News: The Mental Game of 6+ Hold'em

Will the new Short Deck variant from PokerStars be a hit with recreational players? Barry Carter thinks so.

Last week PokerStars launched their Short Deck Hold’em variant 6+ Hold’em. Unlike other new PokerStars formats it is already popular away from the site, on iPoker, high stakes tours and will also be a bracelet event this year.

It plays just like regular No Limit Hold'em other than cards below 6 are removed from the deck. As such the hand rankings change and a Flush now beats a Full House, as there are less cards in the deck to make five of the same suit. Wheel straights are still possible but they are ordered A-6-7-8-9.

The blind structure has also changed. In 6+ Hold'em there is no Big or Small Blind, instead everyone pays an Ante and only the Button pays a Blind.

A genuine action game

The first thing to note is how loose and aggressive this format is compared to just about every other new format introduced by Stars in the last year. Split, Unfold and Fusion all felt very cagey to me, as if everyone was fearful of the nuts. In 6+ everyone was happily throwing their money around carefree.

This is because you invariably get dealt more ‘action hands’ and also perhaps because of the blind structure of Antes and a single Blind posted by the Button. Either way, the action is actually faster in 6+, which is no doubt why they have taken off among the High Rollers.

The other notable aspect of this game is how aggressively people play draws. A Flush beats a Full House in this format so suited cards are valuable (and you are less likely to lose to bigger Flushes), but perhaps more intriguingly the chances of completing a Straight are much higher. If you have an open-ended straight draw on the flop you are 45% to fill it in this format. As such JTs is actually as strong as AK in 6+ Hold’em and other connected Broadway hands are worth playing (where they would be 'trap' hands in regular No Limit).

Simple and effective

short deck wsop — There will be a Short Deck WSOP bracelet this year

This ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of players. Fans of PLO type games where draws are King can get behind 6+ Hold’em and likewise recreational players who overvalue Broadway cards will enjoy it too. Then you have the fact that it is vastly simpler than PLO, so easier for new players to follow. I wrote last week that simplicity is important to hook new players and 6+ Hold’em is a much easier ‘action game’ for casual players to try. Again, there is little wonder it is so popular in high stakes circles.

It is a little jarring that a Flush beats a Full House the first few times and that takes some getting used to. I was also completely unprepared the first time I made a A-6-7-8-9 Straight and had to check the hand histories as I was sure it was a glitch. But these are easily overcome with a bit of experience.

While I enjoyed all of the previous new formats from PokerStars I felt all of them added too much complexity for new players. 6+ Hold’em is the exception. I think it will prove successful because it is a simpler form of No Limit Hold’em and succeeds in generating more action. I suspect it will be the first format since Spin & Go to stick, in no small part because other online rooms and tours are already embracing it. I don’t think PokerStars will remove it like the others and I really want to play this format as a tournament (I'd bet money we will see it in SCOOP this year).

Do you like this format? Let us know in the comments:

A genuine action game

Simple and effective

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