I was playing poker at the Union Plaza Casino in downtown Las Vegas some years ago when I came across one of the weirdest poker games ever invented.
Actually, the game I had been playing in broke up and the players were looking for another game to play when somebody suggested, 'Let's play Crazy Pineapple.'
Now, to be honest, I had heard about Crazy Pineapple, but I had no idea how to play it and I certainly did not know what strategy to use to gain an advantage over the other players. I asked one of the other players to spell out the rules for me.
He said the dealer deals each player three cards. You can play for high, low or make the game high-low depending on dealer's choice. After the initial bet is made, each player discards one card and commences play with his remaining two cards.
I played the game for about 30 minutes, decided it was not for me, and left the Union Plaza to head down to Binion's Horseshoe where I knew a good game of Texas Hold'em or Omaha High-Low would be underway.
We are now in 2018, about 10 years later, and I have decided I didn't give Crazy Pineapple a fair chance. It is a fun game, full of action, and believe it or not it is gaining in popularity on the mixed game circuit.
Mixed games are finding players in a growing number of casinos in Arizona, Nevada and California. What adds to the intrigue of the games is that they are determined by the player's choice. The players agree on a certain number of mixed games -- seven-card stud high-low, razz, Big O and Crazy Pineapple -- and each player gets his choice of which game he wants to play for eight hands.
Crazy Pineapple is a fun game to play. It makes the players relax and they play for fun rather than just for money.
Wild Horse Pass Casino near Chandler, AZ. features mixed games on weekends and sometimes during the week. The game is $4-8 and once it gets going, it stays in action until the players head for home.
The Wild Horse Pass version of Crazy Pineapple is high-low. The game is challenging because you need to stay on top of the game to determine which card to discard. Say you are dealt an ace, three, king and the ace and king are diamonds. Which one do you throw away after you see the flop? It can be a very challenging question.
All the mixed game players agreed with me that games like Crazy Pineapple are the games of the future. Players get bored with the two card routine of Texas Hold'em.
'Texas Hold'em just isn't that much fun anymore,' one player told me. 'It's okay to play for a while but these other mixed games stimulate the brain and make you think. They're a lot more enjoyable to play. I'd like it if casinos would offer mixed game poker tournaments. I think they could create interest in them.'
Once poker room management begins to take mixed games seriously, they can increase the betting ranges from $4-8 to $5-10 or higher. I believe players will appreciate the range increases and will respond to them.
There is a saying that players have to be crazy in order to play Omaha High-Low. Well, if that is so, you need to be double crazy to play Crazy Pineapple. Bring on the games, shuffle up, and start dealing.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
