Short Deck Hold'em Pre-Flop Strategy
Table Of Contents
The $1 million guaranteed Short Deck Series began on GGPoker today and runs until Sunday, February 27. Over 100 events are planned and the series is headlined by a $200,000 guaranteed $525 buy-in Short Deck Bounty Main Event.
Short Deck Poker, also referred to as 6+ Hold'em, is a poker variant that has grown since the latter half of the 2010's. Popularized by the likes of Tom Dwan and Triton Poker, the mainstream poker world has since fully embraced Short Deck poker. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has incorporated Short Deck bracelet events in its schedule since 2019, with Alex Epstein being the first player to win a WSOP Short Deck event.
Short Deck poker has also successfully infiltrated the online poker sphere as well, as evidenced by this GGPoker series and being a popular game on PokerStars.
What is Short Deck Poker?
For those unfamiliar with Short Deck, here is a brief description of the game and how it differs from regular Texas Hold'em. A more comprehensive Short Deck guide can be found here.
The main four things you need to know about Short Deck are:
- There are only 36 cards in a deck as all cards lower than a six are removed
- Each player posts an ante every hand and only the button puts in a blind
- Flushes beat full-houses
- An ace can act as a five, so Ax6x7x8x9x would be a straight
These differences make Short Deck an incredibly fun game to play, but hopping into a game blind could leave you in some precarious spots. It would be wise to note these Short Deck pre-flop tips before jumping into GGPoker's latest series.
Offsuit vs Suited Hands
One difference between Short Deck and Texas Hold'em that causes people to raise their eyebrows is the fact that a flush beats a full-house. The reason for this is that you are statistically more likely to make a full-house than a flush.
If you make a flush in Short Deck, you're likely to win an enormous pot as you are often going to be up against strong but weaker hands. A hand like J♥10♥ is not only stronger than J♠10♣ when it comes to equity but it is a much better hand as you'll win more huge pots over time.
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Pocket Pairs Are Devalued
There are some Short Deck formats where a three-of-a-kind is a stronger hand than a straight. However, in 6+ Hold'em on GGPoker and PokerStars this is not the case so naturally pocket pairs aren't as valuable in this instance. Flopping a set is always a good feeling but in Short Deck, if you don't boat up your trips will often be beaten by a straight. Due to card removal, it's much easier to make a straight in Short Deck than in NLHE.
Overpairs are also not as nutted as they are in NLHE, an opponent holding two-pair, a set or straight is more likely to happen in this format. Playing low pocket pairs like 66-88 can also get you into some shaky situations as set over set happens a lot. In Short Deck, pocket pairs make a set on the flop 17% of the time.
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Know Which Hands Are Trash
Stealing blinds in NLHE in late positions with marginal hands like A♠8♥ or K♦8♣ is completely normal but in Short Deck it is heavily discouraged. This is because these hands are actually the equivalent of trash holdings like 9♥4♣ in regular hold'em.
A hand like Q♥9♥ is fine to open in late position as you can straights and flushes. It makes much more sense to use this as a stealing hand.
Furthermore, offsuit AxXx hands are not suitable stealing candidates as just having one pair on the flop and no draw to the nuts is a terrible place to be in. Broadway aces are obviously a lot more playable but you must recognise that these hands do not perform well when compared to NLHE.
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GGPoker Short Deck Series Full Schedule
| DATE | Time (GMT) | BUY-IN | EVENT | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Feb 20 | 11:00 | $888 | Short Deck Asia High Roller $888 [3-Stack] | $20,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $10,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $5,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Sunday Special $125 [3-Stack] | $8,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $25,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $8,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck Sunday High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $30,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Sunday Main $250 [3-Stack] | $15,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 13:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Turbo $210 | $8,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 19:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 20:00 | $10,300 | Short Deck Super High Roller $10,300 [3-Stack] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 20 | 20:30 | $5,250 | Short Deck Bounty Super High Roller $5,250 | $75,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $6,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $4,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 13:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Daily Special $125 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $20,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $5,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $25,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Daily Main $250 [3-Stack] | $8,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 16:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Closer $210 | $4,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Mon, Feb 21 | 19:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $6,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $4,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 13:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Daily Special $125 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $20,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $5,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $25,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Daily Main $250 [3-Stack] | $8,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 16:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Closer $210 | $4,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Tue, Feb 22 | 19:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $6,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $4,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 13:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Daily Special $125 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $20,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $5,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $25,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Daily Main $250 [3-Stack] | $8,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 16:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Closer $210 | $4,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Wed, Feb 23 | 19:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $6,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $4,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 13:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Daily Special $125 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $20,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $5,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $25,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Daily Main $250 [3-Stack] | $8,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 16:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Closer $210 | $4,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Thur, Feb 24 | 19:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $3,500 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 13:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Daily Special $125 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $20,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $4,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $25,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Daily Main $250 [3-Stack] | $6,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 16:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Closer $210 | $3,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Fri, Feb 25 | 19:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $3,500 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 13:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Daily Special $125 [3-Stack] | $5,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $20,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $4,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $25,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Daily Main $250 [3-Stack] | $6,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 16:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Closer $210 | $3,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sat, Feb 26 | 19:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 08:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 08:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 10:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 11:00 | $888 | Short Deck Asia High Roller $888 [3-Stack] | $20,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 11:00 | $88 | Short Deck Asia Special $88 [3-Stack] | $10,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 11:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 12:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty $52.50 | $5,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 12:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 13:00 | $125 | Short Deck Sunday Special $125 [3-Stack] | $8,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 14:00 | $1,050 | Short Deck Bounty High Roller $1,050 | $25,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 14:00 | $105 | Short Deck Bounty $105 | $8,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 14:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Last Chance] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 14:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Last Chance] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 15:00 | $1,500 | Short Deck Sunday High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack] | $30,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 15:00 | $250 | Short Deck Sunday Main $250 [3-Stack] | $15,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 16:00 | $210 | Short Deck Bounty Turbo $210 | $8,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 16:00 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Last Minute] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 16:00 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Last Minute] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 17:30 | $525 | Short Deck Bounty Main Event $525 [Final Stage] | $200,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 17:30 | $52.50 | Short Deck Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Final Stage] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 20:00 | $10,300 | Short Deck Super High Roller $10,300 [3-Stack] | $100,000 |
| Sun, Feb 27 | 20:30 | $5,250 | Short Deck Bounty Super High Roller $5,250 | $75,000 |
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum's proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.
