In Crazy Pineapple, where you discard one card after the flop is revealed, the concept of “best” starting hands becomes a little more nuanced compared to traditional Texas Hold’em or even classic Pineapple Poker. Here’s why:Reduced Starting Hand Strength: With one card discarded, the overall hand strength tends to be lower compared to Hold’em.Flop Dependence: The true potential of your hand hinges heavily on what the flop reveals.However, there are still some starting hand combinations that offer a strong foundation for success in Crazy Pineapple:Premium Hands:Pairs (Especially High Pairs): A strong starting point, especially high pairs like Aces, Kings, and Queens. These pairs offer the potential for trips or a full house if the flop cooperates.Suited Aces: This combination offers exceptional potential for a strong flush or even a royal flush if the remaining cards on the board are favorable.Strong Drawing Potential:Suited Connectors (High or Low): These combinations offer the potential for straights and flushes depending on the flop. For example, J-T suited or 7-8 suited have both straight and flush draw possibilities.One-Gap Connectors (Suited or Non-Suited): Hands like J-9 suited or 10-8 non-suited offer the potential for completing straights on the flop.Important Considerations:While pocket pairs are strong, don’t overestimate them. Crazy Pineapple encourages aggressive play, and other players might have formed strong hands on the flop.Hand selection should be tighter than Texas Hold’em. Due to the discarding phase and the unknown flop, be more selective about entering pots with weaker starting hands.Adaptability is key. Analyze the flop and adjust your strategy based on the revealed community cards and your remaining hole card. A seemingly strong starting hand pre-flop might require a fold if the flop doesn’t offer good drawing potential.