So you’ve heard about Six-Plus Hold’em—the game where deuces through fives are tossed out, and aces still rule, but everything else feels… upside down. Honestly, it’s like poker on caffeine. If you’re coming from traditional Texas Hold’em, your preflop instincts will betray you. That’s the fun part. But also the frustrating part. Let’s fix that.
Building a preflop range in 6+ isn’t just about memorizing a chart. It’s about unlearning old habits and embracing chaos. Because here’s the deal: with a 36-card deck, the math shifts dramatically. Flushes beat full houses. Straights become more common than you’d think. And pocket pairs? They’re not the monsters they used to be.
Why the Deck Change Matters
In standard Hold’em, you’ve got 52 cards. In Six-Plus, you’ve got 36. That means the probability of hitting a pair on the flop jumps from about 32% to nearly 40%. Sure, sounds great—but it also means your opponents are hitting more often too. The value of a single pair goes down. The value of draws goes up. Drastically.
And let’s talk about the hand rankings. A flush now beats a full house. Why? Because with fewer cards of each suit, flushes are harder to make. That’s the logic, anyway. But it creates this weird dynamic where you’re chasing flushes with more aggression, and you’re less scared of someone holding a full house. It’s a mind-bender, sure, but once you adjust, it’s liberating.
The Core of Your Preflop Range: Position and Aggression
You know how in traditional Hold’em, you can limp in with suited connectors from late position? In Six-Plus, limping is almost always a leak. The game rewards aggression preflop because every hand has more equity. Even a hand like J-10 suited is a monster here—it’s not just a drawing hand; it’s a value hand.
Here’s a rough starting point. Let’s break it down by position. And remember—this is a living document. You’ll tweak it as you play.
Early Position (UTG, UTG+1)
You want to play tight, but not too tight. In 6+, the strongest hands are:
- AA, KK, QQ – these are still premiums. But QQ isn’t as dominant because any ace or king on the flop kills you.
- AK, AQ, KQ – these are premium drawing hands. AK is basically the nuts preflop because it blocks aces and kings.
- J-10 suited – yes, really. It flops straights and flushes like crazy.
- Pocket 9s and 10s – they’re decent, but be ready to fold to aggression on a board with overcards.
Fold everything else from early position. That includes A-J offsuit. I know, it feels wrong. But trust me—it’s a trap hand in 6+. Too often you’ll flop top pair and get outdrawn by a straight or flush.
Middle Position (MP, HJ)
Now you can loosen up a bit. Add these to your range:
- A-10 suited, K-J suited, Q-J suited – these are strong drawing hands that play well postflop.
- Pocket 7s and 8s – they’re not great for set-mining (because sets are rarer), but they have decent showdown value heads-up.
- Suited connectors like 9-8, 10-9 – they’re gold in 6+. You’ll flop a straight draw or flush draw more than you’d expect.
- Offsuit broadways like A-J, K-Q – but only if they’re suited to the same suit? Wait, no—offsuit means different suits. I meant A-J offsuit is okay here, but not great. Actually, just stick with suited versions.
See, I’m revising as I go—that’s the human part. You’ll do the same at the table. Don’t be afraid to fold marginal hands if the table is aggressive.
Late Position (CO, BTN)
This is where you get to have fun. You can play 30-40% of hands from the button. Seriously. Here’s what I’d open:
- Any pair – even 6s. They’re not great, but you can steal blinds and sometimes flop a set.
- Any two suited cards 8 or higher – like 8-7 suited, J-9 suited, etc.
- Any ace – yes, even A-2 offsuit. Aces are powerful because they dominate other aces.
- Suited connectors down to 5-4 – they’re speculative but profitable if you’re aggressive postflop.
From the cutoff, tighten up a bit. From the button, go wild. But remember: if someone three-bets you, you need to fold most of these hands. Don’t get attached.
Three-Betting and Facing Three-Bets
Three-betting in Six-Plus is more common than in traditional Hold’em. Why? Because everyone knows their hand has equity. So you need to three-bet for value with hands like AA, KK, AK, and even KQ suited. But you also need to three-bet as a bluff with hands like A-5 suited or J-10 suited—hands that block your opponent’s range and play well postflop.
When facing a three-bet, don’t call with weak pairs or offsuit junk. Fold or four-bet. Calling is usually a mistake because you’ll be out of position and your hand won’t improve often enough. If you’re in position, you can call with suited connectors and broadways, but be ready to fold on bad flops.
The Blind Wars: Defending Your Big Blind
In Six-Plus, the big blind is a magnet for steals. You’ll face a raise almost every hand. So how do you defend? Honestly, you should defend wider than you think—but not with garbage. Here’s a quick table for defending from the big blind against a late-position open:
| Hand Type | Defend or Fold? |
|---|---|
| AA, KK, AK | Three-bet |
| QQ, JJ, 10-10 | Call or three-bet (mix it up) |
| Suited connectors (9-8, 10-9, J-10) | Call |
| A-10 suited, K-Q suited | Call |
| Small pairs (66-99) | Call, but be careful |
| A-2 offsuit, K-5 offsuit | Fold – these are death traps |
Notice I didn’t include A-5 suited? That’s a hand I actually like to three-bet with from the blinds. It blocks aces and can flop a straight or flush. But if you’re not comfortable, just call. No shame in that.
Common Mistakes (That I’ve Made, Probably You Too)
Let’s be real—everyone screws up when they start playing 6+. Here are the biggest leaks I see:
- Overvaluing pocket pairs. In traditional Hold’em, a pair of 9s feels strong. In 6+, it’s a marginal hand. You’ll get outdrawn constantly.
- Calling too many three-bets. Your hand might look pretty, but if you’re out of position, you’re just burning money.
- Not adjusting to the flush-over-full-house rule. If you flop a full house, don’t slow-play it. A flush draw is coming, and it might beat you.
- Limping. Just don’t. Open-raise or fold. Limping in 6+ is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Putting It All Together: A Sample Preflop Range Chart
Here’s a simplified chart for a 9-handed table. It’s not perfect—poker never is—but it’s a solid starting point. Adjust based on your opponents’ tendencies.
| Position | Open Range |
|---|---|
| UTG | AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ, KQ, J-10 suited, 10-9 suited, 99+ |
| MP | Add A-10 suited, K-J suited, Q-J suited, 88, 77, 9-8 suited |
| CO | Add A-9 suited, K-10 suited, Q-10 suited, 66, 55, 8-7 suited |
| BTN | Add any ace, any pair, any two suited 8+, 5-4 suited |
| SB | Play tight – only open with top 15% of hands |
| BB | Defend wide against steals, but fold to three-bets |
One quirk: I didn’t include A-J offsuit in UTG. Some pros do. I don’t. It’s a personal thing—I’ve lost too many pots with it. You might have better luck. That’s the beauty of poker: you get to write your own rules, as long as the math backs you up.
Final Thoughts (No, Not a Conclusion, Just… a Stop)
Six-Plus Hold’em isn’t just a variant. It’s a different animal. The preflop ranges you build today will evolve as you face tougher opponents, deeper stacks, or shorter tables. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try opening with 7-6 suited from early position once—see what happens. You might get burned. Or you might discover a new weapon.