When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn If you’re new to Short Deck Poker and want to learn how it works, we’re here to assist. This guide will explain the rules, hand rankings and strategies. Moreover, you’ll find the best online poker sites for players in the United States with Short Deck Poker.
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| Best Crypto Poker Site |
CoinPoker |
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Short Deck Poker Comparison
The table below summarizes the key features of each poker site for your convenience.
| Poker Room | Welcome Bonus | Rake (Cap) | Rakeback | Network |
| CoinPoker | 100% up to ₮1,100 | 5% ($1) | 33% | Proprietary |
| BetOnline | 100% up to $1,000 | 6.25% (max $3) | N/A | Chico |
| Bovada | 100% up to $500 | 5% (max $3) | N/A | PaiWangLuo |
| Everygame | 200% up to $1,000 + 25 Free Casino Spins | 6.67% (max $5) | 36% | Horizon |
| SportsBetting.ag | 100% up to $1,000 | 6.25% (max $3) | N/A | Chico |
What is Short Deck Poker?
If you know how to play Hold’em, short deck poker is quite a natural jump for those of you seeking fast-paced action. Its name comes from the fact that it’s played with a smaller deck of cards.
Instead of the standard 52-card setup used in most forms of poker, all of the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s are removed. This creates a “short” deck of just 36 cards. And that means more big pots.
Some people refer to the game as Six Plus Hold’em instead, since the only cards used are ranked 6 and above. Don’t confuse this with Six Card Poker, which is a casino table game.
Another name you might hear is Manila Poker. That’s because Short Deck emerged in the high stakes cash games of Asia.
People like Paul Phua, creator of the Triton Poker series, as well as Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan, have all been around this scene. All three played a big role in popularizing the game.
How to Play Short Deck Poker
Other than the reduced deck size, the rules of the game are pretty much the same as traditional Texas Hold’em. For example, there is still a pre-flop betting round with forced blinds. The flop, turn and river still exist, and these play out exactly as you’d expect. There is, however, a key change to the hand rankings, as you’ll discover shortly. First though, let’s learn how to start playing Short Deck.
Find a Poker Site
To begin with, you’ll need an online poker room that offers this fascinating game. We recommend CoinPoker, as it’s easy to use, is bursting with rewarding bonuses and, of course, you can play Short Deck Hold’em.
Register an Account
Next, you’ll need to create an account. The CoinPoker registration process is straightforward and you’ll be playing in no time.
Make a Deposit
Once your new account is open and you’ve verified your identity, it’s time to fund your wallet. Hit “Deposit” to visit the cashier, then follow the instructions on your screen to deposit some money.
Play a Game
Equipped with a fully-loaded CoinPoker account, you can now take a seat. Head to the lobby and use the filters to select your desired game type. Press “Show Games” to display a list of every table that meets your criteria, choose from the list and start playing.
Typical Hand of Short Deck Poker
Here is how a game of Short Deck Poker plays out:
- Before the hand begins, every player puts in an ante and the player on the button also posts a blind. There is no small blind.
- Just like Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two cards face down.
- In order to call, players must increase their ante to match the big blind. You can also raise as you would in standard Texas Hold’em.
- Once betting is complete, the three-card flop is dealt face up. These are community cards which anyone can use. Another round of betting takes place.
- Once the betting is complete, a fourth community card – the turn – is dealt. This is followed by another round of betting.
- The final community card, known as the river, is dealt and followed by a final round of betting.
- If two or more players remain in the hand after betting is complete, they reveal their hole cards at showdown and the winner takes the pot.
Short Deck Poker Rules
Before you create a poker account, it’s important to learn the rules of the game. The good news is that, if you’ve ever played Texas Hold’em, you’re already well on the way to understanding Short Deck.
As explained elsewhere, the rules are basically the same as traditional Hold’em. The key difference is the reduced deck size, and there are no cards ranked 2 through 5 in play.
This affects the frequency of flushes, meaning they become more valuable than a full house in the rankings.
However, everything else remains the same, including aces counting as both the highest and lowest card. With no low-value cards in play, the lowest possible straight becomes A-6-7-8-9.
How To Bet
Betting rules in short deck poker are almost identical to standard Texas Hold’em. You’ll bet after the flop, turn and river before showdown.
The key difference is pre-flop. In short deck poker rules, every player has to post an ante in every hand. This is something you’ll see in certain Texas Hold’em games, or in the latter stages of tournaments, but in short deck poker it’s standard.
The other major difference is the blinds. In regular Hold’em, there’s a small blind to the left of the dealer and the big blind one further spot to the left.
With short deck poker hands, the only player to post a blind is the one sat on the button.
What is the Possibility of a Flush?
You probably know all of the basic Texas Hold’em poker odds, but Short Deck is quite different. As there are four cards missing from each suit – the 2, 3, 4 and 5 – it is much harder to make a flush.
