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Zynga Poker Adds Short Deck Hold’em; First New Game In 14 Years 

Zynga Poker has now added a new poker variant called Short Deck Hold’em to its popular mobile app. The new game is the first poker variant added to the free-to-play mobile poker game in 14-years since its release.

Short Deck is a common poker variant mostly played in high-stakes games around the world, most notably in Asia. Popular poker pros like Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan are known for promoting the variant. However, the game still hasn’t gained popularity in lower-stakes games in the United States. It is believed that Zynga’s addition of Short Deck Hold’em into its poker mobile app will help introduce the game to a wider audience and help kick-start the game’s growth.

The company also celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Zynga Poker’s product manager, Malhar Singh explained that Short Deck Hold’em won’t be automatically available for Zynga Poker players. “Short deck Hold’em is available now in-game for a limited time. Unlocking at Level 5, players will be able to easily join a Short Deck Hold’em table from the main lobby on the home screen. Once players choose their desired stakes, they’ll be automatically assigned a table to start playing,” Singh said.

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Since the poker variant is a new game for many of its users, Singh also understands that the game’s users won’t know how to play the game at the start. To assist players, there will be tips and assistance available when players play their first game. Other than this, Short Deck Hold’em will operate, as usual, explained Singh.

“Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, players can easily jump in and enjoy Short Deck Hold’em. Since a shorter 36-card deck with only high-value cards is being dealt with, it makes for an action-packed game for all players. It’s a unique version of Texas hold ‘em, and we’re excited to bring this experience to our loyal community of poker enthusiasts in Zynga Poker,” said Singh.

About Short Deck Hold’em

Short Deck Hold’em is similar to No-Limit Hold’em but without the 2-5 cards in the deck. There are also some other key differences between the two games. Firstly, the hand rankings in Short Deck Hold’em are different. The hand rankings in Short Deck are high card, pair, two pair, straight, three-of-a-kind, full house, flush, four-of-a-kind, straight flush, royal flush.

The change in hand ranking orders is due to the fact that the odds of getting a certain hand rank changes as certain cards are removed from the deck. For example, a player is more likely to hit a full house than a flush in Short Deck while that is not the case in No-limit hold’em.

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