Short Deck Poker — 6+ Hold'em

Short Deck started in Hong Kong private clubs and gained wide exposure through high-stakes cash games and televised coverage. The reason it caught on: fewer cards means more confrontations. Straights and sets come up more often, and hands run closer together in equity.

The result: a dynamic, fast, very "postflop-oriented" game. If regular Hold\'em feels stale, Short Deck offers a completely different rhythm.

1. Royal Flush — A-K-Q-J-T same suit
2. Straight Flush — 5 in a row, same suit
3. Four of a Kind
4. Flush — 5 same suit
5. Full House
6. Straight — including A-6-7-8-9 (A plays as 5)
7. Three of a Kind
8. Two Pair / Pair / High Card

This order is not universal. In common rulesets a Flush ranks above a Full House, because in a 36-card deck a flush is rare relative to a full house. The trips-versus-straight order changes between rooms: some rank three of a kind above a straight, others do the opposite.

Short Deck has no single standard. Both the ante structure and the hand order can differ between rooms, and sometimes between tables in the same room.

Check the rules of the specific table in the lobby before you sit down. This single difference changes hand values completely.

• Closer equity: with a shortened deck, hands run closer together and lopsided 80/20 spots are rare.
• Stronger draws: an open-ended straight draw on the flop has 8 clean outs among 31 unknown cards — about 25.8% on the next card, and about 45.6% by the river (1 − 23/31 × 22/30).
• More postflop confrontations: don\'t bluff-steal on easy rivers — someone will call.
• Ante Button discount: if only the Button pays double ante — less reason to steal blinds.

Short Deck tables can also be found at ClubGG Israel. Availability, stakes and exact rules depend on the current club and table — check the live lobby and the table rules.

Want to start? Join the club.