Preflop, the chances of being dealt any two suited cards fall slightly. In Short Deck, it’s 1 in 4.4 (22.9%) compared to 1 in 4.25 (23.5%) in Hold’em. If you do hold two suited cards, you have just seven outs with which to complete your flush, as opposed to 11 in Hold’em.
In Texas Hold’em, you’ll flop a flush draw around 11% of the time, but it’s just 9.5% in Short Deck. If you do, you’ll complete the flush by the river on just 30% of occasions, compared to 34.5% in regular Hold’em.
Other Short Deck vs Texas Hold’em Stats
As previously mentioned, short deck poker is played with 36 cards instead of 52. At the start of the hand every player posts an ante, and the button posts a blind. Apart from that, betting unfolds as it would in regular Hold’em.
Here are some other interesting statistical differences between Short Deck and Texas Hold’em:
| Texas Hold’em | Short Deck | |
| Unique starting hand combinations | 1,326 | 630 |
| Chances of starting with a pocket pair | 1 in 17 | 1 in 11.66 |
| Chances of starting with pocket aces | 1 in 221 | 1 in 105 |
| Probability of starting with connecting cards | 1 in 6.4 | 1 in 4.4 |
| Probability of starting with Ace-King | 1 in 83 | 1 in 39 |
Short Deck Poker Hand Rankings
Although the best hands in Short Deck Poker remain the same as Hold’em, there’s one major difference. Since it’s tougher to make a flush, that particular hand is now ranked higher than a full house.
Here’s the complete set of Short Deck Hold’em rankings:
| Hand | Example |
| Straight Flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ |
| Four of a Kind | 7♥ 7♦ 7♣ 7♠ A♠ |
| Flush | A♣ K♣ Q♣ T♣ 8♣ |
| Full House | J♠ J♥ J♦ 6♥ 6♠ |
| Straight | K♥ Q♦ J♥ T♠ 9♣ |
| Three of a Kind | Q♣ Q♠ Q♦ A♠ 7♥ |
| Two Pairs | J♠ J♣ 8♦ 8♥ K♠ |
| One Pair | K♦ K♠ A♦ 9♥ 8♥ |
| High Card | A♣ K♥ T♣ 9♦ 8♥ |
Top Sites with Short Deck Poker Reviewed
In the next section of our guide, we’ll look at some of the best online poker sites available to US players. Whether you’re looking to play Short Deck Poker online, or dabble with some Omaha and Seven Card Stud, these are the places to be.
1. CoinPoker – Top Poker Site for Crypto
- Founded: 2018
- Payout speed: Within 24 hours
- License: Curaçao
- Headquarters: Curaçao
We kick off our collection of recommended Short Deck poker sites with a cryptocurrency-focused operator.
You can use six different tokens to deposit and withdraw, including Bitcoin and the site’s own special coin, CHP.
Although this does mean that more traditional payment options are lacking, if you’re a blockchain fan, you won’t mind at all. Especially not given how quickly your withdrawals are going to be processed; they’re usually turned around in under 24 hours.
What’s more, CoinPoker boasts one of the slickest native poker apps around, and it’s packed with busy cash tables and tournaments. Most importantly, it’s possible to play Short Deck, which is the main reason this poker site features on our list.
Features Overview
- Poker Options: 10/10
- Promotions & Rewards: 9/10
- User Experience: 9/10
- Payment Methods: 7/10
- Customer Support: 9/10
- Six Plus Poker tables
- 24 hour payout processing
- Good volume of players
- 33% rakeback offer
- No old-school banking options
- Lacks some classic poker games
2. BetOnline – Offshore Site with Super-Fast Withdrawals
- Founded: 2004
- Payout speed: Within 24 hours
- License: Antigua and Barbuda
- Headquarters: Panama
Taking second spot is one of reputable offshore poker sites licensed by the government of Panama. BetOnline began life as a sportsbook, before adding a casino and poker room.
Part of the Chico network, the third-busiest in terms of traffic, you won’t be short of tables to join or tournaments to enter.
The site offers more game formats than most too, including Seven Card Stud. But the Six Plus Hold’em tables are why BetOnline really makes our list.
Its standout feature is definitely the speedy payouts, which are processed on the same day when using any of the 16 different cryptocurrency tokens. In addition, there are plenty of interesting tournament formats and promotions to get involved with.
Features Overview
- Poker Options: 10/10
- Promotions & Rewards: 9/10
- User Experience: 8/10
- Payment Methods: 8/10
- Customer Support: 9/10
- Same-day withdrawals
- Bitcoin and 15 other crypto options
- Many opponents at all times of day
- Six Plus Hold’em tables
- Prohibitive card payment charges
- No rakeback bonus
3. Bovada – Play Fast-Fold Games at This High Limit Site
- Founded: 2011
- Payout speed: Within 48 hours
- License: Curaçao
- Headquarters: Curaçao
Bovada has been operating for a long time, earning a fantastic reputation with US-based gamblers. It’s become known as one of the country’s leading all-round gambling sites, regularly featuring on lists of the best online casinos with no limits.
