Pineapple is Texas Hold'em with one extra card. You get three cards instead of two, bet once, and then throw one away before the flop. After that, the hand plays exactly like Hold'em.
It's a good first variant for a Hold'em group. Nothing new to learn about hand rankings or betting, and that one extra card makes the start of every hand more interesting.
How a hand plays
- Blinds. The small and big blind post, as in Hold'em.
- Three cards each. Everyone gets 3 cards face down.
- Preflop betting. A normal round of betting, starting left of the big blind.
- The discard. Everyone still in throws away one card face down, all at the same time, leaving 2.
- Flop, turn and river. Five board cards come out in the usual order, with a round of betting after the flop, the turn and the river.
- Showdown. Best five cards from your two and the board.
What to throw away
Most of the time it's obvious. With A♠ K♠ 7♦ you keep the ace king and throw the seven.
The harder spots are when two different pairs of cards both look good:
- 9♥ 9♣ J♥. A pair of nines, or J♥ 9♥ suited? Keep the pair. Pairs are worth more before the flop than suited connectors.
- A♣ 5♣ K♦. A suited ace or ace king offsuit? Both are fine. Ace king makes stronger top pairs. The suited ace can make the nut flush. In a big multiway pot the flush matters more, so keep A♣ 5♣.
Remember the card you threw away. It can't come on the board, which sometimes tells you an out is dead.
How it differs from Hold'em
Because everyone picks their best two of three, starting hands are stronger on average. Pairs come along more often, and so do suited and connected cards. That means:
- Hands go to showdown stronger, so top pair with a weak kicker is worth less than in Hold'em.
- More players see the flop with something they like, so pots tend to be bigger.
- You can't fold away your bad card for free. You have to call the preflop bet with all three first.
Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple and the rest
There are a few games with this name:
- Pineapple (this one): discard before the flop.
- Crazy Pineapple: keep all three through the flop betting, then discard.
- Reverse Pineapple: start with one card and get another on every street.
- Donkey Pineapple: start with six and throw them away face up.
Play it
Play Pineapple on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. The host can also play it with no betting before the flop: everyone antes, then throws a card away and the flop comes.