As an online Poker player, you can find a variety of Poker variations to try your hands at. There’s the popular Texas Hold’em version of Poker, along with Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, Five-Card Poker and High Low Chicago.
A lesser-known yet highly exciting variant of Poker to try online is Pineapple Poker. In this article, we explain to you the basics and gameplay rules of Pineapple Poker. Also, we take a look at how the game is played online. Stick with us!
Pineapple Poker basics
Pineapple Poker is a fun and entertaining variant of Poker that has a lot in common with Texas Hold’em and Omaha. The way Pineapple Poker differs from other popular Poker games is that its gameplay round starts with three cards being dealt to each player. This is in contrast to Texas Hold’em where players begin the gameplay action with two cards.
Based on what happens to the third card, Pineapple Poker is further classified into different variations. Fortunately, the basics of all these Pineapple Poker variations are essentially the same, just like the different variants of online Blackjack. So, knowing the main Pineapple Poker gameplay rules means you can easily get started with other variations.
How to play Pineapple Poker?
As mentioned earlier, Pineapple Poker shares resemblance with Texas Hold’em. So, it’s no wonder that the hand rankings in Pineapple Poker are the same as the ones in Texas Hold’em. Below we’ve detailed what a gameplay round of Pineapple Poker looks like:
Step 1: Choosing the dealer position
If you’ve played other Poker games before, you’d be knowing that a dealer is chosen at the start of each initial betting round. And Pineapple Poker is no exception to that. The way the dealer is chosen varies based on the online casino UK you choose to play with. But usually, the player who has got the highest cards after the initial deal starts as the dealer. It’s important to note that the place where the dealer has taken a seat is referred to as “button”.
Step 2: Placing the blinds
In Pineapple Poker, two players need to place the following forced wagers – small blinds and big blinds. The forced bet placed by the player on the dealer’s left is known as small blind, whereas the one posted by the next player to the left is referred to as big blind. The stake amount for the small blind is half of what the big blind bet amount is.
Step 3: Each player is dealt three cards
Once done with placing the bets, all players at the table receive three cards each. The dealing of the cards starts with the player who’s sitting in the small blind position. After that, all players need to discard one card each from their hand.
Then all players, one at a time, go with any of the following wagering options:
- Fold - To fold means to surrender your cards and cease playing. Players who opt to fold in the first betting round don’t lose any money.
- Call - In Pineapple Poker, call refers to the action of matching the most recent wager in the game.
Raise - To raise means to place a bet that’s double the size of the most recent wager at the table.
Step 4: The flop
In the flop round, the dealer places three face-up cards on the table. These cards are referred to as community cards and can be used by all players to form the best five card hand. Then, starting from the player to the left of the dealer, another betting round takes place.
Step 5: The turn and river
After the conclusion of the flop round, the dealer deals one more face-up card on the table. This card is referred to as the turn card.
Then another round of betting takes place. After this, the fifth and the final community card (the river) is turned face up. Once again, starting from the player to the dealer’s left, a round of betting takes place.
Step 6: The showdown
After the final betting round, a showdown takes place. Here, the player with the highest hand wins the game. Note that just like online Roulette, the payout in Pineapple Poker is based on the game’s paytable.
Conclusion
Although not as widely played as other Poker variations at mobile casinos, Pineapple Poker is definitely an entertaining Poker game to play online. Now that you know the basics and gameplay rules of Pineapple Poker, it’s time to give it a try. Play responsibly and happy gaming there!