Crazy Pineapple Tactics #1

[msk]

Hi, and happy thanksgiving. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Since PP started running Crazy Pineapple, I have been watching those games with great interest. First, I did really well at PP Omaha Hi until they turned those games into PL. Second, it seems like the same number of very poor players are there, playing way too many hands preflop, and then playing too loosely after.

This post is about preflop, if there is interest in discussing tactics further, I will post later some other questions and comments about other streets.

Also, seems like about 50% or a bit less are seeing the flop, seems way too high to me. About half of those are raised pots. So you might have 5 playing the flop for no raises; or 3-4 seeing the flop for one raise.

Preflop, seems like two way hands are needed to play, unless you have both position and great strength. Here are hands I wonder about, where 'x' means the card is a 'dangler' with no inherent value with the others; and 'o' means offsuit, and 's' means suited :

For each of these hands:

a. Is this hand playable when there have been no raises (typical 3 limpers if you are late or in early to mid position)? On the button only? Or in the Cutoff?

b. Would you raise on the button with only one limper before you? No limpers?


1. AKxo
1a.AQxo
2. JJxo
3. T98o
4. JT9o
5. QT9o
6. 887o
7. 87s7
8. A2s2
9. K4s4
10.Q7s7

These are all hands which I think are more or less on the cusp, so to speak.

Thanks,

Mark Krieger

[cpk]

Is this high only or split? Obviously, it makes a difference.

In a split game, in case (a) in late position, I would maybe call with 1 and 1a, would definitely call with 2, 4 and 5, and raise with 8 and 9--fold the rest. In case (b), or in early position, I would fold with all but 8 and 9, and then I would raise. 2 is a close call, but I don't think JJ wins much unimproved in these games.

I'm not very interested in non-suited hands in Pineapple unless it has a big pair. I can gamble a bit with sufficient pot odds with a hand like QT9, but I still hate it--two of my nut hands are 876 and J87--who needs to give up half the pot?

You can make tons in Pineapple if you are patient and wait for scooping opportunities. If it's a rowdy, boisterous game (and it usually is), you gotta get out of line occasionally to keep up the gambling spirit of the game. But I'd rather get out of line with hands like T2sT than AKxo!

[msk]

On Paradise, which I was writing about, it is high only.

Mark

[Clarkmeister]

I don't play hands like 678o anymore. Straights are rarely the nut in this game, and even when it is, you chop the pot. Meanwhile you make second best hands constantly.

If you limited your offsuit rundowns to QJTo as a minimum I think that would be about right.

I'd rank your 10 hands the following way, in order of (general) strength, assuming 4-5 people see the flop, which is very common right now. It certainly isn't an absolute ranking, since many of these hands are very very close. I'm certainly open to discuss some of the questionable ones.

2. AKxo
7.AQxo
1. JJxo
11. T98o
10. JT9o
9. QT9o
8. 887o
6. 87s7
3. A2s2
4. K4s4
5.Q7s7

[msk]

Clarkmeister,

I like your rankings. But which ones would you play of these? From early, mid, later and button? Given the typical game 4-5 in and few raises...

And what percentage pre-flop do you think is correct more or less in this game? Should a player stay around more frequently in Crazy Pineapple than in HE? How much more? (If you look at PP preflop 5/10 HE -- 20-25%; if you look at Crazy Pineapple preflop 5/10 -- 40-50%). Is this people just playing bad until their BR's run out?

thanks,

Mark