Almost feels like a trick question, I'm going

-
-
99977
take the 6 points and you can stumble onto a flush in the middle risk-free.

Agree with
QQ
-
999

Exactly. First of all, you're thinking of boats, trips and FL pairs up top when you're dealt 99977 or 999QQ. If you somehow end up with a flush in the back, you did something wrong.

With no information, just take the boat. Look to get two pair or just aces/kings in middle and queens up top. If the run out goes very well, maybe luck into a straight or flush in middle unrelated to the initial 5 cards.

I don't even think you break up 99977 IP in a two person game presuming everything is live. It's still not enough information IMO to feel comfortable justifying giving up a made boat to aim for trips in middle, FL pair up top.

3 or 4 handed on button, with a live quad draw, and a fully live trips draw for the 77, and plenty of A/K/Q to make fantasyland, then yeah, break it up. But to me, we need at least 15, if not 20 cards of information to make that play.

999AA and KK are clearly x/pair/trips. With QQ, going QQ/x/999 is fine, but also don't sleep on x/QQ/999. First, if you run out two more queens you end up in FL anyway (presuming you don't outbid yourself up top). You can comfortably go for TT or JJ for a nice sized royalty, and its also fairly easy to hit two pair in middle and be able to aim for AA or KK up top for FL anyway.

To me, you're reducing the chances of FL by a decent amount, but the gains in being able to shoot for TT/JJ if no aces or kings come out, the much lower risk of fouling, and the fact that you still have a decent shot at the land make the play very appetizing.

Good analysis. My point about being double suited relates to your odds of making a different flush in the middle and keeping your boat together for that reason.

A friend of mine recently back from Vegas told me there are some ruling changes, people play OFC in vegas like this:

1. trips in the middle get 2 royalty points instead of 0
2. FL continuing needs trips in the front, fullhouse in the middle or quads in the back instead of fullhouse in the back


Do you guys also play like this?

Yeah thats how it's played here.

Those r the most common rules

what are the big adjustments to do while playing criss cross with no fantasyland?

i figured out, go for the big royalties bottom, and if you cant just put the higher cards on bottom at the start?

no real sense in playing AQ44T
Q
A
44T

if theres no fantasyland, right?

I would set it like that w/ and w/o FL.

criss cross or hu irrelevant?

I would say that they are irrelevant because the hand strengths are weaker for criss cross: a two pair hand in the back and often a high card hand is good. With the above set you can still hold your own whilst still drawing to strong high pair for middle and a high royalty pair in the top while drawing for two pair or a boat in the back. That is, however, the most aggressive set for that.

You could play:

T
Q
44A

which would still offer top pair royalties with a boat draw in the back but with a slightly reduced risk/reward. Some might opt for this in the absence of FL or being OOP.

Putting an A on the bottom when you set unless being used for flush draws is a sin

I agree. I think that FL or not I'd play the Q/A/44T set. I see a lot of players set similar hands the 'safer' way though. I would be very interested in knowing which is actually more +EV without FL.

looking for more people to play anything up to $2 a point.

On iphone app, we were playing and the game went back three hands.....Annoyoing as ***, fd up the entire game, as its hard to remember where all the cards went.

what do u do with AAA?
say AAAJ4?

--
J
AAA4

I am wallywattz on the Pocket Cowboys app. Only looking to play up to $.50 a point for now.

Great thread btw.

im going back and forth between that and setting
AAA/J4

in the hopes of going for 2pr in the middle as quick as possible so that i can get FL going up top.

-/j4/aaa

Those are obvious. But I'd play AAA4 bottom J middle

J4 in the middle sucks with such a strong bottom I'd play something like J9 JT in the middle cause straights yo

How would you set KK99Q?

Opponent has:

----
Td6d
AsKs3s

What's the difference between that, and going AAA4/J and putting the next lie card in the middle?

I go AAA4/J unless the J4 is suited (could be wrong).

Pretty sure it's time to go for FL. Q/KK/99. First live card ones on bottom, obv.

Then again, maybe Q/-/KK99 is best. Still a fine chance at FL. Live cards go in the middle obv. Yeah, I think I like that more actually.

what are peoples thoughts on strategy adjustments when playing HU pineapple with FL?

for those that don't know you get the 1st 5 normal then you get 3 at a time play 2 n discard 1.

way more big hands made n def lots more gambling, but wondering about what key differences ppl would have when determining their initial set of 5.