PLAYING TIPS for HOT & COLD PINEAPPLE POKER

​​HOW TO PLAY HOT & COLD PINEAPPLE POKER
Hot & Cold Pineapple: Played like Texas Hold Em with two twists:  Deal 4 hole cards to each player.  Before any betting or other action each player must discard one hole card face down in the middle of the table.  (This is an absolute requirement.  No player may fold before discarding one of their cards.)  These cards are shuffled or mixed together.  After a round of betting, 3 of these discarded cards are drawn for the flop.  Immediately after the flop each active player must discard 1 additional hole card leaving them with 2.  These cards are mucked.  Play continues with the turn and river cards being dealt from the remaining deck.   As in Texas Hold 'em, players may make their hand from any combination of the 5 board cards and their 2 hole cards. 
May be played high, high-low split or high-low eight or better. 

SUMMARY of ACTION
Deal 4 hole cards to each player. 
Each player selects 1 card from their hand and discards it face down.  Each player now has 3 cards.
Gather and mix/shuffle all discarded cards.
Bet
Deal 3 cards from discarded cards as the flop.
Each player discards 1 hole card.  These cards are mucked.  Each player now has 2 cards.
Bet
Deal 1 card from deck as turn.
Bet
Deal 1 card from deck as river.
Bet
 High only: Showdown
 High-low split: Declare 
Bet
Showdown

​ Hot & Cold Pineapple Poker combines features of Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple and Hot Pineapple.  The result is an interesting mixture of features that results in a game where even the best pre-flop and post-flop decisions can be negated once the turn and river are revealed.     

​PLAYING TIPS FOR HOT & COLD PINEAPPLE POKER
The significant features of Hot & Cold Pineapple are:      
1. Players are dealt 4 hole cards instead of 3.  There will therefore be more playable hands like pocket pairs (maybe 2),  suited, connected and high ranked hole cards - hands that many players will want to at least see the flop with.    
 2. The flop is made from cards that are not random but rather have been seen and selected by the players.   There may be some level of predictability in what cards may appear in the flop.   Most importantly, whenever possible players will discard a card that can help their hand if it re-appears on the flop.   
3. The turn and river are dealt from the remaining unseen deck.  There is a equal chance that any card may appear.  These cards are random and not predictable.  
4. Post-flop decision involves selecting a card that will not be in play.  It can not appear on the board or be held by an opponent.  But, players get to see the flop before they have to decide which card to throw away.  They can optimize their hand by keeping  the 2 cards that best connects with the flop and discarding the card that least connects.   

​The main considerations and decisions in Hot & Cold Pineapple involve trying to strike a balance between these competing factors:
You would like the card you discard pre-flop to be of value to your hand if it re-appears in the flop.
The card you discard pre-flop should be of minimal value to your opponents if it re-appears in the flop.
The cards you keep should be the ones your opponents are most likely to discard to the flop cards.
The card you discard post-flop should be the card that least coordinates with your hand and the flop.

​STARTING HAND SELECTION
Starting hands like trips, 3-suited, 3-connected cards are the most desirable Hot & Cold Pineapple starting hands.  That is because those hands will be improved should the discarded card reappear on the board.  

Trips as hole cards increase your chances of making a set, full house or even quads.  But they may be variable in their strength dependent on their rank.  Low sets or low full houses are vulnerable and could cost you a lot of money before you find out if they are a winner or merely second best. 
Three hole cards of the same suit improve your chances of making a flush.   Your play would be to discard the lowest ranked card and hope it (and 2 others) reappears on the board.  But, flush value, or lack of value, greatly depends on the ranks.  With an ace as high card it's great.  Suited to a king is OK.  Anything less could be problematic.  Drawing to something like a ten-high flush with T♥ 6♥ 2♥ would be a poor starting hand decision. 

Thus, for most hands the strategy for selecting a starting hand in Hot & Cold Pineapple is essentially the same as is used in Texas Hold’em.  Favor starting hands that are paired, suited aces, other suited and/or connected cards or multiple Broadway cards.  A pair, especially a low one, may be split to be kept with a suited ace. Your best bet is to play starting hands that can make 3 of a kind or better.  

An important difference is that, on average, you will be dealt many more hands that you will want to continue with.  For example, the chances of being dealt a pocket pair are 5 times higher compared to Hold 'Em.   Likewise, there will be many more 2-suited hole cards as well as more connected cards.  
A pocket pair of aces has less of a chance of becoming trips than any other pocket pair.  Other players are very unlikely to discard an ace, so it will hardly ever occur on the flop.  In all likelihood, you will have only the turn and river to make it happen, so you have cut your chances of making a set of aces by over half.  (2 chances rather than 5.)

​PRE-FLOP STRATEGY INFLUENCES THE FLOP
The first cards that are discarded can come back into play as the 3 flop cards.  In an 8 handed game there is a 37.5% chance that the card a player discards will appear in the flop. It is 43% for a 7 handed game.  Whenever possible you will want to discard a card that will help your hand if it re-appears.   For example, if you held 3 of the same suit or 3 of a kind, this is the time to discard one of them as you would love to see it back on the board. 

 A second objective is that a player should give consideration to keeping cards that the other players are more likely to discard, especially pairs or the higher ranks of those cards.   Granted, that is not always easy to do.  There will often be contradictory pros and cons about what to keep and what to discard, but it is still a goal.  You may also find yourself in a dilemma when you hold 2 pair or a big pair and 2 suited cards (e.g. KKA2).
​
Another "dilemma" you may face in making this pre-flop decision is that you do not have a card to discard that will help you were it to come back into play.  When faced with this situation strategy shifts to attempting to discard one that is less likely to help an opponent's hand.   This requires that you give consideration to what specific cards your opponents may be more likely to keep.  This is difficult, but often follows a trend, as is outlined below.

