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Pineapple poker is a poker variant that shares a few elements with Texas Hold'em and Omaha. As per the pineapple poker rules, players start with three-hole cards, where they discard one before the flop. With community cards and four betting rounds, it offers strategic depth and excitement. This is generally a poker game played at home and not a casino game. However, due to its popularity, you may find it on a few online poker platforms. While it is typically a limit poker game, you can also tweak it to a no-limit or structured pot limit.
Here's everything you need to know to learn how to play Pineapple Poker.
How to Play Pineapple Poker?
Number of Players and Deck
Pineapple poker is usually played with 2-4 players but can extend to 8. A pineapple poker game uses a standard 52-card deck, with the Ace as the highest card. Players follow standard poker hand rankings.
Objective
The aim is to create the best hand using three-hole cards and community cards.
The Dealer Position
The player with the highest card becomes the dealer. The dealer button rotates clockwise, which signifies the dealer's position, though the player holding it doesn't physically deal.
Blinds
In pineapple poker, the player who is on the left of the dealer button must place a small blind, which is a forced wager. You also then have the big blind. The big blind is a mandatory bet placed by the player two seats to the left of the dealer button before cards are dealt.
Betting
In Pineapple Poker, players are dealt three cards initially. Betting begins after this initial deal. Once all players have received their cards, the betting action proceeds similarly to other forms of poker. There are usually five betting rounds, which include pre-flop, flop, turn, river, and showdown.
Gameplay
Each player is dealt three cards face down. Starting with the player to the left of the big blind, players make their betting decisions based on their three-hole cards.
After the pre-flop betting round, each player must choose one card from their hand to discard. This leaves them with a standard Texas Hold'em hand of two-hole cards. Three community cards are dealt face-up on the table.
Next, another round of betting occurs. It starts with the player to the left of the dealer button. Then, a fourth community card is dealt face up and another betting round occurs.
The fifth and final community card is dealt face up and a final round of betting occurs, starting with the player to the left of the dealer button.
Winning Pineapple Poker
If more than one player remains after the final betting round, they reveal their hands, and the player with the best five-card hand, using any combination of their two-hole cards and the five community cards, wins the pot. If multiple players have equally ranked hands, the pot is divided equally among them.
The dealer button moves clockwise to the next player, and a new hand begins.
Pineapple Poker Rules
Now that you know what is pineapple poker, let's understand the pineapple poker rules. Pineapple Poker follows Texas Hold'em rules with slight variations.
Each player receives three hole cards instead of two during pre-flop.
Before the first betting round, players must discard one of their three-hole cards.
The discarded card is not shown to opponents but kept hidden for the player's reference.
Betting rounds proceed as in Texas Hold'em. You have a pre-flop betting round, flop betting round, turn, and river (the last betting round).
Players aim to make the best hand using their remaining two hole cards and the community cards.
Hand rankings and showdown follow standard poker rules.
Pineapple Poker offers a strategic twist with the extra hole card and the way you discard it.
Pineapple Poker Starting Hands
Before you play poker, even the crazy pineapple poker game, you must understand what makes a good starting hand.
Big pairs: Pocket pairs like Aces, Kings, Queens, or Jacks are strong starting hands, especially if they are paired with another high card or suited cards.
Suited Card: Two consecutive cards of the same suit, such as 8♠️9♠️ or J♦️Q♦️, can lead to strong flush or straight possibilities with the right third card.
High-ranking cards: High cards like Ace-King or Ace-Queen are strong starting hands, especially if they are suited.
Once you know how to play pineapple poker, it is also essential to make a note of big hands to help you win. Remember, the best-starting hands in Pineapple poker can vary based on factors like position, number of players, and table dynamics. Therefore, make sure you always carefully evaluate the situation before making your decisions.
Broadway pocket pairs can offer strong potential in pineapple poker due to their high-ranking value and the possibility of forming powerful hands like sets or full houses.
Pineapple Poker Strategy
It is imperative to have a solid pineapple poker strategy before you start playing. Here are a few strategies you must know.
Focus on pairs, suited cards or connected cards, and high-ranking cards.
Aim for hands that offer multiple opportunities to hit the flop.
Break down your three-hole cards into combinations worth playing.
Adjust your pineapple poker strategy based on your position at the table.
Consider the number of players and their tendencies on the table.
Rely on strong hands while reducing risks with a weaker or non-suited card.
Keep an eye on suited cards for potential flush draws.
Look for opportunities to hit sets with pairs, especially high-ranking ones.
Don't hesitate to fold weaker hands, especially if the board doesn't favor you.
