***** PART OF ALL SALES GO TO RETT SYNDROME RESEARCH.*****Crazy Pineapple is played as a variation of Texas Hold’em.
Personally, I think it is somewhere between Texas Hold’em and Omaha primarily depending on what cards you are dealt and the complexion of the particular game you are in.
Players are dealt THREE pocket cards. The rule is that one of the pocket cards must be discarded after the flop.
In regular Pineapple poker, depending on the rules of where you are playing, you may discard a hole card before the flop. In regular Pineapple – only the highest hand wins – so think of it as Texas Hold’em with 3 cards initially. Crazy Pineapple is a high-low (also known as “hi-lo” or “hi/lo”) game where the highest hand splits with the lowest hand the pot.
There is a version of Crazy Pineapple where you keep all three cards through the river card. It is called “Tahoe” because it is played in the casinos in Tahoe. I think it may have been bumped out of some casinos due to Hold’em’s popularity and the fact that anything goes in this game..
Back to our game!
You are dealt three cards and like Texas Hold’em, the two players to the left of the person with the dealer button post the small and large blinds. People call, raise or fold just like pre-flop play in Hold’em.
After your first round of betting, the dealer burns card (deals a card face down into the discard pile) and then deals the flop. The flop is three cards face up on the table.
There is a betting round where you decide whether to call, raise or fold.
Then, you DISCARD one of the three cards and you are down to TWO cards in your hand.
Another card is dealt by the dealer – that is called the Turn.
There is another round of betting.
The last card is dealt – called the River card.
If you have the best high and low hands with your cards (and they don’t have to be the same ones to match with the board), that is called “scooping” and you win the entire pot.
If you have the best high hand and somebody else has the best low hand you split the pot.
To have a low hand (or to “qualify” it) you need to have five cards in your hand that are less than or equal to 8. The lower the series of numbers – the better your chances of having the best low. Similar to having the best high hand determined by a kicker you can have the same situation with a low hand. Consider this:
(For the purposes of notation in this book I will use c = clubs, s= spades, d = diamonds, h= hearts, T = ten card).
Your hand: 6c 4s
Your opponent: 6d 5s
Another opponent: Js 4h
The board has: 8d 7d 2c Ts Jd
Your low hand would be: 87642
Your opponent would be: 87652
Your 4s plays and makes a better kicker and you would have the low hand.
You would split the pot with the opponent who has the pair of jacks (his Js and the board’s Jd).
The best hand to have for low is 5432A because it also is a straight and that could “scoop” the pot for you for both high and low hands!
That, in a nutshell, is the rules for Crazy Pineapple 8b poker.
Here is an example of a game:
Example Game #1 $4/8
Crazy Pineapple 8b
1) Player 1 $100
2) Player 2 $100
3) Player 3 Dealer $100
4) You $100 Jd Ac 7h
The play is to you and you call by playing $4.
Player 1 calls
Player 2 raise
Player 3 re-raises
It is up to you if you want to call $8. For our example, we will. Normally I would think about folding.
You call.
Player 1 folds
Player 2 calls
The flop comes out:
Qc 7s 6s
For now, there is the chance for a low hand.
Player 2 bets
Player 3 calls
You call $4
You get rid of the 7h in your hand.
The turn card is an 8h. Not the greatest but you have a shot a low hand.
Player 2 checks
Player 3 bets
You call $8
Player 2 calls
The river card is the Kh.
Qc 7s 6s 8h Kh
Player 2 checks
Player 3 bets
You fold
There may be a low hand – but you won’t have the cards for it!
Player 2 folds
Player 3 wins uncontested.
Sometimes games go that way…..
Here is another example of a game:
Example Game #2 $4/8
Crazy Pineapple 8b
1) Player 1
2) Player 2 Dealer
3) Player 3
4) You Qh Jh Qd
Player 3 folds.
The play is to you and you have a nice shot at a high hand but since it is pre-flop I think we can just check this time for our example.
Player 1 calls
The flop comes out:
4h Js 8s
You bet.
For now, there is the chance for a low hand.
Player 1 bets
Player 2 calls
You call $4
You get rid of the Jh in your hand. Remember, you can only keep two cards so you will not have two pair Queens and Jacks.
The turn card is 9d.
Player 1 bets
Player 2 folds
You call $8
The river card is the 8c.
4h Js 9d 8s 8c
Player 1 bets
You call
Player 1 Jd 7d
You Qh Qd
Player 1 has two pair Jacks and eights
You win with Queens and eights.
By the way, I’m sure you noticed that Player 1’s hand is dangerous. If a ten had come on the river he would have a straight but you would have won with a higher straight J.
Here is another example of a game:
Example Game #3 $4/8
Crazy Pineapple 8b
1) Player 1 As 3c
2) Player 2 Ac 3d
4) You Qh Qd
The final board is:
5c 7d 4s Kh
You would get half the pot for winning the high hand by having a pair of Queens.
Players 1 and 2 would have split the low hand (A3457 each) – the expression for that is “quartering” where one wins only a quarter of the pot.
There are a lot of times when it does not pay to stay in the pot. If you think you might be quartered and you may be putting in more money then you will get back, fold.
***** PART OF ALL SALES GO TO RETT SYNDROME RESEARCH.*****
Publisher: Kim Greenblatt
Published in West Hills , California , USA .
ISBN-13 978-0-9777282-4-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2006907165
140 Pages US $17.95
Title: Crazy Pineapple 8b Poker
A book by Kim Isaac Greenblatt
THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU MAKE MONEY!!!
The book is available now!
Residents of the United States can order the book here:
Internationally the book is out soon in Amazon, Amazon UK and Barnes & Noble as well as other fine stores. If you go to the bookstore to order it, please order it by it's title "Crazy Pineapple 8b Poker" or have them search for the ISBN number: 0-9777282-4-2 (ISBN-10) or 978-0-9777282-4-4 (ISBN-13).
The book can also be ordered from the Gambler's Book Shop here.
Finally, a book on Crazy Pineapple 8b (highest card value in the qualifying hand is an 8 or lower to win if there is a low hand-it is designated as "eight or better") poker. This is the book that had to be written because there hasn't been a good book about Crazy Pineapple in ancient or recent history. Isn't it time to teach our children and future generations how to play this insane and wonderful game?
Probably not...
Kim Greenblatt, author of "Practical Low and No Limit Texas Hold'em Ring Games" offers the rules, strategies and exercise for playing tthis popular hi/lo split game.
Also briefly covered in the book are the games of Omaha 8/b, Pineapple and Tahoe.
Crazy Pineapple 8b has been a staple home game for years and the rise of poker playing worldwide has generated a comeback.
Learn or get a refresher course on this wacky form of poker with this book.
Published in West Hills, California United States.
Part of the proceeds from the poker book sales go to research for a cure for Rett Syndrome. Rett Syndrome hits one out of every 15,000 girls born worldwide. Boys born with the Rett gene die at birth. For more information visit here
Suggestions or comments? Please email the author at kimg@practicallowandnotlimitholdem.com
For more information on Rett Syndrome, click here.
For books on other syndromes and conditions that might be of interest to you or others, click here.