For reasons I cannot explain I wrote an article on Crazy Pineapple for my site at www.pokerfox.net. Maybe I thought the game would take off some day or that the members of the site would be entertained by it, who knows. Someone actually asked about the game on the forums today so I thought I would just post it here.

Since I have seen very little written on the subject previously I believe this to be the definitive work on the subject to date. "Definitive work", I crack myself up. Since I can't imagine the members having any problem with me sharing this particular article with people who didn't pay anything for it I know present in it's entirety "Fox on Pineapple". <READMORE>

<SPAN>Fox on Pineapple part 1 - Basic Crazy Pineapple for High Strategy</SPAN>

When people ask me why I bounce around playing so many different games (I get bored easily) their next question is almost always this - "What game is your highest win rate?" The answer surprises everyone. Pineapple. When I can find a table running I make more big bets per hour playing pineapple than any other game.

Nobody who plays this game really has any idea how to play it, and it's often a place people come looking for action. The combination of inexperienced players and no real information out there on how to play the game makes for a very high win rate if you play well. Finding a game can be a problem, but Paradise and UB both sometimes have pineapple games running, and you can often find them these days in mixed games at brick and mortar card rooms.

First we'll deal with Crazy Pineapple played for high because that is the most frequently played version in online rooms. Crazy just means that you discard a card after the flop. In the less crazy (and less fun) version you would discard a card before the flop.

Starting hand values are just as important in Pineapple as in any other game, but most of your opponents won't realize that. I break Pineapple starting hands into three groups.

Aces - Two aces with any other starting card is a powerful hand, though not nearly as powerful a hand as it is in Hold Em. AAK with the king suited to one of the aces is the best possible starting hand. Those aces will hold up much less frequently than they would in Hold Em, often running into smaller sets, straights and flushes. You absolutely must raise preflop in an attempt to thin the field or your aces are bound get cracked. Having your third card be a paint card, or suited with one of the aces, helps out quite a bit. A pair of kings can be playable as well, especially with some help, but they must be played carefully, and never to a raise.

Combination hands - These are hands that have multiple ways to flop a strong hand or a good draw. They are best played against 2 or more opponents, but even against one opponent they can often hold their own, and you will only want to call a raise preflop with the very strongest combination hands or against the very weakest of opponents. There are a few different types of combination hands.

A pair with a suited connector, like J J T. You are hoping to flop a set, a straight or a straight draw. If you flop a flush draw to a hand like this you will have to play it very carefully as a better flush draw can easily be out against you.

A three straight with a suited connector, like 9 T J. These are not as strong as a pair with a suited connector, and play better in larger fields where you are hoping to flop a straight or a good draw and have the odds to chase the draw. Once again be careful of higher flushes.

A medium pair with a suited ace, like A 9 9. These are the easiest combination hands to play. Either you flop a set or the nut flush draw, or you are usually done with the hand.

Big card hands - These hands are not nearly as strong as they are in Hold Em, so you'll want to play only the very strongest hands containing three cards ten through ace. Pairs are nice for flopping big sets and having one of the cards suited with the ace also increases the strength of your hand. As an example A J T might be playable, whereas A K 9 is trash and should be thrown away unless you are in a blind. Remember that starting hands with a three flush are not as good as hands with a two flush, because if you flop a flush draw to a single suited hand you will be forced to throw one of your outs in the muck.

The Flop -

Play on the flop is where you make your money, and where most of your opponents will make the biggest mistakes. Your discard choice will often depend on the number of opponents you have. Take a good draw if you have many opponents and don't think you will be able to thin the field, and keep a strong made hand if you think you can ensure that only one or two opponents will see the turn. In general an ace high flush draw or nut straight draw is the hand to keep over most made hands because even if you can thin the field you may already be against a better made hand like a set or two pair.

Remember to consider small edges when discarding as well. If you have T A A and the flop is Q J K you'll want to make sure to keep the ace of spades in case of a back door flush. Those little edges can add up, and it doesn't cost you anything to pay attention to them

If you flop a set don't slow play it against multiple opponents, there are too many potential draws out against you. In fact you want to slow play very rarely unless you have a true monster, because there are always draw out to beat you, and your opponents will usually call your bets and raises anyway. If you flop an open-end straight draw, make it sure it is a straight draw to the nuts, and have a similar attitude with flush draws. You don't want to chase a draw that is no good when it hits.

Once the discard is done pineapple becomes a game of pot odds. Remember that your opponents have stronger hands than they would in Hold Em, and that some of your outs may not be good. If you are drawing to the nut straight and the board has two hearts on it you can't count all of your outs as being good, especially with multiple opponents. If you make the straight but a third heart comes and there is a raise you are almost certainly beaten and can throw your hand away. Very few opponents will raise into a three flush on board without actually having a big flush, and those who do will soon be on the rail.

The Turn -

The turn will be a simple pot odds round, punishing draws by raising with your made hands and drawing as cheaply as possible to your straights and flushes. Be cautious of players left to act and whether their raises will ruin the odds for your call. With a made hand that still appears to be the best you must punish your opponents as much as possible for drawing to beat you with bets and raises. You should only check raise if you are certain it will work, as you will find many opponents in Pineapple who raised on the flop will now check right behind you and take their draw for free.

The River -

On the river you will usually need to show down a very strong hand to win, and if there is already a bet and a call you can throw away hands like top pair top kicker, because one of your opponents is certain to have you beaten. Facing a bet and a raise you can throw away hands like two pair and you can usually assume the raiser has something very close to the nuts unless you have seen him raise with weak hands in the past.

That should get you started on this fine game and give you a significant edge over your opponents. For further reading on the subject I recommend... well actually... nothing. I've never anything else useful written about it.

That's all for me today, I hereby declare myself the world's greatest Pineapple coach. For lessons contact me at fox@pokerfox.net

See you at the final table,
Fox
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