Sure, having an odds chart is handy, but you can’t be expected to remember all of the numbers off the top of your head. So let’s highlight some of the more important numbers that seem to come up time and time again.
Let’s start at the set and work to the last draw.
The most common draws to have in Pineapple from the set are: a gutshot straight draw, an open-ended straight draw, or a flush-draw. So knowing your gutshot hits 76% of the time when all of your outs are live can be very helpful. Also, knowing that you make a flush nearly 100% of the time with a 4-flush set allows you to consider playing a 3-flush with a kicker up top, or maybe even a pair in the middle, to maximize the overall value of the hand.
On the second and third pull, you are often faced with some FantasyLand gambles that may include putting a K or Q up top, while you have a live Ace in the middle. Remembering that 3 outs and 3 draws left, or 4 outs with 2 draws left, means you are a favorite and will often make the set a no-brainer. Now, you don’t have to be a favorite to make the set, as your reward odds usually outweigh the risk, but in order to keep things simple:
In general, if you will make a hand over 50% of the time, you should play for it. Unless you are risking more points than you gain when you hit.
Hint: Fantasyland is +14.5 points (7+ for QQ+ and 7.5 for FL) which is more than a scoop with a full house!
On the final draw, we are so often faced with a “Degree all-in” decision. Now we should rarely go for it if it’s runner-runner, but it’s quite clear you should gamble for FantasyLand if you have 6+ outs, and often correct to gamble at 4+ outs.
The 3-outs and 2-outs stats are really helpful when estimating whether or not you should put a live kicker, or leave a row open for a running pair. It is always better to have a 3-outer than go for a running pair on the last draw, but with a 2-outer it’s actually quite close and really impossible to tell in the heat of the game. I created a running pair calculator that allows you to review which one is better, but in general you are only going to be making a mistake of +-2% either way.
As for the runner-runner outs section of the charts, those outs vary frequently and the decision is often too close to call even if you know the odds. For example, you could have a 7-outer to 2-pair in the back, and a 3-outer to an Ace in the middle, or maybe it’s an 8-outer and a 2-outer, or something else. And even if you know what percent you have, how do you plug that into a risk-reward calculation on the fly? You can’t really do it, and that is why we built a simulator, so that we can get the answer for you… after you play the hand of course!
These odds are certainly the most important, and while other situations will come up, I would recommend you start by dedicating these odds to memory before moving on to the rest of the chart. Interested in learning more about Pineapple Openface? Get my video on the basics here:
Good luck, see you at the tables, and enjoy these links. The Pineapple Open Face Odds charts for two players. The Pineapple Open Face Odds for three players.
