Chinese Poker “Pineapple”. Rules of the game and features

Chinese Pineapple Poker

Chinese Pineapple Poker – let’s start with the fact that the name of this variety does not come from the country of origin (Pineapple itself takes its origins from Scandinavia) but from the cardinal differences from the usual varieties of poker. In Chinese Pineapple Poker, little depends on luck, the main force in the game is intellectual abilities and knowledge of the rules, of course.

Pineapple Game Rules

The game involves 2 to 4 players, the optimal number of players at the table is 3. During the game, the players’ task is to lay out three combinations of cards in the boxes open (the upper “Front” – 3 cards, the middle “Middle” – 5 cards, the lower “Back” – 5 cards).
The combinations in the boxes must be arranged in such a way that the upper box is weaker than the middle, the middle is weaker than the lower one. Equivalence is allowed.
The cards can be placed in any order in the rows. But once a player has placed a card in one of the rows, it can no longer be moved to another row.

The player on the button deals five cards face down to all participants (the “starter”). After the first five cards have been laid out, there are eight more cards to come, which are laid out one at a time. At the end of the deal, the button is passed to the players clockwise.

Time to move
Each player in the round is given an equal amount of time to place cards – two minutes. Starting from the first card, the countdown begins. If a player runs out of the main time for a move, he will be given an additional time “time bank” – three minutes. If a player has spent all his main time on a move and the entire “time bank”, but has not completed his move, his cards will be placed automatically as follows:
* cards are placed from bottom to top – from the back to the front;
* starting from the middle, the first two cards received are placed first, the third is discarded.

Scoring points
The main difference between Chinese poker and Hold’em and Omaha is that there are no betting rounds in this poker. The winnings are determined by the points scored by the players.
Players themselves discuss and determine in advance the cost of one point (for example, $4 per point) and the method of calculating the “Royalty” (additional bonuses for the strongest combinations)

“Pineapple” rules for calculating points
There are two Methods of scoring in Chinese poker “Pineapple”:
1) Method: 2-4 (2-4 scoring). The player receives 1 point for each line won. The player receives an additional point if he wins 2 out of 3 hands or all 3 hands.
2) Method: 1-6 (1-6 scoring). For each line won, the player is awarded 1 point. An additional 3 points if he wins all three lines.

Sequence of hand comparison
Comparison of hands between players occurs as follows:
– Player 1 (this is the position of the first player from the dealer’s chip (button) clockwise) with Player 2 (this is the next player’s position clockwise);
– Player 1 with Player 3 (the player’s position on the button);
– Player 2 with Player 3. This sequence is always observed if all players have chips. For example, if Player 1 loses all of his chips when compared to Player 2, then there will be no comparison between Player 1 and Player 3.

Dead Hand
If the combination conditions are not met, the hand is considered dead and does not receive points. A player with a “dead” hand must pay 6 points to other players and pays their bonuses, if any (the bonuses of the “dead” hand of two lines and one additional point are not taken into account).
If all players have “dead” hands, then their point total remains the same. In the case where both players have bonuses, the winner gets the difference in these bonuses. The difference in bonuses is subtracted from the losing participant’s total. When players have the same combinations, their bonuses are reset. In this case, the side card – the Kicker – decides.

Chinese poker also has a bonus system (“Royalty”), where points are awarded for the highest combinations (Straight Flush, Royal Flush or Four of a Kind) in certain rows. The calculation system works the same way if the player has a Full House in the middle box (in the “Middle”) or a Set in the top (in the “Front”).
Let’s give an example: if in the “Back” a player has collected four threes, and the second player has four fours, the player with the highest four of a kind takes the “Royalty”.
Fantasy in Chinese Poker “Pineapple”
Fantasy is valid when a player collects a combination of “Pair of Queens” or higher in the top row. In this case, the participant is dealt not five cards, but 13 cards at once during the next deal. In this case, his opponents continue to play according to the usual rules. If “Fantasy” is played on the table, the button does not move.
If a player, having laid out “Fantasy”, fulfills the following conditions, he will receive “Fantasy” again:
Bottom box (“Back”) – Four of a Kind or higher
Middle box (“Middle”) – Full House or higher
Top box (“Front”) – Set or higher

– no more than one repetition of “Fantasy” in a row is allowed
– in “Pineapple” in the case of a repeated Fantasy on the middle box, the rule applies only to a combination higher than the Full House combination