How to Play Short Deck: The Rules
Rip the 2s through 5s out of a Hold'em deck and everything shifts. Same flop-turn-river shape, but a new deck, a new betting structure, and a reshuffled ranking chart.
A 36-card deck
All 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s are stripped out. The lowest card in play is the 6, so each suit keeps just nine ranks. Hence the other name: Six Plus.
The hand plays like Hold'em
Two hole cards each, then flop, turn and river with a betting round after each. Best five-card hand from your seven at showdown. If you know Hold'em, you know the flow.
You have a flush, your opponent turned over a full house. (How to read a spot: combine your two cards with the five on the table and find your best five-card hand.) In Short Deck Hold'em, which hand wins?
No blinds — antes plus a button blind
The big structural change. Every player posts an equal ante, and the button posts one extra ante that seeds the pot like a big blind. No separate small or big blind.
The Ace still plays high and low
With the 5 gone, the lowest straight the Ace anchors is A-6-7-8-9 — the Ace slides beneath the 6. At the top it still caps broadway (the highest straight), A-K-Q-J-10.
Which of these two starting hands can NOT be legally dealt in Short Deck Hold'em?
Flush beats a full house
With only nine cards per suit, flushes get harder to make than a full house (three of a kind plus a pair — also called a 'boat') — so the standard chart flips them. Flush over boat is the headline reordering to memorize.
That's the whole game
Hold'em on a 36-card deck with three tweaks: deck starts at 6, antes plus a button blind, flush beats a boat. Everything else is the Hold'em you already know.
- 36-card deck — every 2, 3, 4 and 5 is removed, so the lowest card is the 6.
- Plays like Hold'em: two hole cards, flop/turn/river, best five of seven.
- No blinds — everyone antes and the button posts one extra, so the button acts last every street.
- Ace plays high and low; the lowest straight is A-6-7-8-9 since the 5 is gone.
- In standard Short Deck a flush beats a full house — but always confirm the exact house rules.
Test yourself
Answer them all — 19/23 to pass. Every answer gets an explanation.
How many cards are in a Short Deck (Six Plus) Hold'em deck?
Removing the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s from a standard 52-card deck leaves 36 cards.
Which card ranks are removed to create the short deck?
Six Plus Hold'em strips out every 2 through 5, leaving ranks 6 through Ace.
What is the lowest-ranked card in the deck?
With 2 through 5 gone, the 6 is the lowest rank in the deck.
How many cards of each suit are in the short deck?
Each suit keeps 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A — nine cards.
How many hole cards is each player dealt?
Just like Texas Hold'em, each player receives two private hole cards.
What are the community-card streets in Short Deck?
The board runs out exactly as in Hold'em: a three-card flop, then the turn, then the river.
In standard Short Deck, which hand is stronger?
With only nine cards per suit, flushes are harder to make, so a flush outranks a full house.
Why does a flush beat a full house in Short Deck?
Removing sixteen cards makes suited combinations harder to complete, so flushes become rarer and rank higher.
What is the lowest possible straight in Short Deck?
The 5 is gone, so the Ace plays low beneath the 6 to make A-6-7-8-9.
In the lowest straight, what role does the Ace play?
The Ace slides below the 6 to fill the spot the removed 5 used to occupy.
Can the Ace still be used as a high card?
The Ace works both ways — high for A-K-Q-J-10 and low for A-6-7-8-9.
Who posts the extra 'button blind' ante?
On top of the shared antes, the player on the button posts one extra ante that seeds the pot like a big blind.
Preflop, which player acts first?
Action opens with the seat left of the button and moves clockwise.
In the button-ante format, who acts LAST preflop?
Because the button posted the only blind, the button closes the action preflop as well as on later streets.
Is it universal that three-of-a-kind beats a straight in Short Deck?
This ranking is ruleset-dependent; major venues like the Triton Series keep a straight above trips, while some rooms flip it.
Is A-2-3-4-5 a valid straight in Short Deck?
Those ranks are removed, so that straight is impossible; the lowest is A-6-7-8-9.
How many betting rounds are there in a Short Deck hand?
The betting structure of the streets is unchanged from Hold'em: four rounds.
What makes flushes rarer in Short Deck than in Hold'em?
Fewer cards per suit means fewer ways to complete five of the same suit.
Compared with Texas Hold'em, how does the basic flow of dealing and streets differ?
Short Deck keeps Hold'em's dealing and street structure; the deck, the ante-based betting, and adjusted rankings are the differences.
