In classic Pineapple Poker (OFC poker), your final hand will be displayed on three lines that must respect the following order, otherwise your hand will be invalid:
- Bottom Line of 5 cards: Highest hand of the three lines
- Middle Line of 5 cards: Must be higher than the top line
- Top Line of 3 cards: Must be beaten by the two other lines
Three cards’ straights and flushes are not valid on the top line, therefore the best possible hand you can make there is trip Aces, which has to be beaten by the middle line, which line also has to be beaten by the bottom line. Needless to say, it is extremely rare to actually be able to place trip Aces on the top line!
At Pineapple Poker, on the first draw, each player receives five cards to be placed anywhere on their boards, without being able to move the cards afterwards.
First draw, each player receives 5 cards
On the next four draws, each player receives three cards and they need to discard one card, while placing the remaining two on their boards. Remember that the goal of the game is to go to Fantasyland, which will happen when you successfully place QQ or better on the top row.
Two players are going in Fantasyland
When you successfully do that without busting out, you will receive 14 cards all at once on the next hand, allowing you to place 13 cards of your choice on your board. You can even remain in Fantasyland as long as you are able to place quads on the back or trips on top.
The reason why Pineapple Poker is so exciting is that you are trying to make a valid board without fouling, and at the same time you are trying to place a pair of queens or better on the top row in order to go to Fantasyland, so this is a great mix of risks and rewards.
At the end of each hand, the players will compare each of their lines with each other using a scoring system that includes some points for the lines and extra points rewarded as Royalties for special kind of combinations on specific lines. Therefore, it is true that OFC can be a little bit scary at first because of the multiple factors that needs to be taken into account when it comes down to counting the points:
- Royalties accumulated on your three lines
- Royalties accumulated by each opponent on three lines
- Points for the lines against each player
- Bonuses associated with a Scoop
I will introduce an easy 3 steps method that I have developed in order to count your points as fast and as easily as possible at Pineapple Poker!
1st Step – Counting our Royalties
When your board is all set, immediately count your own Royalties on your three lines. Indeed, no matter what your opponents hold, this total of your own Royalties will not change and will stay the same for calculation against each player.
2nd Step –Counting your Opponents’ Royalties
Once that you know what your total number of Royalties is, you will look at your opponent board and count his Royalties using the very same method. If your opponent doesn’t have any Bonus, you have your final total of Royalties in hand. If he does have some Bonuses, you will subtract these from your total to have the final number of Points in favor of your opponent or yourself.
3rd Step – Counting the Points for the Lines and the Scoops
Now that you know how much you are owed or how much you owe for the Royalties against your first opponent, you will look at who wins each line following this system:
- Winning two lines out of three: +1 point
- Winning all three lines: +6 points (Scoop)
- Fouling / Busting: -6 points
This total will always be plus or minus 1 point, or plus or minus 6 points. The only and very rare exception will arise if two players have the exact same line, for example a Pair of Queens with an Ace kicker on top line, in which case the final total will be Zero, or plus or minus 2 points, depending on who wins the other two lines.
At this stage, you add or deduct the points for the lines from your Royalties final total. And you move to the next opponent repeating the same process. Now you know how to count points at Pineapple Poker. Good luck!
You may also like Mastering OFC Poker: The Art of Reading Your Opponent.
