full house and your opponent shows a flush in standard Short Deck. Who wins?
Answer The flush
In the standard ruleset a flush beats a full house.
-
You have a straight, opponent has a set (three of a kind), in a set-over-straight room. Who wins?
Answer The set
In a set-over-straight room three of a kind beats a straight. In Triton-style rooms the straight would win instead.
-
Why isn't a full house made less often in Short Deck?
Answer Pairs and sets aren't reduced in count by removing low cards
Removing low cards doesn't change how often you pair and trip up, so full houses form at roughly the normal rate.
-
A board is paired and three-suited. In standard Short Deck, a player with a full house should be...
Answer Wary — a made flush is ahead of them
Since a flush now beats a full house, a suited board threatens the full house holder.
-
In a Triton-style game, which of these is the strongest?
Answer A straight
Triton keeps the classic order among these: a straight beats three of a kind, and both beat two pair and one pair.
-
Which ruleset detail varies most between Short Deck rooms?
Answer Whether a set beats a straight
Some rooms use 'traditional' rules where straights stay above trips; the flush-over-full-house rule is near-universal.
-
How many cards of each suit are available in Short Deck?
Answer 9
Each suit contains A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 — nine cards.
-
Compared to Hold'em, how should you value straights in Short Deck?
Answer Lower — they're common (and lose to a set where that variant is used)
Straights are easy to make, so their relative value drops; in a set-over-straight room they also lose to three of a kind.
-
A straight flush in Short Deck ranks where?
Answer Near the very top, above four of a kind
Straight flushes (and the royal flush) keep their place at the top of the ladder.
-
If a room advertises 'traditional' Short Deck rules, what is likely true?
Answer Straights still beat three of a kind
In the traditional variant only the flush is promoted; straights remain above trips.
-
The core reason rankings change in Short Deck is that...
Answer Rankings follow rarity, and rarity shifts when cards are removed
Hand rankings are ordered by how rare each hand is, and a smaller deck changes those relative frequencies.
-
Which single phrase best captures Short Deck's possible ranking swaps?
Answer Flush over full house, set over straight
A flush beats a full house everywhere; set over straight is the room-dependent extra swap.
-
What is the lowest-ranked card in a Short Deck?
Answer The 6
With 2 through 5 removed, the 6 is the lowest card in the deck.
-
Which ranking is unaffected by Short Deck (keeps its normal relative order)?
Answer Two pair versus one pair
Everything from two pair downward is unchanged; only flush and trips are repositioned.
-
Which special low straight exists in Short Deck?
Answer A-6-7-8-9
With the ace playing low above the six, A-6-7-8-9 forms the Short Deck 'wheel'.