There are numerous variations of poker, including Pineapple. While the fruit has nothing to do with how the game is played, it is considered to be a mix of Omaha and Texas Hold’em because it is equally unpredictable as it is structured. Pineapple is a community card game that can be played with two to four players. This game can be easily played at home for fun but can be found in its various forms in casinos, real or online, with bets and large winnings involved.

Pineapple Poker Rules

To start Pineapple Poker, the dealer deals three hole cards to each player with the face down. The dealer is part of the two to four players involved in the game, so they deal their hand last. They can be chosen through whichever method is preferred by the group or established by the casino or online gamesite. When played in a group, this is most commonly determined by whoever chooses the highest card out of the deck at random. When playing Pineapple, like most variants of poker, Ace is high.

Once the cards are dealt, each player will look at their three card hand and determine which card they want to discard. This will leave each player with two hole cards to proceed through the game. The rest of the game is played the same as Texas Hold’em, which will be explained next.

Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, each player will place a beginning bet. After these bets are made, the dealer will burn one card and then deal the next three cards to the centre of the playing table, called the flop. Players will then place another bet after seeing how their cards interact with the flop. After the bets are made, the dealer will burn another card and deal one more card to the flop, called the turn card. Another betting round will follow after which the dealer will burn one more card and deal one final card to the flop, the river card, bringing the total to five cards.

Once all five cards are placed, the player with the best five card hand based on any combination of their two hole cards and the flop will win that round. Determining the best hand follows the same rules as regular poker. The amount of hole cards used by the player is determine by which variant is being played.

Pineapple Poker Variants

Much like any variant of poker, Pineapple has its own variants. Each of these can be played with or without bets, depending on the setting and the nature of the game. While each variant has primarily the same rules mentioned above, they each have a unique difference as well. The Pineapple poker variants are as follows:

  • Pineapple – In the “regular” or “simple” version of Pineapple, as mentioned above, the player discards one card before betting and before the dealer lays down the cards for the flop. They then use their two hole cards to complete their best five card final hand.
  • Crazy Pineapple – For Crazy Pineapple, players discard one of their three cards after the flop is placed and the first round of betting is complete. This version is considered to be “crazy” because people’s strategies can be quite altered when they are allowed to see the flop and hear the bets before discarding one card from their hand. Play continues like the regular version.
  • Lazy Pineapple – In Lazy Pineapple, players do not need to discard any cards. They keep all three of their hole cards until the end of the game and can use any combination of their hand and the flop to complete their final five card hand. This particular version is also commonly referred to as Super Hold’em and/or Tahoe.

Pineapple Poker Strategies

Despite its silly name, Pineapple poker can be quite a serious and strategic game. Each variant would require some adjustments to strategy. Pineapple starts immediately requiring thought as discarding the wrong card can make or break your hand. Then, once the flop is played, placing the right bet and/or determining when to fold can also require lots of strategy. In any variant of Pineapple, as in practically any card game, strategy can be just as significant as the luck of the draw. While Pineapple certainly isn’t an overly difficult game to get used to, it certainly can be quite fun and a good alternative to Hold’em or Omaha.