CRAZY PINEAPPLE

Here's a quick run-down of
crazy pineapple for all those
who are coming out to the
PREMIER POKER TOUR's
Mixed Cards Night on Saturday
Sept 22nd 7pm at Deacons.


CRAZY PINEAPPLE is played exactly the same
as Hold 'em, with one difference, players are
dealt 3 hole cards instead of 2.

It is usually played Hi-Lo in casinos
(all cards must be less than 8 for the Lo).

Its popularity is rapidly growing, with
California's Bicycle and Commerce Casino's
being the hotspots. It is also spread live in
low & mid-limit mixed games at the Wynn,
MGM Grand, and Treasure Island in Las Vegas.

Pineapple is typically played in casinos as a
limit game ($3-6, $5-10, etc.), but it easily
translates to a no-limit or pot-limit structure.
You can even try it out for play money at
UltimateBet.net or UB offers real money
at every conceivable limit.

HOW ITS PLAYED:
- Everyone is dealt 3 cards. (Instead of 2 for holdem)

- There is a round of betting.

- A Flop of three community cards is dealt.
There is a round of betting.
- Everyone remaining in the pot DISCARDS
one of their cards. Note: In regular pineapple,
one card is discarded before the flop)

- A Turn card is dealt. There is another round
of betting.

- A River card is dealt. There is another
round of betting.

- Then the hands are shown down.
Players may use any combination of the
two cards in their hand and the five cards
on the board

HAND SELECTION / STRATEGY:
The more cards you get in a flop game
the fewer hands you should play
(ie: more in holdem, less in omaha).

Since Pineapple is in between, you should
play fewer hands than Holdem, but more
hands than Omaha.

Pineapple is definitely an "action game"
and pots are almost always contested
multi-way. As the three hole cards
create many more hand possibilities,
even conservative players will tend to
see a lot more flops.

Like in Omaha, hand values increase significantly.
While one or two pair is usually enough to take
down a hold'em pot, one needs a much stronger
hand to survive the showdown in pineapple,
typically the nut straight or nut flush.
Someone will almost always flop a flush draw
in a multi-way pineapple pot, and the odds
to chase it are usually there. Hands like top pair
top kicker, or a pair slightly smaller than top pair
(J-J-X on a K-8-9 flop) are therefore much more
vulnerable than they would be in hold'em.

A quality starting hand in pineapple contains
a big pair as well as a big suited draw.
Ah-Ad-Qd, Jd-Jh-Kh, and Tc-Th-Jc are all
excellent hole card combinations as they give
players flush and straight possibilities to go
along with the pair. Three suited connectors
with a two-flush such as Jd-Qd-Kh are also
valuable as well as suited aces with straight
possibilities such as Ac-Jc-Td.

Small pairs can be playable if they come
with other draws (6c-6d-Ac), but do not fare
well on their own (4s-4h-Qd). Big offsuit aces,
like A-K, A-Q and A-J might be premium
hands in hold'em, but they are marginal at
best in pineapple without another draw for
backup. Three cards from the same suit can
also be a trouble hand, as one of your all
-important flush outs is already gone.

The Best and Worst part of Pineapple
is the Discard , It creates a dramatic
strategic adjustment. Players often face
a decision whether or not to keep a made
(but vulnerable) hand or to draw to an
even stronger hand like a straight or a flush.

For example, if I have the Kh-Kc-Qh on a
flop of Tc-Jh-6h, I need to decide whether
to keep my pair of kings intact and discard
the Qh, or go for the possible straight or
flush by discarding the Kc.

In a heads-up pot, it might feel safer to keep
the kings, but facing multi-way action, the
combination draw holds much more value.