How to Play Poker
Short Deck Hold'em
Hold'em with every 2, 3, 4 and 5 taken out of the deck. Fewer cards make big hands easier, so a few rankings swap places.
- Ace of hearts
- Seven of hearts
- Your cards
- 2, face down
- Shared cards
- 5 in the middle
- Betting
- Usually no limit
- Who wins
- Best high hand
- In the mix
- High-stakes mixes
The 36-card deck
- Two of spades, does not play
- Three of hearts, does not play
- Four of diamonds, does not play
- Five of clubs, does not play
- Six of spades
- Seven of hearts
- Eight of diamonds
- Nine of clubs
- Ten of spades
- Jack of hearts
- Queen of diamonds
- King of clubs
- Ace of spades
- Does not play
How a hand goes
Exactly like Texas Hold'em: two cards each, then the flop, the turn and the river, with betting after each, and the best five cards from seven win.
Some games use blinds. Many use antes instead: every player puts in the same small amount before the deal, often with a bigger one from the player on the button. Check the house rules before you sit down.
The rankings that change
Royal flush
A, K, Q, J, 10, all one suit.
- Ace of spades
- King of spades
- Queen of spades
- Jack of spades
- Ten of spades
Straight flush
Five in a row, all one suit.
- Ten of hearts
- Nine of hearts
- Eight of hearts
- Seven of hearts
- Six of hearts
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank.
- Queen of spades
- Queen of hearts
- Queen of diamonds
- Queen of clubs
- Seven of spades
Flush
Moves up: with only nine cards in each suit, a flush is harder to make than a full house.
- King of diamonds
- Ten of diamonds
- Eight of diamonds
- Seven of diamonds
- Six of diamonds
Full house
Now ranks below a flush.
- Jack of spades
- Jack of hearts
- Jack of diamonds
- Eight of clubs
- Eight of spades
Straight
Five in a row, mixed suits.
- Ten of clubs
- Nine of diamonds
- Eight of spades
- Seven of hearts
- Six of clubs
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank.
- Seven of spades
- Seven of hearts
- Seven of clubs
- King of diamonds
- Nine of spades
Two pair
Two different pairs.
- Ace of spades
- Ace of diamonds
- Nine of clubs
- Nine of hearts
- Six of spades
One pair
Two cards of the same rank.
- Ten of hearts
- Ten of spades
- Ace of clubs
- Eight of diamonds
- Six of clubs
High card
Nothing else: the highest card plays.
- Ace of clubs
- Jack of diamonds
- Nine of hearts
- Seven of spades
- Six of hearts
Straight or three of a kind?
Straights are easier to make with a short deck too, so some rooms also rank three of a kind above a straight. Others keep the straight higher. Ask which rule the table plays.
The ace still plays low
- Ace of spades
- Six of hearts
- Seven of diamonds
- Eight of clubs
- Nine of spades
Who wins
- King of hearts
- Nine of hearts
- Nine of clubs
- Six of hearts
- Jack of diamonds
Zoe
- Ace of hearts
- Seven of hearts
- Ace of hearts
- King of hearts
- Nine of hearts
- Seven of hearts
- Six of hearts
A flush, ace high
Wins the pot
Max
- King of clubs
- King of spades
- King of clubs
- King of spades
- King of hearts
- Nine of hearts
- Nine of clubs
A full house, kings full of nines