​THE FLOP CARDS ARE DIFFERENT
It is important to think about what the other players will do prior to the flop.  What cards will they most likely keep?  What cards will they most likely contribute to the flop cards? These two decisions are very important for they will influence on what you will do.  Unless they have given it some prior thought the average player is likely to discard what they think is the card that least coordinates with their other cards.  That certainly makes sense, but it is only part of what needs to be considered.  What must also be considered is if the card they discard will be helpful to another player. That will often lead to mistakes.  Cards that players will most likely keep are any ace, very low cards (if playing high-low split), very high cards, pairs, suited and unsuited connected cards.  The cards they are most likely to discard are middle ranked cards and any other card that is not well coordinated with their other three.

Here is a summary of what other players are likely to do with each card when playing high-low split versions of this game.  Playing high only version is much simpler as players will keep their highest cards and discard lowest card unless it is paired or suited to an ace or king.  Tips for playing high-low split are found later on.

Ace:  As the highest card an ace will almost always be kept.  May consider discarding only if not paired, not suited, not connected with other high cards (KQJT), they hold another pair.  Even in those circumstances discarding an ace will almost certainly help another player if it reappears on the board.
Broadway cards (Ten through King):  Will typically be kept if suited, connected (including gapped) or paired.  The higher the rank, the more likely it will be kept.
Medium ranked cards (9 through 6):  Will often be discarded unless suited to ace or another high card, is paired or suited-connected.  The lower the rank, the more likely it will be discarded
Low ranked cards (5 through 2): Will discard unless suited to ace or another high card, paired or suited connected.  The lower the rank, the more likely it will be discarded.  These lowest cards become desirable when playing high-low split and that is discussed in a later section.
​
Since players are more likely to discard similar ranked cards expect to see the board pair more often.   As a result, expect more frequent full houses and quads occurring and fewer straights or flushes being winners.

​POST-FLOP PLAY
There are 2 things to consider for post flop play:
1.  At this point you have 3 hole cards.  The first thing you must do post flop is to select one of those cards to throw away.   This decision is made easier since you get to see the flop before you have to select that card.  You should keep the two cards that best connects with the flop and discard the card that least connects.  
It is important to remember that the card you discard here is eliminated from play. This provides a bit of information that may work to your advantage or disadvantage.  For example, consider two straight draw situations in which the flop gives you an open-ended draw.  In each example to flop will be T 9 3.   If you hold K Q J you will be forced to discard one of the cards (K) needed to complete the straight.  Instead of 8 outs you only have 7, so, the chance of completing the straight is reduced.    On the other hand, if you held A Q J you preserve the usual 8 outs.  In addition, one less bad card in play gives you a very slightly improved chance of making that straight.
2. The turn and river cards will come from the unseen deck.  Unlike the flop, they are random, unpredictable cards.   

​HIGH HAND PROBABILITIES
Approximate chances of being dealt the following HIGH hands as your 4 hole cards.  

4 Card Hand
3 of a Kind
2 Pair
1 Pair
​3 Suited Cards

Percent Probability/Odds
107:1
32:1
2:1
5:1​

​PLAYING HOT & COLD PINEAPPLE AS HIGH-LOW SPLIT
Playing High-Low Split will result in players wanting to see a flop with the very lowest combinations like A2 and A3.  

The perfect low starting hand is A23X (X = any card 4 to king).  Pre-flop you would discard the odd (X) card, leaving you with A23.  If the flop contains an ace, deuce or trey you discard the same ranked card and still have the nut low.   

Having only A2XX is also the nuts at the start but is more vulnerable.  Aces are almost never discarded, so, unless a deuce appears, it will probably not be counterfeited on the flop.  Of course, you still have to dodge an ace or deuce on the turn and river.  In an eight handed game if you are not dealt A2 there is about a 50-50 chance someone else was.   With any other low card holdings, not only do you have to dodge being counterfeited by the board, but you also have to hope of catching a card to make the nut low.  

If you hold A3, the second best low, it is only one card from making the best low.  There is a chance that a deuce may be discarded so you could get it on the flop.  There is also the chance to catch a deuce on the turn or river.  Failing both of those chances, A3 might win by itself, though it is tough to bet it.  Unimproved, A3 is one of those classic hands that either wins a small pot or loses a big one.  It can just as easily be counterfeited if someone dumps a 3 for the flop or an ace or 3 appears on the turn or river.

23 is also only a single card away from making the nut low.  It needs an ace on the board.  You should expect that aces are rarely discarded so 23 is hardly ever going to make the best low hand on the flop.  There is still some hope the ace could come on the turn or river, but that is a greater than 4:1 against probability.  Your chances are even worse for any low hands that are 2 cards from the nut low, like 24 or 34.  A4 suited is worth playing primarily for the nut flush possibility, although there is some slim additional hope it could make the nut low.    

​LOW HAND PROBABILITIES   
Approximate chances of these LOW hands being dealt to you as your 4 hole cards.  A suited ace adds a possible nut flush draw and are very strong starting hands that have the potential of scooping the entire pot.  

4 Card Hand
A2XX
A3XX or 23XX

A23X
A24X or A34X or 234X
Any 3 cards to a 5-low 

Percent Probability/Odds
7.2%  (13:1)
14.4%  (6:1)

1.2%  (82:1)
3.6%  (27:1)
​7.2%  (13:1)

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