The poker room is pretty great too, with the majority of the most popular games available, in a range of formats.
That said, you can’t play Seven Card Stud, which is a bit of a shame. Still, the fast-fold Hold’em games are particularly good fun.
This is another poker operator that’s big on cryptocurrency, with all kinds of perks for players using Bitcoin. For example, there are special bonuses, as well as reduced withdrawal times.
Features Overview
- Poker Options: 7/10
- Promotions & Rewards: 8/10
- User Experience: 8/10
- Payment Methods: 8/10
- Customer Support: 9/10
- Variety of games
- Bitcoin-specific bonuses
- Play in a browser without downloads
- Excellent reputation
- Lacks of native apps
- No stud poker
4. Everygame – Well-Established Poker Site with Great Reputation
- Founded: 1996 (as Intertops)
- Payout speed: Within 48 hours
- License: Kahnawake Gaming Commission
- Headquarters: Antigua
Next up in our compilation of top Short Deck poker sites, we have Everygame. Formerly-known as Intertops, this site has been around since the mid-1990s, and there are few poker operators that can boast such experience.
On the one hand, it means they know how to run a good poker site, so you’re sure to have an enjoyable experience.
There are plenty of games, and a fairly poor standard of opposition to boot.
However, the site is beginning to look a little tired and we’d love to see it receive a re-design with modern features. But in the meantime, be sure to enjoy the fine selection of tournaments with generous guarantees, plus the comparatively low 5% rake.
Features Overview
- Poker Options: 7/10
- Promotions & Rewards: 8/10
- User Experience: 8/10
- Payment Methods: 8/10
- Customer Support: 9/10
- Play no-download poker in a browser
- Favorable rake
- Busy cash game tables
- Frequent overlays in tournaments
- Software looking old
- Other sites are busier
5. SportsBetting.ag – Quality Sportsbook with Excellent Poker Offering
- Founded: 2004
- Payout speed: Within 24 hours
- License: Antigua and Barbuda
- Headquarters: Panama
Aside from being one of the country’s best online sportsbooks, SportsBetting.ag also provides a first-class poker room. You can dive straight into the action using your browser, with no need to download any software.
Part of the busy Chico network, there’s a healthy selection of games to enjoy including the ability to play Short Deck poker online.
Omaha variants, Seven Card Stud and fast-fold games can all be found here.
There’s an abundance of crypto payment options, which is a good thing given the high 9.75% card fees. Choose from Bitcoin, Ethereum and 14 other cryptocurrencies to ensure you receive a payout inside 24 hours.
Features Overview
- Other Poker Options: 10/10
- Promotions & Rewards: 8/10
- User Experience: 8/10
- Payment Methods: 7/10
- Customer Support: 9/10
- Short Deck available
- Very fast withdrawals
- Lucrative bonuses and promotions
- Instant play
- High card transaction fees
- Lack of eWallet payment options
Short Deck Hold’em Strategy
Having learned how to play Short Deck Poker, as well as the best sites at which to get involved, you’re almost ready to start. However, before taking your seat at the table, you should understand and keep these Short Deck Poker strategy tips in mind.
Other Short Deck Poker Variants
Short deck poker is very similar to a number of other poker games:
- No-limit Texas Hold’em: How could we not compare the two? Most players figure out how to play short deck poker on the backdrop of their Texas Hold’em knowledge, which uses a full 52-card deck and has slightly different hand rankings.
- Pot-limit Texas Hold’em: Some players and experts have predicted that short deck poker will eventually overtake pot limit Texas Hold’em in popularity. It’s a more restrained version of the standard no-limit game which prohibits any over-the-top all-ins which are many multiples bigger than the pot itself.
- Spin & Go: First introduced by Winamax in 2013 but popularized as Spin & Gos, these are fast-paced Sit & Gos. Similar to short deck poker, they usually use Hold’em rules and have short stacks which induce plenty of action.
- Zoom: Another tournament format which goes by several monikers, Zoom is one example of this table-switching tourney where, as soon as you fold, you’re shifted to a new seat with a new hand. The fast pace and increased action shares a strong synergy with short deck poker.
Types of Poker Bonuses
A key feature of all the best online poker sites is the promotions on offer. Brands have to work hard to win our favor, and one way to do this is to look after us with generous bonuses.
Let’s take a look at the most common promotions found at top poker sites in the US.
Supported Online Payment Methods
Although it’s possible to play for fun, most people will be looking for real money action. Fortunately, there are many secure, fast and convenient ways to fund your Short Deck poker account.
