Poker is one of the most popular card games among Mason Slots members. This game has many disciplines, among which Texas Hold’em and Omaha have the greatest number of loyal fans. However, even these versions have their own varieties. Today we will introduce you to the Short Deck discipline.
This is a type of Texas Hold’em, in which only cards from “six” and above are used. That is why it is also called 6+ Hold’em. The rules are very similar to the familiar Texas Hold’em, but there are several significant changes.
The Main Features of Short Deck
As mentioned above, cards from “five” to “two” do not participate in this poker game. Accordingly, there are 36 cards available in the draw.
The poker players do not place blinds on the preflop, but are forced to ante (a mandatory fixed bet for all players).
A kind of analogue of the big blind in Short Deck is the “Button Ante” bet. It is usually equal to the ante. It must be placed by the player on the batton (or by the dealer, if the game takes place without a master). Thus, unlike other participants, this poker player is obliged to make a double mandatory bet.
One more feature of this type of poker is that the poker player to the left of the dealer moves first.
In Texas Hold’em, the minimum bet after the flop, turn or river is the big blind. In this type, it’s the ante.
As in Texas Hold’em, an Ace (A) can be the weakest card to make up the straight (Example: A-6-7-8-9).
The most significant difference between 6+ Hold’em and original Texas Hold’em is the different order of combinations. In Short Deck, a flush is less likely than a full house, so combinations of five cards of the same suit are valued higher. Another difference is that a set is valued higher than a straight, so a player with three of the same cards will win the deal against an opponent with five cards in a row. True, some poker rooms change the rules and may use the standard ranking of combinations.
It is important to note that in 6+ Hold’em, the number of possible starting hands is much smaller than in Texas. For example, while normally the probability of getting a pair in a hand is 5.9%, in Short Deck it rises to 8.6%. In addition, the SD is divided into three subspecies: Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit.
In the limited-limit game, each player can make no more than three raises per betting round. With pot-limit there’s another limit, the maximum raise can’t be higher than the current pot size. In no-limit play, there is no limit on the stakes, other than the size of the player’s stack.
So, being one of the variations of Texas Hold’em, Short Deck is also well-spread, especially among advanced gamblers. But since it’s not as popular as the other types, the chances of becoming a professional here are higher.
