We all make mistakes when playing Pineapple Poker, and that’s normal; it’s a highly complex game that’s a mix of poker and chess. However, there are some very common mistakes that are easy to avoid. Here are the three most common mistakes in Open Face Chinese Poker and how to avoid them!
As you will not be able to move your cards once they are placed, your initial positioning is the absolute foundation of your hand. Therefore, it is when setting up the five initial cards that we see most mistakes being made in OFC.
Common Mistake #1 – Placing a High Pair on top
When you are dealt a pair of Kings or a pair of Aces on the first draw, it will usually be a mistake to place such a pair on the top line right away. Indeed, it will be difficult to cover it on the middle line and on the bottom line, and the reward of 14 cards Fantasyland is not worth that risk in classic Pineapple. To push this theory even further, most of the high roller OFC players do not even place a pair of Queens on the top row in opening, if it’s not already covered by a live Ace or King in the middle.
There are few exceptions to the general rule for opening with one pair, and they will occur when you get dealt another fantasy card on top of a big pair.
Exception #1: When you get KK with a single Queen
In such a case, your KK would go in the middle and not in the back, and your Queen would go on top. You would place either one of the remaining cards in the back and the least interesting card in the middle along with your KK, or both of the remaining cards in the back if they are somehow connected. For example, if you received KK, A, Q, and a rag card, you would place KK in the middle, Q on top, and A in the back. The rag card would go in the middle along with your KK, unless it is suited with the Ace, then it would go in the back.
Exception #2: When you get QQ with an Ace AND a King
In this case and because you have so many ways out to make it to Fantasyland, you would place your QQ on top along with the A and K in the middle, and the fifth card in the back. Note that if you were dealt only one Ace or one King along with your Queens, then you would go back to the general rule for this category and place your QQ in the back, your Ace or King on top, and the 2 remaining cards in the middle.
Common Mistake #2 – Splitting Two Pairs
When you are dealt two pairs in the first draw, very rarely will it be wise to split them on two lines in classic OFC Pineapple. Indeed, remember that not giving up points is a big part of this game! Therefore, if you place your two pairs in the back, there is a great chance that you will complete the line with a full house, which comes with 6 points royalties. However, some scenarios are not as clear, for example, if you are dealt a pair of deuces along with a pair of threes, you might want to split those two, as it will be impossible for you to make two smaller pairs in the middle, unless you make your full house on the back.
Common Mistake #3 – Going for the Flush
Most amateurs’ players in OFC have a huge tendency to systematically go for flushes in the back when placing their initial cards. There are multiple problems with that:
- When you don’t succeed in making your flush, you will most likely bust out since you will end up with no pair at all on the bottom line.
- It may look less exotic than placing cards from the same suit on the back, but if you place two high cards instead, your chances of busting out will diminish as you will easily make one or two pairs. Moreover, making a full house on the back for 6 points royalties will happen frequently enough to be worth it, versus 4 points royalties for the flush.
- Remember the ratio of royalties and consider that big pairs on top are always worth more than flushes in the back. Indeed, you will get 7 points for a pair of Queens on top, but only 4 points for a Flush on the back. So, would you rather go for the easy way “two pairs on the back, two pairs in the middle, and a pair of Queens on top”, or for a flush in the back and nothing more on the other lines?
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