The lowest possible straight you can make is A x 6 x 7 x 8 x 9 x, think of the ace as the missing five! Just as in a traditional Hold’em game, aces can be high or low when it comes to making a straight. This leaves you playing with a 36-card deck, which alters some of the hand rankings, more on that a little later.
The 6+ Hold’em moniker was given because all cards from deuces through fives are removed from a standard 52-card deck. The game takes its name from the fact you play with a stripped, or short, deck. Playing a new poker variant can be daunting, but if you’ve ever played Texas Hold’em, you’re already more than halfway there to being proficient at Short-Deck. Check out the GGPoker lobby and you’ll see daily tournaments with $10,000 buy-ins that are frequented by the game’s superstars. Short Deck, or 6+ Hold’em as it’s sometimes known, is the game of choice for the high stakes cash games and tournament specialists around the world.