Each player pays a single ante, except the button who pays two. The blinds rotate around the hand, so everyone pays equally, but only two people pay them every hand.Īntes are forced bets given to every player at the table. These are two types of forced bets, and both systems exist to discourage constant folding and ensure there’s always money in the pot.īlinds are forced bets everyone has to pay there’s a small blind and a big blind which is double the small one. The other significant difference between Short Deck and Holdem is that the former uses antes while the latter uses blinds. Short deck versus Holdem: Antes instead of blinds When used as a low card, they are valued as a five, so both A-6-7-8-9 and 10-J-Q-K-A are valid straights in Short Deck. It’s also important to note that aces can now work as both the high and low card of a straight. This one is a lot less common than flushes being above full houses, so you must check the rules of wherever you’re playing Short Deck. Second, some Short Deck rooms rank three-of-a-kinds above straights. With less low-ranked cards, it’s much easier to make a full house. The trimmed, 36-card deck Short Deck uses has a significant impact on strategy, and it also comes with a few changed hand rankings because of this.įirst, flushes are usually ranked above full houses in Short Deck. There are two main differences between Short Deck and Holdem the first is in the name.

Short Deck has become the premier format of the iconic Triton Poker Series, which is also why it’s sometimes referred to as Triton Holdem. Players enjoyed Short Deck, which became prevalent throughout Asia and has recently been played in the US.

This resulted in a 36-card deck, where every card below six was cut out. They wanted a higher chance of strong pre-flop hands, so they trimmed the lower-ranked cards. Originating in Asia, Short Deck was invented by Paul Phua and Richard Yong, both poker players and successful businessmen. Short Deck is a poker variant that has rapidly gained traction recently. Photo by Unsplash What is Short Deck poker?

Aa in short deck poker