To tell the truth, the rules are very simple : by removing a few cards from the deck (you play with 36 cards in all), only the hierarchies of points change a bit. It can be confusing to the max that the 6+ rules are not yet standardized around the world.
More difficult is playing 6+ Hold’em well and winning money at the table. Here you are then six invaluable tips that come directly from the Upswing Poker site, the famous poker school run by people like the very American champion Doug Polk.
Play fewer offsuit hands
Offsuit hands lose a lot of value in Short Deck Hold’em because in this game the flush is worth more and beats the full house. As a result, offended hands must be played less and less aggressively. At the time, even couples that were considered “monsters” in Hold’em can lose some value: let’s think for example of AA or KK. Remember that there are no more cards of 2 to 5, so pairs start from 6 and up.
Play more suited hands and pairs
This is basically a counterpoint to the first. Since flushes and trips are potentially worth more, starting suited hands and pocket pairs take on more value . But let’s clarify one thing: on Stars the straight still beats three of a kind although it is more difficult to close three of a kind than straight.
Use the rule of 6 and 3 to estimate odds
Do you remember the Texas Hold’em rule that allows you to calculate outs after the flop and after the turn ? We are all used to multiplying the useful cards x4 or x2 to get our favorable percentage.
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In the new 6+ Hold’em the calculations are similar but the figures change. On the flop we have to multiply our outs by 6 . For example, if we have an 8-card straight draw, we calculate 8 × 6 and get a 48% straight on the river.
On the turn we obviously have to halve the number by which to multiply the outs: let’s do a simple ” by 3 “. In the example of the same possible straight with 8 outs, we make 8 × 3 and we get 24%.
Clearly these are shortcuts . The real percentages in the examples cited above are 45.5% and 26.6%. However, appreciate the simplicity of the calculations. As you can see, the difference is just a couple of percentage points.
Watch out for scale draws
In some Short Deck games the straight loses to three of a kind, so chasing the straight makes less sense. We could be sensationally drawing dead. For comparison, straight draws in Short Deck become like weak flush draws in Texas Hold’em. With A 5 on a flop of 10 9 3, we might make the best spot but we could also be dead.
Use bottom and middle pairs in semi-bluffs
Medium pairs and bottom pairs are great hands for semi-bluffing in the Short Deck for several reasons. First of all because there are more chances to improve your points with fewer cards in the deck. Furthermore, trips are worth more in some cases, as we have explained. Finally, let’s not forget that the couples in the Short Deck have less value at the showdown and therefore do not hope to win many pots with them: rather turn them into bluffs, if you have the opportunity.
Use your knowledge of traditional Hold’em
As you may have already guessed, Short Deck is a different game from Texas Hold’em in several ways. However, there are old Texas strategies that remain valid . For example, you should always play looser on the button and 3-bet when needed. Ranges change but strong Texas Hold’em players will be able to adapt well to the new variant.