The games · Coolhand Poker

Pineapple

Hold'em with three cards in hand and one to throw away. When you throw it (before the offers, after the first three shared cards, or never) decides how it plays.

18+ · Nothing to win but the hand.

Players: 2 to 9
Family: Flop Games
App: Coolhand Poker · iOS and Android, soon

How it goes

You're dealt three cards face down instead of Hold'em's two, and one of them has to go. The usual rule is that you throw it away before the first offers, so you play the whole hand with two. At some tables you keep all three through the round of offers on the first three shared cards and throw one after it, having seen what the middle brings. At others you never throw at all, and at most two of your three may count in your final hand. Everything else is Hold'em: five shared cards in the middle, four rounds of offers with tokens going into the pool, and the best five-card hand takes it.

A good hand

Three cards that leave you two good ones whichever way the third goes: a pair with a high card beside it, or two cards of one suit next to each other in rank, plus a spare. Everyone at the table got a third card too, so starting hands are stronger all around. A good start in Hold'em is only a fair one here.

The usual mistake

Keeping the two cards you like best instead of the two that work together. A pair and an unrelated ace is a real choice: the pair or the big card. Two cards of one suit next to each other in rank, plus a spare, is no choice at all, and people still agonize over it. The spare goes.

Played differently where you are?

Card games change from table to table, and we researched some of these games instead of playing them. If Pineapple goes differently where you play it, tell us. That's one of the things the closed beta is for.

The closed beta is by invitation. How to ask to join.