What is Short-Deck Poker?

In this guide, we’ll look at Short-Deck Poker, what it means to play with a short deck, and the different Short-Deck Poker variations, rules and tips. First, we’ll dive into the most popular version, Short-Deck Texas Hold ‘Em.

How to play Short Deck Texas Hold’em

Short-Deck Texas Hold’em poker is a simple variation of Texas Hold’em with a few changes that make it both faster-paced and full of high hands.

It mostly follows the same rules as Texas Hold’em, but Short Deck is played with a 36-card deck rather than with a 52-card deck. In Short-Deck Texas Hold’em, all the 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards are removed from the deck, making 6 the lowest card.

The game is played with five community cards just like in Texas Hold’em and follows the same process after the cards have been dealt, with four betting rounds in total.

All players are initially dealt two private cards (hole cards) that no one else is allowed to see. Then the dealer spreads out five more community cards face upwards – first three, then one, then one more. Therefore, all players in the game can make use of seven cards (2 hole cards + 3 + 1 + 1) to create their optimal five-card hand.

Short-Deck Texas Hold’em allows players to assemble their best hand by selecting any combination of five cards from the face-up cards on the table, plus two, one (or none) of their own two-hole cards, just like in standard Texas Hold’em.

Difference between Short-Deck Texas Hold’em and other poker games

Short-Deck Texas Hold’em is just one variation of several games under the poker umbrella.

The basis of poker is a game between two or more players trying to accumulate the best hand based on a predefined hand-ranking system.

Short-Deck Texas Hold’em is almost identical to Texas Hold’em. The main differences are the size of the deck, 36 cards instead of 52, the way the river is played (in some variations), and the hand-ranking order (in some variations).

The deck is a standard one, minus the 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s.

In Short Deck, the probability of certain hands appearing slightly changes as there are fewer cards in the deck and more picture cards. Because of this, in some variations, some of the rankings of hands are changed.

Short-Deck Texas Hold ‘Em poker rules

The main difference between Short-Deck Poker and regular Texas Hold’em is the structure of the hands. All flushes and straight draws become much stronger because there are fewer cards in the deck to complete these hands. For example, a flush draw that needs an 8 would have six outs in a standard deck, but only four outs in a short deck. This makes it harder to play weak hands like gutshots and overcards, since they become much less likely to hit.

In addition, straights are much more valuable in Short-Deck Poker. A straight draw with two gaps can be considered a strong hand, as it only requires one card to complete it. Even one gap straight draws should be taken seriously, as it has two cards in the deck to complete it.

Another interesting aspect of Short-Deck Poker is that it uses a different blind structure than regular Texas Hold’em. Since there are fewer cards in the deck, the blinds start much higher and move up quickly. This means that players need to adjust their strategies accordingly to be successful in short deck games.

Changes in hand rankings in Short-Deck Poker

As with any poker game, the hand rankings change when a different number of cards is used. In Short-Deck Poker, the hand rankings are as follows:

The best possible hand in Short-Deck Poker is a Royal Flush. But because there are fewer cards, it is much harder to make this hand than it is in Texas Hold’em. Other strong hands include Full Houses, Flushes and Straights. High-card hands tend to be more common in Short-Deck Poker than they are in other variants due to the fewer number of cards in play.

So if you’re looking for a fast-paced game with some interesting changes to traditional poker, give Short-Deck Poker a try!

Tips to play Short-Deck Texas Holdem

Like any competitive game or activity, Short-Deck Texas Hold’em requires a certain degree of knowledge combined with experience for a player to understand their probability of winning and when to fold. Here are some tips to consider before your next game:

• Completely understand the rules of Short-Deck Texas Hold’em.
• Practice and learn from mistakes
• Only play when you can afford to lose. Learn how William Hill gives you control of your gambling.
• Don’t be overconfident with a good hand; somebody could easily have a better one than you.
• Master the poker face if your face is visible or chat is enabled.
• Know the probabilities of whether a hand will win/lose.
• Know the best and worst hands.
• Be comfortable with a losing streak; not even the best players can win all the time.

Play poker online with William Hill Vegas

Fancy giving online Short-Deck Poker a try? We’ve got dozens of poker variants ready to try at William Hill Vegas.

Once you’ve deposited (look out for bonuses), jump into a live game or play without cash to get the hang of it. Then, the sky’s the limit as you master your poker skills!