Crazy Pineapple Poker Strategy

Crazy Pineapple Poker strategy (where you receive three three hole cards and must muck one on the flop) is very similar to Texas Hold’em strategy (where you receive two hole cards) and Omaha strategy (where you receive four hole cards, but may only use two of them at showdown). Its not surprising that the strategies for Crazy Pineapple Poker and those for these two variants are very similar. Concepts such as pot odds, bluffing, drawing hands, betting for value, etc., continue to apply. We will discuss the main strategic differences that need to be considered in order to successfully play Crazy Pineapple Poker.

Strategy for starting hands

The strategy in the selection of starting hands in Crazy Pineapple is different to the strategy used for starting hands requirements in Texas Hold’em. Three aces for example, are much weaker than one might think, as one of those aces must be folded on the flop. Thus, the probability of making a set is very low because there is only one ace remaining in the deck.
The best starting hands are those that give you two or more possibilities to make a strong hand (trips, straight, flush) on the flop, for example:
• As Ah Js: you may flop trips, a straight, a flush, or even a full house
• Tc Th 9c: again, you have the chance to make one of the combinations above. If you don’t hit the flop, you will not lose much money with this hand because you can easily fold a pair of Tens

• Ad 7d 6d: These hole cards are a good starting hand too. You may make two pair, a flush or a straight on the flop
Weak starting hands are rainbow hole cards (all three hole cards in different colors), are not connected and to not consist of one or several face cards. For example, a bad starting hand in Crazy Pineapple Poker is  Th 6d 2s.
A good Crazy Pineapple Poker strategy for beginners is to stick to the following reasoning: would you play any combination of two of the three hole cards in Texas Hold’em poker? If not, then you can fold the hand easily in Crazy Pineapple Poker. So if you were dealt Ah, Td, 5s (combinations AhTd, Ah5s, Td5s), you can fold them. The same is true for Qc, 9d, 5d (combinations Qc9d, Qc5d, Qd5d).
You should also avoid the rookie mistakes of Texas Hold ’em: Many fishes take a look at the flop by saying “Any two cards can win”. This is even a much riskier strategy in Crazy Pineapple Poker, because if they hit the flop in some way, they are often unable to fold their hand. Therefore: Tight is right, especially for beginners in Crazy Pineapple Poker.

One pair is the second worst hand

In Texas Hold’em TPTK (top pair, top kicker), depending on the number of opponents, is a fairly strong hand. In Crazy Pineapple, this is often just an expensive hand because one pair will often be only the second best hand at showdown. And this is very often the case, as in Crazy Pineapple Poker much more frequently Two pair, trips, straights, full houses, and higher combinations occur. Accordingly, if you hold TPTK, you should make a large bet on the flop in order to win the pot directly. If opponents do not fold, then you should try to keep the pot small. If you face resistance the best strategy is often to fold – your top pair is very likely beaten by one of your remaining opponents.

Beware of flushes

Flushes occur much more frequently in Crazy Pineapple Poker than in Texas Hold’em, because there are three instead of only two hole cards. If all three cards on the flop are of the same suit, you can be almost certain that an opponent has completed his flush. If the flop has two suits and you already have a made hand, you should bet about ¾ of the pot to make a flush draw for your opponent too expensive (measured by the pot odds).
Many Crazy Pineapple Poker players try to make flushes. If you have a flush, you should keep this in mind and play cautiously if you do not hold the nut flush.

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