Poker Sites with Shorthanded Games
Shorthanded poker games are an exciting way to play poker because they give players a chance to see and play more hands than normal. The general level of play is much tighter in full tables because each player has to worry about an entire table full of poker hands. Shorthanded tables play a lot looser because the players only have to worry about a few other poker players.
Shorthanded cash games are still relatively new but they already attract more players than full cash games. The lure of fast action, more playable hands, and fewer opponents make shorthanded games an easy choice for most players. On the tournament side, full tables are still the most popular but we are starting to see more participation in shorthanded events. The following poker sites are the ones we consider the best for shorthanded poker of all types:
- Location: UK
- Established: 1999
- Bonus Code: n/a - use links
- Traffic: 32,864 Players
- Mac Friendly: Yes
888 is our number one pick for shorthanded poker thanks to its variety of shorthanded poker games at all stakes. The shorthanded cash games are the most noteworthy but the shorthanded tournament scene is also alive and well. Full Tilt excels in both poker formats and is a strong choice for all fans of shorthanded poker.
The shorthanded cash games at 888 come in three varieties: heads up poker, 5-man and 6-man. The six handed cash games at 888 are the most popular, but heads up and five-handed games also experience steady action. In NL, the poker cash games offer stakes from $0.01/$0.02 up to $50/$100 and in FL, they run from $0.05/$0.10 to $100/$200. Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud and mixed poker are all offered at these stakes.
888 also hosts many shorthanded tournaments and SNGs every day. These tournaments come in buyins that range from $1.00 to $2,000. Shorthanded multi-table tournaments are mostly held as 6-person events while shorthanded SNGs come in heads-up, four-handed and six-handed variants. The traffic for all shorthanded tournaments at 888 is healthy.
- Location: Netherlands
- Established: 2004
- Mark. Code:MIK500
- Traffic: 235,929 Players
- Mac Friendly: Yes
PokerStars is a great all around poker site and also has the most traffic out of any online poker room. Their selection of shorthanded games isn’t quite as comprehensive as Full Tilt’s but we don’t have anything to complain about here. Shorthanded cash games and tournaments are quite popular at PokerStars and continue to attract thousands of players every day.
PokerStars spreads shorthanded cash games that consist of heads-up or six man tables. The shorthanded no limit games run as low as $0.01/$0.02 and as high as $200/$400. On the fixed limit side, there are shorthanded games as low as $0.02/$0.04 and as high as $1000/$2000. The game types offered by PokerStars include Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo, Razz, 5 Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw, 2-7 Single Draw, and Badugi.
The shorthanded tournament selection at PokerStars is just as diverse. PokerStars has been the top tournament poker site for a long time and they offer all sorts of shorthanded tournaments. You’ll find the standard six max and heads up tournaments plus four-handed tournaments at a wide range of buy-ins and game types.
More About Shorthanded Poker Games
Shorthanded poker games, whether they be cash games or tournaments, are the best poker games for action seekers. Even better is the fact that it’s possible to achieve a high win rate at shorthanded poker games because you get to see more hands per hour against the same opponents. When you find easily exploitable opponents, the shorthanded nature of the game gives you more opportunities to play hands against that specific player.
On top of that, shorthanded poker games are just more fun. You don’t have to play a super tight game because there are eight or nine other players competing against you and you don’t have to wait for all those players to make their decisions. With the game always on the go, boredom is rarely an issue.
Shorthanded SNGs have the same basic structure as normal SNGs except the prize pools only pay out the top one or two players. Shorthanded multi-table tournaments can have many players but each table only seats 2, 4 or 6 players. These tournaments aren’t hosted as often but they have been seeing increased popularity recently.