UPSIDE-DOWN PINEAPPLE 8

Overview

Upside-Down Pineapple 8 plays identically to Upside-Down Pineapple — two hole cards pre-flop, a third individual card arrives with the flop, discard one after flop betting, then turn and river — but splits the pot between the best high hand and the best qualifying low (five unpaired ranks all 8 or lower, aces count as low). If no player makes a qualifying low, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Blinds

Standard small blind and big blind. Aces always count as low for qualifying low hands.

Betting Sequence

1. Pre-Flop: Each player receives two hole cards. Player left of the big blind acts first.
2. Flop: Three community cards + one individual card dealt to each player simultaneously. SB acts first.
3. Discard: Each active player discards exactly one of their three hole cards.
4. Turn: One community card. SB acts first.
5. River: One community card. SB acts first. Showdown.

Final Hand — Split Pot

Pot splits between the best high poker hand and the best qualifying low (five unique ranks all 8 or lower, aces low). Any combination of your two remaining hole cards and the five community cards may be used for each half — no Omaha restriction. If no qualifying low, the high hand wins the entire pot.

Strategy Tips

• Starting with A-2 or A-3 pre-flop creates the best low potential — but you only have two cards, and your third arrives at the flop unpredictably
• The flop discard is critical: discard the hole card that serves neither your high nor your low draw
• Because there is no Omaha hole-card restriction, you can go for low using just community cards plus one ace — very flexible
• Scooping (winning both halves) requires a hand that qualifies for low while being strong enough to beat all high hands — the wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5) is the classic scoop hand