Types of Pineapple Poker
Now let's take a look at the two popular types of pineapple poker!
Crazy Pineapple Poker
In Crazy Pineapple poker, players can customize their hands by placing a pre-flop betting round on each of their three-hole cards. This allows them to assess the strength of each individual card and decide whether to invest more chips to keep it or fold it before the flop.
After the pre-flop betting round, you proceed to the flop as in standard Texas Hold'em. However, unlike traditional Pineapple poker where players discard one of their three hole cards after the flop, in Crazy Pineapple, players retain all three of their hole cards throughout the hand.
The game of crazy pineapple then continues as a regular Texas Hold'em match, with players making betting decisions based on their hole cards and the community cards on the board.
Lazy Pineapple Poker
Also known as the Tahoe Pineapple game, Lazy Pineapple is another variant of Pineapple OFC. Here, players hold onto their three cards until they see a good opportunity to discard them. They wait for the right moment to get rid of their cards and replace them with better ones. Players can choose any of their three cards to complete their final hand. This gives them more options to make the best hand possible. This means they have the chance to play more cards than usual.
Hi-Lo
Both variants of pineapple poker can be played in Hi-Lo formats, such as Hi-Lo 8 or better. When you play hi-lo games, the pot is split between the highest and the lowest-ranking hands, which makes the game all the more intense.
Pineapple Poker vs. Texas Hold'em
Pineapple poker is similar to Texas Hold'em but comes with a twist. Here, you get three cards instead of two. The third card can be actually used to your advantage to garner extra clues. For example, if you have three cards of the same suit, it's harder to get a flush because one of the needed cards is already in your hand.
Also, in crazy pineapple poker, having a three-of-a-kind comes with a downside. Since you can only use two of your three cards, you must discard one. Therefore, there's only one card of that rank left in the deck. So, it becomes extremely unlikely for you to hit a set with the remaining community cards.
Since players choose their best two cards out of three, the quality is higher than a game of Texas Hold'em. Also, the top pair on the flop isn't as strong as it would be in Texas Hold'em. This is because players start with three-hole cards instead of two, so they are more likely to have higher-ranking hands. As players must discard one card after the flop, there's a chance they have already improved their hand or are drawing to a stronger one. Also, if there's a possible flush with three suited cards on the board, the chances of someone having a flush are higher compared to Hold'em.
What are the betting limits in Pineapple Poker?
In Pineapple OFC, the betting limits can vary depending on the specific variant being played and the house rules. However, the most common betting structures used in Pineapple poker are:
No Limit: Players can bet any amount of chips they have in front of them at any time during the hand. There is no maximum limit on the size of bets or raises.
Pot Limit: The maximum bet or raise size is limited to the total number of chips currently in the pot. Players can bet or raise any amount up to the pot's size.
Fixed Limit: There are specific predetermined bet and raise sizes for each round of betting.
Probabilities of Making a Hand
Let's take a look at a few probabilities of pineapple poker.
Pocket Pair: In poker pineapple, you have about a 17% chance of being dealt a pocket pair with three-hole cards, compared to around 5.9% in Texas Hold'em with two-hole cards.
Two-Suited Cards: With three-hole cards in poker pineapple, you have a higher chance, about 55%, of getting two cards of the same suit. In Texas Hold'em, it's only about 24%.
Three Suited Cards: In Pineapple poker, getting three cards of the same suit happens about 5.2% of the time. But because you already have one of the suited cards, your chances of completing a flush by the river decrease slightly compared to Texas Hold'em.
Three Connected Cards: In pineapple poker, having three connected cards (like 6, 7, 8) occurs approximately 18.4% of the time. However, because you already hold one of the connected cards, your odds of completing a straight by the river decrease compared to Texas Hold'em.
How Should a Player Approach Pineapple Poker?
In poker pineapple, one trick you can embrace is thinking like an Omaha player. Choose hands that are connected, either in value (like 8-9-10) or by suit (like all hearts). These hands have more potential to make strong combinations.
High pairs, like Aces or Kings, are always strong starting hands. But be cautious with lower pairs, as you usually need to hit a set to win big. Since one of your hole cards is already out of the game, consider this when evaluating your hand's strength. Even though it might not seem important, it affects the overall probabilities.
Avoid playing too many hands just hoping to hit something on the flop. Be comfortable folding if your hand isn't strong enough. Also, remember, the strongest starting hand in Pineapple poker is a pair of Aces with a third card that is suited. This combination has the best chance of making a strong hand.
Poker Pineapple differs from Texas Hold'em in that you have three-hole cards instead of two. This changes the strategy, and more focus is needed on connected hands.