Does Short Deck still have a straight flush?
Straight flushes still exist and rank at the top; the smallest is a suited A-6-7-8-9.
At showdown, your best hand is made from how many cards?
You combine two hole cards with the five community cards and pick the best five-card hand.
How is the betting structure typically set up in Short Deck?
Short Deck almost always uses a button-ante format: all players ante and the button posts one additional ante.
Before playing at a new room, what should you always confirm?
House rules on rankings (like trips vs straight) and antes can differ, so confirm them before your first hand.
Review — all 23 questions & answers tap to expand
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How many cards are in a Short Deck (Six Plus) Hold'em deck?
Answer 36
Removing the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s from a standard 52-card deck leaves 36 cards.
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Which card ranks are removed to create the short deck?
Answer All 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s
Six Plus Hold'em strips out every 2 through 5, leaving ranks 6 through Ace.
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What is the lowest-ranked card in the deck?
Answer The 6
With 2 through 5 gone, the 6 is the lowest rank in the deck.
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How many cards of each suit are in the short deck?
Answer 9
Each suit keeps 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A — nine cards.
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How many hole cards is each player dealt?
Answer Two
Just like Texas Hold'em, each player receives two private hole cards.
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What are the community-card streets in Short Deck?
Answer Flop (3), turn (1), river (1)
The board runs out exactly as in Hold'em: a three-card flop, then the turn, then the river.
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In standard Short Deck, which hand is stronger?
Answer A flush beats a full house
With only nine cards per suit, flushes are harder to make, so a flush outranks a full house.
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Why does a flush beat a full house in Short Deck?
Answer Fewer cards per suit make flushes rarer than full houses
Removing sixteen cards makes suited combinations harder to complete, so flushes become rarer and rank higher.
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What is the lowest possible straight in Short Deck?
Answer A-6-7-8-9
The 5 is gone, so the Ace plays low beneath the 6 to make A-6-7-8-9.
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In the lowest straight, what role does the Ace play?
Answer It plays low, standing in for the missing 5
The Ace slides below the 6 to fill the spot the removed 5 used to occupy.
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Can the Ace still be used as a high card?
Answer Yes, it also tops the broadway straight A-K-Q-J-10
The Ace works both ways — high for A-K-Q-J-10 and low for A-6-7-8-9.
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Who posts the extra 'button blind' ante?
Answer The player on the button
On top of the shared antes, the player on the button posts one extra ante that seeds the pot like a big blind.
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Preflop, which player acts first?
Answer The player immediately to the left of the button
Action opens with the seat left of the button and moves clockwise.
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In the button-ante format, who acts LAST preflop?
Answer The button
Because the button posted the only blind, the button closes the action preflop as well as on later streets.
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Is it universal that three-of-a-kind beats a straight in Short Deck?
Answer No — it varies by ruleset; many venues keep straight over trips
This ranking is ruleset-dependent; major venues like the Triton Series keep a straight above trips, while some rooms flip it.
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Is A-2-3-4-5 a valid straight in Short Deck?
Answer No — the 2, 3, 4 and 5 are not in the deck
Those ranks are removed, so that straight is impossible; the lowest is A-6-7-8-9.
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How many betting rounds are there in a Short Deck hand?
Answer Four (preflop, flop, turn, river)
The betting structure of the streets is unchanged from Hold'em: four rounds.
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What makes flushes rarer in Short Deck than in Hold'em?
Answer Each suit has only nine cards instead of thirteen
Fewer cards per suit means fewer ways to complete five of the same suit.
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Compared with Texas Hold'em, how does the basic flow of dealing and streets differ?
Answer It's the same — the deck size, betting structure and some rankings are what change
Short Deck keeps Hold'em's dealing and street structure; the deck, the ante-based betting, and adjusted rankings are the differences.
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Does Short Deck still have a straight flush?
Answer Yes — and the lowest one is A-6-7-8-9 all in one suit
Straight flushes still exist and rank at the top; the smallest is a suited A-6-7-8-9.
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At showdown, your best hand is made from how many cards?
Answer The best five of your seven available cards
You combine two hole cards with the five community cards and pick the best five-card hand.
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How is the betting structure typically set up in Short Deck?
Answer Everyone antes and the button posts an extra ante (button blind)
Short Deck almost always uses a button-ante format: all players ante and the button posts one additional ante.
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Before playing at a new room, what should you always confirm?
Answer The exact hand rankings and ante rules in use
House rules on rankings (like trips vs straight) and antes can differ, so confirm them before your first hand.