Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-538 · Updated 28 September 2026

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Island Pineapple Rules

Island Pineapple is a Pineapple variant in which each player holds three hole cards, may exchange all three once, and later discards one. The community cards are dealt so that they form four separate five-card boards, and a player's hand must use one or two hole cards with cards from just one board. Devised by Trevor Cuthbertson, as published on pagat.com.

Players: 3 to 7
Hole cards: 3, reduced to 2
Boards: 4 overlapping boards
Wild cards: Suited deuce (and ace) for straight flushes only
Pot: High only

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

Island Pineapple was devised by Trevor Cuthbertson and published on pagat.com as a variation of Pineapple. It is played by three to seven players with a standard 52-card deck and no jokers.

1.2

The object is to win the pot with the best five-card high hand at showdown, ranked by the standard hand rankings, or by making a bet no one calls.

1.3

The deuce in straight flushes. A deuce may stand in for a missing card of its own suit to complete a straight flush. For example, 6♠7♠8♠2♠10♠ counts as a straight flush from six to ten.

1.3(a) Where the deuce joins four consecutive cards of its suit, it replaces the card below the lowest of them. 2♠10♠J♠Q♠K♠ is therefore a nine-to-king straight flush, not a royal flush.

1.3(b) When a suited deuce is being used in this way, the ace of the same suit also becomes wild for that straight flush and fills the gap at the top of the sequence. The deuce is the key card: a suited ace alone is not wild. 2♠A♠7♠8♠9♠ counts as a six-to-ten straight flush.

1.3(c) A deuce or ace that is not completing a straight flush in this way keeps its natural rank and suit.

1.4

Because the wild cards can only complete straight flushes, five of a kind is not possible in the basic game.

Article 2Blinds, the deal and the draw

2.1

Blinds are posted as in Texas Hold'em, and each player is dealt three cards face down.

2.2

Before any betting, the dealer lays out the first part of the board:

2.2(a) The dealer burns a card and deals two cards one above the other. This is the first set; each of these cards belongs to a different board.

2.2(b) The dealer then deals two more cards side by side next to the first set, as the second set. These cards are shared by every board.

2.3

The dealer announces the draw three. In turn, each player either stands pat or exchanges all three hole cards for three new ones. A player may not exchange only one or two cards.

2.4

The dealer burns a card and then deals replacement cards to each player who chose to exchange. If no one exchanges, the dealer simply burns a card.

2.5

With seven players, if all seven exchange their cards, there are not enough cards for the usual burn before the split river, and that burn is omitted.

Article 3Betting, the Pineapple discard and the four boards

There are three betting rounds. The flop is already on the table before the first of them.

Stage	What happens	Betting
Flop and draw	Two first-set cards and two second-set cards; players may exchange all three hole cards	First betting round
Turn	Dealer burns and deals one card shared by every board	Second betting round
Pineapple	Every active player discards one hole card	None
Split river	Dealer burns and deals two cards one above the other	Final betting round

3.1

After the draw there is the first betting round, conducted as in Hold'em.

3.2

The dealer burns a card and deals the turn card to the board. The second betting round follows.

3.3

The dealer then announces Pineapple. Each active player shall discard one hole card, leaving two. A player who fails to discard has a fouled hand.

3.4

When all players have discarded, the dealer burns a card and deals the split river: two cards, one above the other. The final betting round follows.

3.5

The board now forms four five-card boards. Each board consists of one first-set card, both second-set cards, the turn card and one of the two river cards.

Article 4Showdown

4.1

At showdown, each player makes a five-card hand from one or two of their hole cards together with three or four cards from a single board.

4.2

A player shall use at least one of their own hole cards. Playing the board alone is not allowed in the basic game.

4.3

Different players may use different boards. The best hand wins the pot, and identical hands split it.

Example

Two players using different boards

First set: K♥4♣. Second set: 9♠9♦. Turn: J♥. Split river: Q♥3♦.

Player A keeps 10♥8♣. Using the board K♥9♠9♦J♥Q♥, A plays the ten with the king, queen, jack and nine for a king-high straight (one hole card and four board cards).

Player B keeps 9♣4♠. Using the board 4♣9♠9♦J♥3♦, B plays both hole cards with the four and two nines for a full house, nines full of fours. The full house beats the straight, so Player B wins.

Article 5Common variations

The game's author describes several optional additions. The dealer shall announce any that are in use before the deal.

Phantom Ship. A player whose three hole cards are three of a kind, and who is matched by the fourth card of that rank on the board, may call an early showdown once the second betting round is complete. Everyone turns their cards up without discarding, the split river is dealt, and every player may use all three hole cards with two cards from one board. The caller wins unless someone beats the four of a kind with a straight flush. Showing three of a kind without the matching board card, or declaring after discards have begun, fouls the hand.
Arcade Ante. No blinds. Every player except the winner of the previous hand antes, and every betting round starts with the player to the dealer's left.
Secondary bonus. In a Hold'em game, a showdown won with three of a kind or better triggers a hand of Island Pineapple. Each following Island Pineapple winner must reach a rising qualifier (a straight, then a flush, and so on up to a royal flush) for the game to continue; otherwise play returns to Hold'em.
Straights with wilds. The deuce, and with it the ace of the same suit, may also complete an ordinary straight of mixed suits. Only one deuce may be wild. Where there is a choice, the deuce goes at the bottom of the straight and the ace at the top.
Playing the board. Players may use five cards from one board. If no one beats the best available board, the pot is split among all active players.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

How many boards are there in Island Pineapple?

Four. Two first-set cards and two river cards each belong to different boards, while the two second-set cards and the turn are shared. Each combination of one first-set card and one river card, plus the shared cards, is a separate five-card board.

Are deuces wild in Island Pineapple?

Only to complete a straight flush in the deuce's own suit. When a suited deuce is used this way, the ace of that suit becomes wild too. At all other times deuces and aces keep their natural value.

Can you play the board in Island Pineapple?

Not in the standard game. You must use one or two of your hole cards with three or four cards from a single board. Some tables drop this rule by agreement.

Final authority

Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.

Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.

Island Pineapple Rules · OPR-538 · officialpokerrules.com/island-pineapple/

OPR-538Uncontrolled when printed