Crazy Pineapple

This game plays the same as texas holdem. What makes it Pineapple poker is that players are dealt three hole cards instead of two.

In regular pineapple one of the three cards in the hole is discarded before the flop. This, of course, opens up a better chance to put together a strong starting hand.

I haven't found this version of pineapple being dealt online.

In Crazy Pineapple, players see the flop and have a round of betting before they make a discard.

This opens things up another notch. Now, players who may find that their hole cards were something like J, J, 8, and would have discarded the 8 are still in luck after the flop comes 8, 8, 8. These things happen more than you might think, and make it easier for players to catch a larger part of the flop. It also means that there is a better chance that players are playing those odd hands that you usually wouldn't thin your opponent has.

After all, there was no reason to discard those odd combinations until after they have already seen the flop and know whether or not they would have hit.

This version of the game is often played in hi-lo (8 or better) form.

Crazy Pineapple is an interesting variation of texas holdem. Unlike Omaha, where players are required to play only two of the hole cards, in crazy pineapple players can choose the best of the hole cards and play both, one or none.