Fruits is a bomb pot game where you play three Hold'em hands at once, then throw them away one at a time. You get six cards, split them into three pairs before the flop, and by the river you're down to the one pair you kept. Every street is a choice about which hand to give up.
How a hand plays
- Everyone antes. Every hand is a bomb pot: an ante from each player, no blinds, and no betting before the flop.
- Six cards each. Everyone gets 6 cards face down.
- Make three hands. Before the flop, everyone splits their six cards into three Hold'em hands of 2 cards each.
- The flop. Three board cards. Everyone throws away one of their three hands, then there's a round of betting.
- The turn. One board card. Everyone throws away another hand, leaving one hand of 2 cards. Round of betting.
- The river. One board card and a final round of betting.
- Showdown. You play your last hand as normal Texas Hold'em: best five from your two and the board.
Hands are thrown away face down, so nobody sees what you gave up. Folding at any point folds all your hands at once.
The game takes 2 to 7 players.
Splitting your six cards
The split is the first decision, and it's made before you see any board cards. Some ideas:
- Keep pairs together. A pocket pair is a strong Hold'em hand on its own.
- Spread your suits. Three hands with different suits give you three chances at a flush, rather than one hand with all your hearts.
- Make different kinds of hands. One big pair, one suited hand, one connected hand. Then whatever the flop does, one of them probably likes it.
An example hand
You're dealt A♥ K♥ 8♣ 8♦ 7♠ 6♠. You split them as A♥ K♥, 8♣ 8♦ and 7♠ 6♠.
The flop is 5♠ 4♠ 2♥. Your 7♠ 6♠ has an open-ended straight draw (any 3 or 8) and a flush draw. The eights are an overpair. Ace king has only ace high. You throw away A♥ K♥.
The turn is the K♣. Now you choose between the eights and the big draw. With several players still in, the draw has more ways to win a big pot. You keep 7♠ 6♠ and throw away the eights.
Tips
- Think about the turn when you split. You'll keep only one hand after it, so make sure at least one of your three can turn into something big.
- Give up the weakest hand first. On the flop, throw away the hand with no pair and no draw.
- Remember what you threw. The cards in your discarded hands won't come on the board.
Play it
Play Fruits on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. Before the flop you tap your cards into three hands, and the table suggests a split if you want one.