The Game

Pineapple Poker Hi/Lo, also known as 8 or Better, is played exactly as its source of origin with each player dealt three pocket cards and where the players must discard one of its pocket cards before the flop is dealt, but in Hi/Lo games when the last round of betting is over and the showdown determines the winner, there can be two winners splitting the pot, high hand winner and low hand winner, the best low hand is 5, 4, 3, 2, A. The highest low hand is 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 (8 or Better).

 

Note... Pineapple Hi/Lo and Crazy Pineapple Hi/Lo the difference is that in Crazy Pineapple Hi/Lo the player discards one of its pocket cards after the flop.

 

 

How to Play Pineapple Poker Hi/Lo

In Pineapple Poker Hi/Lo the players are each dealt three cards face down, the players pocket cards, and before the flop is dealt the player must discard one of its pocket cards. The dealer will then turn over three community cards (the flop), face up. Following the second round of betting the dealer then proceeds to deal the fourth card to the flop, the turn. The third betting round the dealer deals the fifth and last community card to the flop, the river card.

 

 

The Rules

Pineapple Poker Hi/Lo is played exactly as its source of origin, Pineapple Poker, which originates from Texas Hold'em, with the exceptions of the three pocket cards and discard rule. Hence for a detailed description of the game, betting structure and table limits etc. please see Texas Hold'em in the games menu.

 

 

Hand Rank

The game outcome is determined per the following poker hand ranking.

 

Royal Flush	A, K, Q, J, T in same suit
Straight Flush	Five cards in sequence, same suit
Four of a Kind	Four cards of the same rank
Full House	Three of a kind and one pair
Flush	Five card of the same suit
Straight	Five cards in sequence, no suit
Three of a Kind	Three cards of the same rank
Two Pairs	Two different pairs
One Pair	One pair plus three odd cards
High Card	Five cards, nothing of the above

 

 

Low Hand

With straights and flushes out of the low hand ranks, the challenge and excitement in playing Hi/Lo is to recognise starting hands as good hands, hands that we at any other time would fold in a regular game of poker.

 

The best low hand is 5, 4, 3, 2, A. Straights and flushes do not count on low hands, and the hand must consist of five cards of different numeric values from Ace to 8, and a pair will disqualify the hand, no wild cards are used and Ace counts as 1. The highest low hand is 8, 7, 6, 5, 4.

 

 

The Showdown

During the final betting round the showdown is up, and at the showdown the players can use either one of the following...

 

- Both of the remaining pocket cards and three of the community cards.

 

- One of the remaining pocket cards and four of the community cards.

 

- All five of the five community cards, called playing the board.

 

While the high and low hands consist of five cards from the total of seven available at the showdown (players two pocket cards plus five community cards), one don't have to use the same 7 cards for both the high and the low hand. If players pocket cards are Ad, 7d, and the board is 2d, 3c, 4c, 5d, 6d, the player have a low hand of Ace to 5, and a high hand of Ace high flush.

 

In short it is hence possible for one player to win both the high and low hand, taking the full pot should he or she win both hands.

 

 

Crazy Pineapple Hold'em, Tahoe Hold'em and Super Hold'em

While the game is more commonly known and played as Pineapple Poker (Pineapple Poker Hi/Lo) the other variations are Crazy Pineapple Hold'em, Tahoe Hold'em (Lazy Pineapple) and Super Hold'em.

 

Crazy Pineapple Hold'em

In Crazy Pineapple Hold'em the player discards one of its cards after the flop, before the fourth card is dealt, and as with regular Pineapple poker, and following one pocket card being discarded, both games are played exactly as Texas Hold'em.

 

Tahoe Hold'em

In Tahoe Hold'em (Lazy Pineapple), players keep all three cards throughout the showdown, but cannot not use all three of them to make a hand. Each player can use none, one, or two cards from his hand, combined with those on the board, this to make his final five card hand. Crazy Pineapple and Tahoe Hold'em are usually played high-low split.

 

Super Hold'em

In the version known as Super hold'em, the players keep all 3 pocket cards throughout the play and may use all three cards to determine its five card hand.