Scoring in Pineapple Poker

Pineapple Poker adds a fresh twist to Texas Hold’em, making it more fun and dynamic. Players receive three hole cards instead of two, but there’s a catch—you must discard one before the main action starts. This small change introduces more strategy, creating unpredictability with every hand. Whether you’re a Texas Hold’em fan or after something new, Pineapple Poker offers an easy and entertaining way to switch up your poker experience. In this article, we’ll cover the rules of Pineapple Poker and how scoring works in the game. Experience the thrill of winning with BLITZPOKER, India’s ultimate online poker destination for players of all levels.

What is the Pineapple Poker Variant?

Pineapple poker is quite similar to Texas Hold’em, but there’s a key difference. Instead of two cards, players receive three hole cards.

Before the first round of betting starts, everyone has to discard one card, placing it face down. After that, the hand plays out just like in Texas Hold’em, where players use two hole cards.

The aim in Pineapple poker is to create the best five-card hand by combining your two hole cards with the five community cards, following the usual poker hand rankings.

Before trying Pineapple poker, it’s essential to know how Texas Hold’em works. Read on to understand the rules of Texas Hold’em here.

Pineapple Poker Rules

Pineapple poker is set up much like Texas Hold’em, but players are dealt three cards instead of two as they start playing. The game kicks off with the pre-flop betting round, beginning with the player seated to the dealer’s left.

Just like in Texas Hold’em, blinds are required in Pineapple poker. The small blind is placed by the player to the dealer’s immediate left, while the player next to them puts down the big blind. Both must place their bets before receiving any cards.

Before the flop is dealt, each player discards one hole card. The game then moves on with the usual betting rounds: the flop, the turn, and the river.

During these rounds, players can choose out of these three options:

Fold: Give up your cards to the dealer, ending your participation in the round. No money is lost if you fold in the first betting round.

Call: Match the most recent bet on the table.

Raise: Increase the bet, doubling the previous amount.

After the final betting round, played after the river, the player with the strongest hand wins the pot.

Also Read: Poker Actions – Call, Bet, Raise, Check and Fold

Scoring in Pineapple Poker

In Pineapple OFC, scoring is the same as in regular Open Face Chinese (OFC) poker. The basic scoring is simple, but there are several specific cases to keep in mind. Points are awarded for final hands after all 13 cards are placed.

Each row—top, middle, and bottom—is worth one point to the winner. For example, if you have a pair of jacks in the middle and your opponent has king-high, you win one point for that row.

In a three- or four-player OFC game, each player scores against every other player individually. Unlike Texas Hold’em, there’s no folding, so if Aman beats Raman but loses to Naman, Aman still wins points from Raman.

In addition to the +1/-1 points per row, there are various scoring bonuses that can increase the points significantly.

Scoring Bonuses in Pineapple Poker

The most common bonus is the “scoop bonus.” If you win the top, middle, and bottom rows against an opponent, you earn three extra points, known as the “1-6” scoring system. If you win two of the three rows, you gain one point overall. Scooping an opponent is worth six points in total.

To encourage players to aim for strong hands, OFC gives bonus points for making good hands in each row, regardless of whether those hands win or lose.

• Bottom-row bonuses: Start at +2 for a straight and go up to +25 for a royal flush.
• Middle-row bonuses: Begin at +2 for three-of-a-kind and reach up to +50 for a royal flush.
• Top-row bonuses: Start at +1 for a pair of sixes and increase from there.

OFC Bonus Scoring System

In the table table:

• Bottom-row bonuses range from +2 for a straight to +25 for a royal flush.
• Middle-row bonuses start at +2 for three-of-a-kind and go up to +50 for a royal flush.
• Top-row bonuses begin at +1 for a pair of sixes and increase by one point for each higher pair up to +9 for a pair of aces.

This bonus structure rewards strong hands, encouraging players to aim for high-ranking combinations.

Scoring in Pineapple Poker – At a Glance