The A-6-7-8-9 wheel
Strip the 2s through 5s and the classic 5-4-3-2-A wheel vanishes. In Short Deck the smallest straight becomes A-6-7-8-9 — and the Ace still plays both ends of the deck.
The wheel shrinks
Short Deck uses 36 cards — no 2s, 3s, 4s or 5s. So the lowest possible run of five ranks is A-6-7-8-9, with the Ace sliding under the 6.
The Ace plays both ends
Like normal Hold'em, the Ace can top Broadway (10-J-Q-K-A) or bottom the wheel (A-6-7-8-9). It never wraps — K-A-6 is not a bridge.
You hold A-6 in Short Deck. On this board, what is your best 5-card hand?
Lowest straight on the ladder
A-6-7-8-9 is a real straight, but the weakest one. Read it as 9-high: it loses to 6-7-8-9-10 and every higher run up to Broadway.
Short Deck: you hold A-6, the reader must decide if A-6 makes the lowest straight (the wheel). Which cards complete the A-6-7-8-9 wheel?
Draws hit harder here
Only an Ace fills the bottom of a 6-7-8-9 draw (a 10 makes the higher 6-7-8-9-10). In a 36-card deck each out is a bigger slice, so straights come in more often.
Bet it, but respect the ceiling
The wheel is bettable for value against one caller. On an 8-9-10-heavy board a J or Q makes a bigger straight, so be ready to fold to heavy action.
- The Short Deck wheel is A-6-7-8-9 — the lowest straight, since 2-3-4-5 are gone.
- The Ace plays either end: 10-J-Q-K-A or A-6-7-8-9, but never wraps (K-A-6 is nothing).
- The wheel ranks as a 9-high straight — beaten by 6-7-8-9-10 and every higher run.
- Only an Ace fills the bottom of a 6-7-8-9 draw; the smaller deck makes draws hit more.
- Value-bet the wheel against one player, but fold it into heavy action on a higher-straight board.
Test yourself
Answer them all — 19/23 to pass. Every answer gets an explanation.
What is the lowest possible straight in Short Deck (Six Plus) Hold'em?
With 2s through 5s removed, the smallest run of five consecutive ranks is A-6-7-8-9.
Why is A-6-7-8-9 the lowest straight in Short Deck rather than 5-4-3-2-A?
Short Deck uses a 36-card deck with the 2-5 stripped out, so the lowest consecutive run begins with the Ace acting below the 6.
How many cards are in a Short Deck?
Removing the four 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s (16 cards) from 52 leaves 36.
In the wheel A-6-7-8-9, what role does the Ace play?
The Ace slides down to serve as the card below the 6, just as it plays as the '1' below the 2 in a full deck.
Which of these is NOT a valid straight in Short Deck?
The Ace does not wrap around, so J-Q-K-A-6 is not a straight — the Ace connects to the King or to the 6, never both.
Can the Ace be used at both ends of a straight in the same hand?
The Ace is either the top of Broadway or the bottom of the wheel in a given run, never a bridge between them.
How does the A-6-7-8-9 wheel rank against a 6-7-8-9-10 straight?
For ranking, the wheel is a 9-high straight and loses to the ten-high 6-7-8-9-10.
For straight-ranking purposes, the A-6-7-8-9 wheel is read as which straight?
Because the Ace plays low, the top card of the run is the 9, making it a nine-high straight — the weakest possible.
Which card completes the BOTTOM of a 6-7-8-9 draw?
The Ace is the only card that fills below the 6 to make the A-6-7-8-9 wheel; the 5 no longer exists in the deck.
A player holds 6-7-8-9 and wants a straight. Which cards give them one?
An Ace fills the low end (A-6-7-8-9) and a 10 fills the high end (6-7-8-9-10); the 5 is not in the deck.
Why do straight draws complete more often in Short Deck than in regular Hold'em?
With fewer total cards, any given out represents a bigger slice of the stub, so draws hit more frequently.
Which lowest-ranked cards are removed to form the Short Deck?
The 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s are stripped, leaving A, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K.
A board shows A-7-8-9-10. A player holds a 6. What is their best straight?
Their 6 combines with A-7-8-9 to make the wheel A-6-7-8-9; note the board's 7-8-9-10 with the Ace does not itself form a straight without a 6 or J.
Is A-6-7-8-9 a made hand you can bet?
The wheel is a genuine made straight; it is simply the lowest-ranking straight and should be played with that ceiling in mind.
You hold the A-6-7-8-9 wheel on a board texture suggesting an opponent could have 10-J. What is the concern?
Higher straights are very live in Short Deck, and any straight topping a 9 beats your wheel.
Does having an Ace in your A-6-7-8-9 make it beat a K-high flush?
Category ranking decides it; whether the flush beats the wheel depends on the variant's hand-ranking order, not on the Ace inside the straight.
What nickname is commonly given to the A-6-7-8-9 straight in Short Deck?
As the lowest straight, A-6-7-8-9 inherits the 'wheel' nickname from the low straight of full-deck poker.
A player says they have a straight with K-A-6-7-8. Are they correct?
The Ace never wraps; K-A-6-7-8 is a broken run, not a straight.
Which straight beats the A-6-7-8-9 wheel by the smallest margin?
6-7-8-9-10 is the very next straight up (ten-high), just edging out the nine-high wheel.
Best overall approach to the wheel against a single caller on a dry board?
