Full Handed Poker

Ever heard someone mention that they cannot play poker profitably when the game is full handed? This page explains the meaning of full handed and how it applies to your poker game.

A full handed poker game does not mean there is no room left at the table. This commonly used poker term actually refers to amount of players seated and playing. Most full handed poker games consist of 9, 10 or 11 players being in the hand. If you're unfortunate enough, you could encounter the uncomforatble situation of having to play 12-handed.

The opposite to a full handed poker table is a short handed poker game. Short handed is used when there are 6 or less players at the table. The WSOP introduced shorthanded tournaments in the past few years. These are also known as 6 max tournaments, as there can only be a maximum of 6 players at the table.

The differences between full and short handed poker games are more than simply number of players. The whole dynamic of a poker game is changed. Here are the biggest differences you'll notice between the two:

Less hands are dealt in a full handed poker game. Consequently, players can be more conservative is there is less pressure to protect your blind. You will notice players will play much tighter pre-flop in a full handed game. This is because the odds of stronger hands become greater with more players at the table.

Full handed poker players are often called nits or rocks by short handed players, mainly because full handed games do not require as much post flop skill to be a profitable player. In fact, players can develop and not deviate from profitable strategies and still make consitent profits over the long run. Perhaps for this reason, many new poker player enter full handed games when they first begin.