Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple, Tahoe Hold 'Em and Super Hold 'Em
Texas Hold 'Em (sometimes known as just Hold 'Em) is currently the most popular poker game after beating the former champion: Seven-card stud. So, like Stud games, it’s only natural that Hold 'Em would produce variations to match people’s playing styles, or just entice people who’ve tired of regular Hold 'Em. And four of the most popular variations of Texas Hold 'Em are Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple, Tahoe Hold 'Em, and Super Hold 'Em.
All four poker variations are community card games (like Texas Hold 'Em). This means each player will receive a combination of face up cards (community cards) and face down cards (hole cards). Players will then try to make the best five-card hand with the available community and hole cards.
Pineapple poker (sometimes confused with Crazy Pineapple poker) is similar to regular Hold 'Em. The key difference is that you get your hole cards right away and you get three cards instead of two. Pineapple poker forces you to get rid of a hole card before the flop. Crazy Pineapple makes you get rid of a hole card after the flop. These variations are done to give Texas Hold 'Em a certain level of excitement that many players feel is missing from regular Texas Hold 'Em. Since there are more options with more hole cards, the starting hand’s chances for a good hand are improved. Having an extra card improves your chance to get a flush or a straight.
In Tahoe Hold 'Em, you get your three hole cards at the beginning of the game. You aren’t forced to discard one of your hole cards but you can only use two of the hole cards in your final hand (actually, you can use UP TO two.) These rules seem to satisfy many players because they enjoy the extra freedom and the increased action.
Super Hold 'Em is played similar to Pineapple poker but you get to keep all three hole cards instead of having to discard it before or after the flop. Instead of being limited to just two hole cards like in Tahoe, you can use all three hole cards for your final hand if you like. This makes for very high hands – going into the showdown with a pair is generally seen as suicide.
Like with all community card games, remember to use your eyes to look at the shared cards. If you know what’s already been dealt, you can make some reasonable guesses about the combinations you can receive.
So go out there and win some money and make some friends with these exciting twists to an old poker favorite. Good luck!
