Short Deck Poker Preflop Chart & Starting Hands
A short deck (6+ Hold'em) preflop chart: which hands to open, call, and raise from each position, plus why the 36-card deck shifts hand values.
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Short deck (6+ Hold’em) removes the deuces through fives, leaving a 36-card deck. That compresses hand values, so preflop ranges are wider than full-deck Hold’em and suited, connected, and paired hands gain the most. This page gives you position-by-position open, call, and 3-bet guidance you can use as a starting chart, plus the reasoning so you can adjust when the table plays differently.
New to the format? Start with the short deck rules to lock in the hand-ranking quirks, then use this alongside our best starting hands breakdown.
Why the chart is different
Take out sixteen cards and three things change at once:
- You’re dealt premiums more often. With no low cards, big cards make up a larger share of the deck, so folding tight is a losing strategy — everyone has something.
- Draws hit far more. Straights and flushes complete more frequently, which is why many rooms rank a flush above a full house and a set above a straight.
- Equities run close. Even a dominated hand has more outs, so position and playability matter more than raw high-card strength.
Short deck preflop opening chart
Positions below assume a common 6-max short deck game. “Open” means you’re first to enter the pot with a raise. Tiers run from always-play down to situational.
| Position | Always open | Also open | Situational (add in position) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under the gun | AA-99, AK, AQs, KQs, ATs+ | 88-77, AJo, KJs | suited connectors 89s+ |
| Middle | AA-77, AK-AJ, KQ, ATs+, KJs+ | 66, A9s, QJs, JTs | suited gappers, 78s+ |
| Cutoff | AA-66, AT+, KT+, QTs+, all suited aces | 55, K9s, Q9s, T9s | 67s+, offsuit broadways |
| Button | AA-any pair, A-anything suited, KT+, most suited | offsuit connectors, K9o+ | any two suited, most connectors |
| Small blind | AA-77, AT+, KJ+, suited aces, suited broadway | 66-55, suited connectors | complete wide vs. weak BB |
Calling and 3-betting
Opening ranges are only half the picture. Use these defaults facing a raise:
- Flatting in position: pairs that can set-mine (they hit more often here), suited connectors, and suited aces. You’ll flop a lot of equity and can outplay opponents on later streets.
- 3-betting for value: AA, KK, AK, and often QQ and AQs. Because everyone continues wider, thin value 3-bets get called by worse.
- 3-betting as a bluff: suited wheel aces and suited connectors — hands that flop nut draws and can barrel credibly if called.
- Facing a 3-bet: tighten toward pairs and big suited cards. Offsuit hands that were fine opening lose value in a bloated pot.
Worked example: playing a suited ace
You hold A♥ 8♥ on the button and it folds to you. In full-deck Hold’em this is a routine open; in short deck it’s a premium — a suited ace that makes the nut flush plus straight potential with the 8.
You raise, the big blind calls, and the flop comes K♥ 9♥ 6♣. You have the nut flush draw plus a backdoor straight. On a 36-card deck your flush draw is far more likely to complete than in full-deck play, so this is a clear continuation bet, and you can barrel most turns credibly because your range is loaded with exactly these nut draws. That combination of made-hand potential and semi-bluff equity is precisely why suited aces sit near the top of the short deck chart.
Adjusting the chart to your table
Charts are a baseline, not a law. Widen when opponents fold too much and the pot is cheap to steal. Tighten when the game is aggressive and you’re often facing 3-bets. Above all, know the ruleset: if your room ranks a full house over a flush (a rarer variant), flush draws drop in value and this chart shifts tighter around suited hands.
Quick reference
- 36 cards, no 2s–5s; ranges are wider than Hold’em.
- Suited aces and pocket pairs are the biggest gainers.
- Common rules: flush beats full house, set beats straight — confirm first.
- Open wide from late position; 3-bet AA/KK/AK for value.
- Play position aggressively; you realize equity better than out of position.
Ready to move past the chart? Deepen your reads with the full short deck strategy guide, review the best starting hands tiers, or explore other formats in the poker variants hub.
Frequently asked
Why do preflop charts change in short deck?
Removing the twos through fives leaves 36 cards, so you're dealt premium cards more often, everyone connects more, and hand values compress. Suited and connected hands gain value while offsuit high cards lose some, changing which hands to open.
What are the best short deck starting hands?
Aces and kings remain the top pairs, but suited connectors, suited aces, and any pocket pair jump in value because they flop straights and flushes far more often on a 36-card deck. Ace-anything suited is a strong open.
Should you play more or fewer hands in short deck?
Generally more. Because hands run closer together and you make big draws more often, ranges are wider than full-deck Hold'em, especially in position and from late seats where you can realize equity cheaply.
Is a flush stronger than a full house in short deck?
In the most common short deck ruleset, yes — a flush beats a full house because flushes are harder to make with four fewer cards of each suit. Always confirm the ranking your table uses before applying any chart.