Short Deck (6+) Hold'em

It’s like No-Limit Hold’em, except the deck is missing sixteen cards

Same two hole cards, same five board cards, same streets. But every 2, 3, 4 and 5 is removed, leaving 36 cards with sixes as the lowest. Fewer cards means different odds, so the hand rankings change.

Rarity: low in mixed-game rooms. WSOP’s 2026 rules include it as a game that can be called, but it is known as a high-stakes game from Asia and online, not a mixed-game staple. [INFERENCE: no source we read lists a US room with a regular short-deck game.]

30-second cheat sheet

• 36-card deck: 6 through ace in all four suits.
• Two hole cards, five board cards, best five of seven, just like Hold’em.
• Flush beats full house. Flushes are rarer here (nine cards per suit).
• Ace plays high or low. A-6-7-8-9 is a straight, the lowest one.
• Straight beats three of a kind in the WSOP list, but some rooms flip it. Ask at the table.
• Usually ante-only: everyone antes and the button posts a bigger ante, normally double. No blinds.
• No-limit or pot-limit. High hand only.

Full rules

The deck and the ante

Take a standard deck and remove the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s. The usual game is called “ante-only”. Every player posts an ante and the button posts a bigger one, normally double. WSOP’s example: in a $200/$400 game everyone posts $200 and the button posts $400. Action starts left of the button.

Betting

Two hole cards each. Betting round, three-card flop, betting, turn, betting, river, betting. After the flop, play is ordinary no-limit or pot-limit.

Rooms disagree: the pre-flop

WSOP’s rule is strict: pre-flop you may only fold or put in exactly three times the big blind, with no raising, limping or straddling. (WSOP says “big blind” even though the game uses antes, so read that as the button’s ante amount; this is our reading.) Online rooms and Triton-style games let you raise normally and limp. Ask which one you’re in. WSOP caps this game at 9 players, and short-deck PLO at 6.

Showdown and the rankings

Best five cards from seven. You may use both hole cards, one, or none. WSOP’s order, strongest first: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, flush, full house, straight, three of a kind, two pair, pair, high card.

Why flush beats full house: each suit has only 9 cards, so you hit a flush much less often than a boat.

The ace is high or low in straights: A-K-Q-J-10 is the top and A-6-7-8-9 is the bottom. Ties split the pot.

Rooms disagree: trips and straights

WSOP, PokerNews and PokerCoaching (calling it the Triton and online standard) put the straight above three of a kind. PokerListings states the opposite order, trips over straight, and Wikipedia notes some rooms use it. This page follows WSOP. Confirm at the table before the first big pot.

Worked examples

There are no verified worked examples for this game yet. The example evaluator cannot score the short-deck rankings.

How you’ll embarrass yourself

• Thinking a full house beats a flush. Here the flush wins.
• Missing the A-6-7-8-9 straight. The ace is low in that one. A player holding 9-8 may not notice a straight on 6-7-A.
• Overvaluing sets, top pair and aces. Pairs are weaker, straight draws are stronger, and pocket kings are only about a 53% favourite over suited A-K (PokerCoaching).
• Using Hold’em outs math. Fewer unseen cards means the usual “2 and 4” shortcut understates things. PokerListings and PokerCoaching suggest 3 and 6.
• Assuming blinds. There are antes and a bigger button ante.

Lore and reputation

Wikipedia says 6+ is a variation of Manila (created in 2010 or earlier), once popular in Australia and among high-stakes gamblers in Asia. In 2015 Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan promoted it in an online video, and Triton Poker’s 2018 series hosted the first televised six-plus tournaments; Ivey won the first Triton HK$250,000 short deck ante-only event for US$617,396. Careful: “Manila” is also the name of a different 32-card game, so do not treat the two names as interchangeable without checking.