This
is about as far from a poker name as you'll ever read but it is
a real game played in some card rooms and casino's all over the
world, but more often you'll find it online. Pineapple is played
with blinds and almost never with antes. You receive three cards
face down in this game and there is a bet session, then a 'FLOP'
comes face up on the table like the game above and there is another
bet session. Now after you see the flop in this game you MUST
discard one of your three cards. After you have discarded and
have two cards the TURN, and RIVER cards come each with a bet
session exactly as in Texas Hold'em Poker. If fact this game is
just a spin off from Texas Hol'dem and after the Flop bet session
when every player has 2 cards left, the mechanics of the game
are identical to Texas Holdem. But don't think that there is no
difference at all. The diffference is in the hands made. The average
hand in this game is much higher than Texas Hold'em since everyone
started with a 3rd card and saw the flop with all three. It becomes
slightly easier to get the premium hands of Texas Hold'em, like
AA, KK, AK etc., if you start with 3 cards.
Below is a typical before and after result from
a Pineapple High player's hand.
This player was in with a suited Ace King
of spades and a four. Then on the flop she obviously threw away
the four since the king is much higher and plus there was a spade
on the flop so there was a small possibility of getting two more
spades in a row for a flush. So the four of hearts was out of
the question for sure and keeping the suited king was correct.
The turn card brought no spade, or ace, or king so her hand just
slightly change from (AAKQ5) to (AAKQ8). Then after the river
her remained exactly the same: One Pair of aces (AAKQ8). Sometimes
the card you threw away could have improved your hand but you
have no way of knowing the turn or river card so you just have
to make the best logically decision you can on the flop.
This precisely why the example I used had that FOUR on
the river so you can see that the player could have had two pair,
aces and fours with the queen on the flop but it doesn't make
any sense to throw down a king over a four in hopes to get a four.
Now if the four had been in place of the five on the flop then
the player would have thrown down the king immediately and correctly.
There are no big tournaments or real high stakes versions of this
game, it's mainly just for fun and far less serious than Texas
Hold'em.