It is a value hand versus one opponent, but its bottom-of-the-ladder status means you fold to heavy action when a higher straight is obvious.
The highest straight in Short Deck is:
Broadway, 10-J-Q-K-A, is the highest straight, with the Ace playing high.
How many Aces are in a Short Deck?
Only the low cards are removed; all four Aces remain in the 36-card deck.
In Short Deck, the Ace can make Broadway with which four cards?
10-J-Q-K-A is Broadway, the Ace playing at the top of the run.
Review — all 23 questions & answers tap to expand
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What is the lowest possible straight in Short Deck (Six Plus) Hold'em?
Answer A-6-7-8-9
With 2s through 5s removed, the smallest run of five consecutive ranks is A-6-7-8-9.
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Why is A-6-7-8-9 the lowest straight in Short Deck rather than 5-4-3-2-A?
Answer The 2, 3, 4, and 5 are removed from the deck
Short Deck uses a 36-card deck with the 2-5 stripped out, so the lowest consecutive run begins with the Ace acting below the 6.
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How many cards are in a Short Deck?
Answer 36
Removing the four 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s (16 cards) from 52 leaves 36.
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In the wheel A-6-7-8-9, what role does the Ace play?
Answer It acts as the low card, below the 6
The Ace slides down to serve as the card below the 6, just as it plays as the '1' below the 2 in a full deck.
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Which of these is NOT a valid straight in Short Deck?
Answer J-Q-K-A-6
The Ace does not wrap around, so J-Q-K-A-6 is not a straight — the Ace connects to the King or to the 6, never both.
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Can the Ace be used at both ends of a straight in the same hand?
Answer No, it plays only one end per hand
The Ace is either the top of Broadway or the bottom of the wheel in a given run, never a bridge between them.
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How does the A-6-7-8-9 wheel rank against a 6-7-8-9-10 straight?
Answer The wheel loses — 6-7-8-9-10 is higher
For ranking, the wheel is a 9-high straight and loses to the ten-high 6-7-8-9-10.
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For straight-ranking purposes, the A-6-7-8-9 wheel is read as which straight?
Answer Nine-high
Because the Ace plays low, the top card of the run is the 9, making it a nine-high straight — the weakest possible.
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Which card completes the BOTTOM of a 6-7-8-9 draw?
Answer An Ace
The Ace is the only card that fills below the 6 to make the A-6-7-8-9 wheel; the 5 no longer exists in the deck.
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A player holds 6-7-8-9 and wants a straight. Which cards give them one?
Answer An Ace (for the wheel) or a 10 (for 6-7-8-9-10)
An Ace fills the low end (A-6-7-8-9) and a 10 fills the high end (6-7-8-9-10); the 5 is not in the deck.
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Why do straight draws complete more often in Short Deck than in regular Hold'em?
Answer The smaller 36-card deck means each needed card is a larger fraction of the remaining cards
With fewer total cards, any given out represents a bigger slice of the stub, so draws hit more frequently.
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Which lowest-ranked cards are removed to form the Short Deck?
Answer 2s through 5s
The 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s are stripped, leaving A, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K.
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A board shows A-7-8-9-10. A player holds a 6. What is their best straight?
Answer A-6-7-8-9 (the wheel)
Their 6 combines with A-7-8-9 to make the wheel A-6-7-8-9; note the board's 7-8-9-10 with the Ace does not itself form a straight without a 6 or J.
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Is A-6-7-8-9 a made hand you can bet?
Answer Yes, it is a completed straight, though the weakest one
The wheel is a genuine made straight; it is simply the lowest-ranking straight and should be played with that ceiling in mind.
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You hold the A-6-7-8-9 wheel on a board texture suggesting an opponent could have 10-J. What is the concern?
Answer They may have a higher straight like 7-8-9-10-J
Higher straights are very live in Short Deck, and any straight topping a 9 beats your wheel.
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Does having an Ace in your A-6-7-8-9 make it beat a K-high flush?
Answer No — a straight and a flush are compared by hand category, not by the Ace
Category ranking decides it; whether the flush beats the wheel depends on the variant's hand-ranking order, not on the Ace inside the straight.
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What nickname is commonly given to the A-6-7-8-9 straight in Short Deck?
Answer The wheel
As the lowest straight, A-6-7-8-9 inherits the 'wheel' nickname from the low straight of full-deck poker.
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A player says they have a straight with K-A-6-7-8. Are they correct?
Answer No — the Ace does not connect King to 6, so this is not a straight
The Ace never wraps; K-A-6-7-8 is a broken run, not a straight.
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Which straight beats the A-6-7-8-9 wheel by the smallest margin?
Answer 6-7-8-9-10
6-7-8-9-10 is the very next straight up (ten-high), just edging out the nine-high wheel.
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Best overall approach to the wheel against a single caller on a dry board?
Answer Bet it for value, staying alert to higher-straight boards
It is a value hand versus one opponent, but its bottom-of-the-ladder status means you fold to heavy action when a higher straight is obvious.
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The highest straight in Short Deck is:
Answer 10-J-Q-K-A (Broadway)
Broadway, 10-J-Q-K-A, is the highest straight, with the Ace playing high.
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How many Aces are in a Short Deck?
Answer Four
Only the low cards are removed; all four Aces remain in the 36-card deck.
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In Short Deck, the Ace can make Broadway with which four cards?
Answer 10-J-Q-K
10-J-Q-K-A is Broadway, the Ace playing at the top of the run.