Pineapple-Does anybody play it?

I'm a huge fan of both Pineapple and Crazy Pineapple, but I seem to have a hard time finding A: anywhere that spreads it and B: people that have even heard of the game. I figured that since it made its way into World Championship Poker for the PS2, a small amount of exposure to the public at large would at least be there.

But I was playing a home game on Friday and talking to a guy who used to deal at one of the local casinos, and he was totally clueless about it. I actually ended up teaching one of the people there how to play during some side game action while the rest of the crew was finishing up their first Hold'em game, but I'd love to see Pineapple get some more play. Hell, with the WSOP prospectively dropping Razz (which I don't see as a bad move at all. Interest in the game seems to be about nil), I would love to see them pick up either Pineapple or Crazy Pineapple as an event.

So I guess I have two questions. Does anybody else play this particular variation, and if so, could you see it being a useful WSOP event?

[muck_nutz]

I think its pretty rare. There is (or use to be a short time ago) a fairly regularly game in Incline Village, NV. One of the Reno tournament series use to run a small CP tournament mostly for the Incline Village crew. I've seen it come up in dealer's choice games.

[autobet]

They have a few small limit games on Ultimate Bet.

You can try for discussion on the Other Poker thread

[noggindoc]

Paradise Poker has 1/2 crazy pineapple, also 3/6 pineapple hi/lo. I've never seen it in a casino, but that'd be great.

The casino where I usually play has 4/8 Pineapple one night a week. I played it for the first time a couple of months ago and became a fan, for the sake of variety only. I'd not care about playing all the time.

The first time I played I didn't have a lot of tough choices as to the discard. The second time though, damn! Seemed like 30% of my first 3 were all keepers. Fortunately I made most of the right decisions. Very profitable night.

I've not heard of the Crazy version.

[RiverDood]

The only place I've encountered Pineapple (CP, actually) is as a periodic dealer's choice in a small-stakes home game in San Francisco.

We treat it as a fun change of pace from hold 'em. More people limp preflop or call a raise, figuring that the flop might save them. I know that's not optimal play -- but at a table where everyone aspires to be a Hold 'Em Genius, and plays TAG as if their lives depended on it, it's a nice way to mix it up.

So, yeah, it's nice to see it on the back corners of some online sites. And it could become more popular as a 3/6 or 4/8 casino game. Much like Omaha/8, it doesn't punish loose/passive play quite so obviously as hold em does, so LPP players can hang around for the action and capture just enough pots to think that with better luck, they'll be winners next time.

But unless a lot of top-tier players warm up to Pineapple/CP, I wouldn't see it as a game that's taken seriously enough to merit a WSOP bracelet.

Feel free to tell me that Pineapple/Crazy Pineapple is not the "miniature golf" of poker. You're probably right. Then again, the miniature golf champs get pretty proud about their game, too.

[Brash620]

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Does anybody else play this particular variation, and if so, could you see it being a useful WSOP event?

[/ QUOTE ]

Pineapple is a lot like hold 'em so its possible that it could be added, but in all honesty if razz is dropped from the WSOP it will probably be replaced by another variation of hold 'em. You know some bs like short handed, seniors W/ an eyepatch, spread limit hold 'em shootout.

[Overdrive]

I play pineapple pretty regularly for fun on UB. I have about $1800 in bonus money stockpiled there and I have been playing pineapple high just for fun when I feel like it and to slowly - I mean very s-l-o-w-l-y try to (kinda [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]) clear some of that UB bonus. It's a nice change o' pace and I have been doing fairly well at the UB pineapple tables for the past year I've been playing it. I wish Party & skins would add Pineapple - I am sure it would be crazy fun over there [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[donkeyradish]

I have played it on-line at Paradise Poker but get frustrated at how long each game seems to take. Nearly everyone wants to see the flop though

One thing about this game, there is very little published on strategy or starting hand values. I think of it as half- way to Omaha.

[mosch]

I've played it at The Bike (and online and in home games).

It's a fun game... though not as fun as double-discard pineapple (4 cards, ditch one after the flop, one after the turn)