Cryptocurrencies
One of our favorite ways to deposit and withdraw is using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It offers an extra layer of anonymity, which is ideal should an account ever be compromised.
However, the main reason to fund your account with cryptocurrency is definitely the improved withdrawal speeds. Most online poker sites – including CoinPoker, our favorite Short Deck poker app – can turn crypto payouts around in just 24 hours.
Along with Bitcoin, the top poker sites accept transactions using dozens of popular tokens. Expect to see Ethereum, Ripple, Solana and Dogecoin among the options, while CoinPoker even features its own unique cryptocurrency.
Debit and Credit Cards
If you’re still wary of jumping aboard the crypto bandwagon, fear not. Pretty much every poker site allows you to deposit using credit and debit cards.
Brands like American Express, Mastercard and Visa have been in the online gambling business since the very beginning. In fact, the latter has been processing payments for 65 years, handling around 242 billion transactions annually around the world.
Although plastic withdrawals take a little longer than crypto payments, they still offer a desirable blend of speed, security and convenience.
Bank Transfer
Direct bank transfers are falling out of favor because they’re one of the slowest ways to transact. However, some traditionalists prefer to deposit and withdraw in this fashion, and the best Short Deck poker sites cater to everyone.
One upside to using bank transfers is the lack of fuss. For instance, you don’t need a cryptocurrency wallet or to register an account with a third-party like PayPal or Neteller.
eWallets
One of the most convenient ways to store your poker bankroll is with an eWallet like Skrill. Using such a tool helps to keep gambling funds separate from your everyday cash, as it doesn’t need to touch your main bank account.
Brands like Neteller have been processing online poker transactions since 2000, and few companies can boast such extensive experience.
What’s more, withdrawals to eWallets are almost always instant, and transaction fees are minimal.
Prepaid Cards
A highly underrated payment method, prepaid cards are extremely useful for those who don’t have access to traditional banking facilities.
In addition, they’re a fantastic tool for managing your spending and playing Hold’em, Omaha and Short Deck poker in a responsible fashion.
They function like gift cards, meaning you must load them with money beforehand. You can only spend whatever amount is on the card, which makes them extra secure.
After all, if your account were to be hacked, or the card stolen, your potential losses are limited. This partly explains the recent rise in EntroPay and Flexepin casinos, for instance.
Pay in Cash with Retail Partner
Depositing with cash is another great way to stay in control of how much you’re spending at your chosen poker site.
By using PayNearMe, you can visit more than 60,000 retail outlets across the United States to fund your account.
Simply head to the local CVS or 7-Eleven, hand over the cash and you’re all set to play some Short Deck Poker.
Other Poker Payment Methods
As if the aforementioned payment options weren’t enough, some poker sites find even more creative ways to facilitate transactions.
eChecks are fairly common in the United States, serving the same purpose as their paper counterparts, only with greater security and less admin involved.
At the more high-tech end of the scale, it’s increasingly common to see gambling companies adopting mobile payments. Apple Pay and Google Pay are the two most popular examples.
Best Short Deck Poker Site – Our Verdict
Short Deck Poker began life as a niche game for super high rollers in Asia. However, since the likes of Tom Dwan began to publicize the game, its popularity has skyrocketed.
Thanks to our guide, you’ve learned everything you need to get started playing Short Deck, also known as Six Plus Poker. From the rules and basic strategy advice, to the best sites at which to play.
All that remains is to choose a trusted online poker site and register to play. We strongly recommend CoinPoker, which hosts generous promotions and secure payment methods.
How We Test and Review Poker Websites
150+ Gambling Platforms Reviewed
1,100+ Games Software Tested
200+ Monthly Hours of Research
375+ Promotions Verified
Playing online poker is becoming more popular by the day and you need to choose a reputable site that best matches your needs.
We here at Techopedia have an in-house review process that’s analyzed by our poker experts that covers each and every aspect of the most popular online poker sites in the world.
In particular we look at:
- Rakeback and other bonuses
- Game selection
- Player pool size
- Reputation and safety
- Payment methods
To find out more, take a look at our detailed guide on how we test gambling platforms and poker sites featured on Techopedia.
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Affiliate Disclosure: Techopedia may receive advertising commissions for visits to a suggested operator through our affiliate links, at no added cost to you. However, all our recommendations are unbiased and follow a thorough review process. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly and you must be of legal gambling age.
References
- https://upswingpoker.com/what-is-rakeback-and-how-can-you-get-it/ (What is Rakeback And How Can You Get It?)
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/261327/number-of-per-card-credit-card-transactions-worldwide-by-brand-as-of-2011/ (Number of purchase transactions on global general purpose card brands American Express, Diners/Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa from 2014 to 2022)
- https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-tools/odds-calculator/texas-holdem (Texas Hold’em Poker Odds Calculator)
