Short Deck (6+); The Newest Hold'em Format That's Taken the Poker World by Storm

How does Short Deck work?

Pre-flop

Instead of blinds, all players must post an ante.

To start things off, the dealer (button) is required to post an additional button blind.

The player to the left of the dealer is first to act.

The minimum pre-flop raise is double the ante.

Flop

Three communal cards are dealt face up, starting the next round of betting.

As with pre-flop, the player to the left of the dealer is first to act.

Turn

A fourth shared card is added, followed by a further round of betting.

River

The final communal card is dealt, beginning the final round of betting.

Showdown

Players make hands using one or both of their hole cards and the five community cards to make the best hand, however in Short Deck,

Flush beats a full house

A-6-7-8-9 is a straight (the Ace plays high or low, so 10-J-Q-K-A is also a straight)

A-6-7-8-9 of same suit is a straight flush

Removal of Chips

Similar to All in or Fold, players are able to remove chips from the table once they build a big enough stack. In Short Deck, chips beyond 100 button blinds are able to be removed

Ante Example:

In a $1 ante game, the ante is $1 and the additional button blind is $1:

Players have the option to fold, call $1 or make a pre-flop raise (minimum $2).