Short Deck (6+ Hold'em) against standard Texas Hold'em — every difference, side by side.
Highlighted rows are the differences
| Item | Standard Hold'em | Short Deck (6+) |
|---|---|---|
| Deck size | 52 cards | 36 cards |
| Ranks | 2–A (13 ranks) | 6–A (9 ranks) |
| Removed cards | None | 2, 3, 4, 5 (16 cards) |
| Flush vs full house | Full house is higher | Flush is higher |
| Straight vs three of a kind | Straight is higher | Straight is higher (same) |
| Lowest straight (wheel) | A-2-3-4-5 (5 high) | A-6-7-8-9 (9 high) |
| Role of the ace | Highest, or low in the wheel | Highest; also lowest (A-6-7-8-9) |
| Odds of being dealt AA | ≈ 0.45% | ≈ 1.19% |
| Betting structure | Small / big blind | Usually ante from everyone + one extra on the button |
| Typical table size | 2–9 players | 2–6 players |
| Variance | Moderate | High — strong hands get cracked often |
Highest to lowest; highlighted rows differ from standard Hold'em
With the 5 removed, A-2-3-4-5 is impossible. The lowest straight is A-6-7-8-9, with the 9 playing high. The ace therefore does double duty:
Because the ace extends downward into straights, ace-high hands gain significant value in Short Deck. Small pairs and small suited connectors lose value — they simply have fewer straights available.
The direct consequences of a 36-card deck
Being dealt AA is roughly 1.19%, more than double the ≈0.45% in standard Hold'em. Every specific starting hand shows up more often.
Your outs are a larger share of the deck, so draws complete far more often on the flop — the main driver of the higher variance.
An open-ended straight draw against an overpair on the flop is close to a coin flip (around 53%) — a spot where the draw usually trails in standard Hold'em.
Everything below a 6 is gone, so hands built around low cards lose most of their combinations.
Figures are common approximations; exact odds vary with rule details such as ante size and bet sizing.
Not strictly, but in practice almost all Short Deck games use an ante structure: everyone posts one ante each hand and there are no traditional blinds. Note that the button normally posts one extra (Triton calls it a double ante, PokerStars calls it the button blind) — that extra bet is what replaces the big blind. It guarantees a pot to contest on every hand and speeds the game up. A few sites still use blinds, so check before you sit down.
Thirty-six: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A in four suits. The 2s through 5s are removed.
Once the deck shrinks, assembling five cards of one suit (from nine per suit) becomes harder relative to making three of a kind plus a pair. Rankings follow difficulty, so the flush moves above the full house.
The fundamentals carry over, but starting-hand values need reordering. See the beginner's guide for the strategic adjustments.
No sign-up, no download — open your browser and play. Chips have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for money or prizes. Entertainment only.