Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker

Several poker game variations have a "Hi-Lo" or "Eight or Better" version, including Seven Card Stud and Omaha. But what if Texas Holdem had an "Eight or Better" version? Although most new poker sites don't offer such an option with their online poker games, a version does exist that players can try at their next home game.

Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker (also known as "Crazy Pineapple Hi-Lo Poker") is a variation on the home game favorite Crazy Pineapple. The game offers the same strategic nuances of most high-low games, but uses the familiar structure of Texas Holdem.

Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker Rules

Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker bears a striking resemblance to some other poker game variations, including Texas Holdem and Omaha. The two players seated to the left of the white dealer button put up blind bets prior to the first deal.

Dealers in Crazy Pineapple Hi-Lo games give each player three cards. Players bet in a limit structure, with the smaller of the two preset increments determining the sizes of the bets and raises.

The dealer then lays out the first three community cards on the table, which prompts another round of betting.

Players must throw away one of their three cards before the dealer puts down the fourth community card.

In a Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better structure, the player with the best "high" hand wins half the pot and the player with the best "low" hand wins the other half. If a player wins both the "high" and "low" hands, it's known as "scooping" the pot.

Low Hands in Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker

A "low" hand in Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker should not be confused with a "bad" hand. In fact, the best "low" hand is also often a winning hand in online poker games: a five-high straight, also called a "wheel".

Straights and flushes are irrelevant to Crazy Pineapple Hi-Lo. The "Eight or Better" part is used to determine a "qualifying low". To qualify as a "low" hand, the five cards must all be valued at eight or lower and the hand cannot contain a pair.

If the board does not contain at least three non-paired cards lower than eight, there is no "qualifying low" and the "high hand" takes the entire pot.

Skills and Challenges of Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker

Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better combines the challenges of both Texas Holdem and more common poker game variations with a high-low structure. Players must determine which cards to use for their high hand and which ones will help get them a low hand. Since this version of the game is not often found on many new poker sites, the challenge becomes one of practice and analysis.

Low Stakes at Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker Tables

Like most home game variations, Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker is usually played at low stakes. However, the high-low structure also encourages betting action. Players who are shut out of the high hand may chase a low draw just to win half the pot.

Internet Poker Games: Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker

Although new poker sites are springing up almost every day, most online poker games and tournaments do not offer Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker. A few offer the high-only version, but the customer demand has not been enough to drive software developers to create an online engine for Crazy Pineapple Hi-Lo.

Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better Poker: Conclusion

While you won't see Crazy Pineapple Eight or Better on the next World Series of Poker or World Poker Tour broadcast, the game can be a fun diversion from the seriousness of no-limit Texas Holdem or pot-limit Omaha. The strategies involved in this unique variation may also provide insight into playing the more standard games.