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6+ Hold’em

Six Plus Hold’em Hand Rankings

21,787 Views on 20/6/16

The following articles will show you how to play this new version, what strategies you need to employ, and just where it differs from the traditional No Limit Hold’em we all know and love.

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An exciting new version of Texas Hold’em has recently hit the streets, and Six Plus Hold’em seems set to be a favorite of those players seeking fast-paced, high-action poker.

The following three articles will show you how to play this new version (favored by Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey in Macau) what strategies you need to employ, and just where it differs from the traditional No Limit Hold’em we all know and love.

The basic rules are fairly straightforward and don’t differ too much from the games you are already used to, but there can be slight variations in the rules. For example, on the river you will sometimes receive an extra card in your hand rather than as a community river card.

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In this version, you MUST use two (and only two) of your hole cards along with three of the four community cards to make your best 5-card hand. In most variants of 6 Plus Hold’em, however, all the streets and betting are the same as in normal Texas Hold’em.



Starting ranks and pot odds will be covered soon, but first up, learning the slightly different hand rankings is a must -if you don’t know what wins and loses you’re in big trouble!

Because the game is only played with 36 cards instead of the traditional 52 (all the 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and 5’s are removed) there are a few differences to the rankings used in most other poker variants. 

Also important to note is that a straight can be made using the Ace as a low card, the ‘wheel’ now being A 6 7 8 9 instead of A 2 3 4 5.

 So, Royal Flush, Straight Flush and 4 of a Kind all remain as the same top 3 hands…

Traditional Texas Hold’em                                                          Six Plus Hold’em

Royal Flush
10JQKA
Royal Flush
10JQKA
Straight Flush
J10987
Straight Flush
J10987
4 of a kind
109999
4 of a kind
109999


….but Six Plus Hold’em sees a Flush coming ahead of a Full House.

Full House
KK888
Flush
A76JK


It’s very clear why this should be so when we think about it: with only nine cards of each suit, a Flush has become much more difficult to achieve, and therefore much more valuable! So these two hands swap places in the new rankings….

Flush
A76JK
Full House
KK888


The next difference is that 6 plus sees 3 of a kind replacing a straight….

Straight
AKQJ10
3 of a kind
A10888

Again, logically, this makes sense. Fewer cards means less separation between the card values in play, so straights are easier to make – therefore 3 of a kind increases in value.

3 of a kind
A10888
Straight
AKQJ10


…and now we are back to the traditional rankings to finish with…

2 pair
AAQQ10
2 pair
AAQQ10
1 pair
KK710J
1 pair
KK710J
High card
AJ8107
High card
AJ8107

Once you get used to the new ranking system, and understand why it has changed, the game of 6 Plus Hold’em becomes an action-packed and fun-filled version of the game. You receive more good hands, so play more and see bigger pots - as everyone’s cards are that bit better on average than in the Texas version.

Next up we will look at starting hands before moving on to pot odds (which is where things get very interesting!)



Ok, interesting is one thing, but before we go any further it’s useful to ask yourself why would you choose to play Six Plus Hold’em over traditional Texas Hold’em?

Well, there are a number of reasons, a couple of which we’ve already seen:

  • It’s a much more action-packed version of poker: plenty of good hands, which in turn are facing other big hands, so more money goes into the pot and you’re less likely to be sitting around just waiting for a playable hand!
  • As it is still a very new game, any skills you can develop quickly at Six Plus will pay off handsomely against those who haven’t had the time, or inclination, to understand the new game’s subtleties and differences! Cash in before they learn!
  • It’s almost a scientific fact that playing more variants of poker increases your overall strategic knowledge and skill which, simply put…makes you a better all-round player!

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