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GGNetwork Adds Short Deck Hold’em, More Software Features

  • Network launched Short Deck Hold’em, a game with no cards lower than Six
  • Hand histories are now downloadable as text files
  • Limitations placed on how many cash game tables a player may have open at once
Dan Katz

Dan Katz graduated with a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Emory University. He clearly uses neither of those degrees now, having been writing about the gambling industry (specializing in poker) since 2005. Prior to that, he was an IT and management consultant. He is an avid gamer, primarily on PC, and enjoys collecting retro video games and consoles; finding room to set them all up is his current challenge. Dan lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and two children. You can get in touch with Dan at [email protected].

Poker player holding pocket 6's
GGNetwork has added Short Deck Hold’em and implemented a number of new features in its latest software update. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

One of the internet’s largest poker networks

The GGNetwork updated its poker client software this week, adding a number of features and a new game offering.

The highlight of the November 4 release is the addition of Short Deck Hold’em to the mix. Also included are downloadable hand histories and a limit on the number of simultaneous cash game tables.

GGPoker is the third-largest online poker site/network on the internet

GGNetwork is an Asian-facing online poker network, headlined by its flagship site, GGPoker. In all, it is comprised of 14 member poker rooms.

According to PokerScout.com, GGPoker is the third-largest online poker site/network on the internet, with a seven-day average of 1,500 cash game players.

Short Deck Hold’em

The biggest piece of the software update is the introduction of Short Deck Hold’em, also known as 6+ Hold’em.

The game plays exactly the same as regular Texas Hold’em except that all cards valued at less than 6 – that is, all 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s – are removed from the deck. Aces can still be both the high end and low end of a straight. The lowest straight is A-6-7-8-9.

Because the low cards are gone, hand probabilities change and, in turn, so do hand strengths. In Short Deck Hold’em, a Flush beats a Full House.

In most sites’ versions of the game, a Three-of-a-Kind also beats a Straight, but it does not appear this is the case on the GGNetwork. The rules on its member sites only stipulate the change in the strength of a Flush versus a Full House.

The GGNetwork also adds some minor twists to differentiate its version of Short Deck Hold’em from those of other sites. All games are five-handed and instead of blinds, all players must post a pre-flop ante. The player on the button must also post an additional blind, equal to the ante.

Downloadable hand histories

Of the sitewide features baked into the software update, the most helpful is arguably the launch of downloadable hand histories. These will allow players to study their hands offline.

Poker hand tracking software like PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager read downloaded hand history files for their data. The GGNetwork does not permit the use of third-party tracking software, however, so the downloadable hand histories will not be useful for that purpose.

GGNetwork does have its own tracking tool called PokerCraft which saves every hand a customer plays. Hand stats can be analyzed and visualized, profits and losses can be mapped, and hands can be replayed using PokerCraft.

Cash-game multi-table restrictions

Some players will end up with fewer hand histories because of new limitations placed on how many simultaneous cash game tables a player can have going.

With the latest update, GGNetwork has imposed a four-table limit per game for VIP games, No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, All-in or Fold, Rush and Cash, and Short Deck Hold’em. There are no table limits on tournaments.

Mobile users now have a four-table limit overall, not just per game.

Some sites have also restricted multi-tabling in order to reduce the presence of pros at the tables

While some players will be unhappy with this change, as it will limit their hands played, those who do not multi-table will benefit. One downside to multi-tabling is that those who do it sometimes cause delays at one table when they are pondering a decision at another.

Some sites have also restricted multi-tabling in order to reduce the presence of pros at the tables, making the poker environment more friendly for recreational players.

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