Isabelle "No Mercy" Mercier Playing Pineapple (OFC) poker in Las Vegas
Back in early 2000’s, when we used to discuss the underrated potential of No Limit Hold'em along with friends from the poker world, we didn't always agree. For many of them, the game was doomed to remain confidential. It's important to remember that poker was then only played by a handful of pros who mostly lived in Las Vegas, where the WSOP was held in the back room of a downtown casino. Apart from a few curious amateurs, the poker world was still a microcosm. I am ashamed to say that even I didn’t know that there was such a thing as being a professional poker player back in the 90s. I can promise you that it would have changed my university’s cursus!
I remember arguing with my poker friends; I was positive that poker hadn't yet realized its full amazing potential. I was 100% certain that it was on the verge of exploding, and that’s part of the reason why I quit my job and turned pro with almost no money. I wanted to be in that world right away and at any cost, before the big “boom” poker was destined to. In the end, I was right. Chris Moneymaker’s victory, along with the arrival of poker on internet, and the streaming of the World Poker Tour on mainstream television, would prove me right.
The “cowboy card game” gained major traction which eventually turned into a groundswell, and the first major factor to make magic happen was the victory of an American amateur player at the WSOP. Chris Moneymaker was indeed the big spark that ignited the fire. The average American witnessed a 27-year-old accountant, bluffing at legend pro Sam Farha, and becoming World Champion of Poker along with a serious prize pool of 2.5 million dollars, for a ridiculous 40$ entry invested into a satellite on PokerStars.
I remember arguing with my poker friends; I was positive that poker hadn't yet realized its full amazing potential. I was 100% certain that it was on the verge of exploding, and that’s part of the reason why I quit my job and turned pro with almost no money. I wanted to be in that world right away and at any cost, before the big “boom” poker was destined to. In the end, I was right. Chris Moneymaker’s victory, along with the arrival of poker on internet, and the streaming of the World Poker Tour on mainstream television, would prove me right.
The “cowboy card game” gained major traction which eventually turned into a groundswell, and the first major factor to make magic happen was the victory of an American amateur player at the WSOP. Chris Moneymaker was indeed the big spark that ignited the fire. The average American witnessed a 27-year-old accountant, bluffing at legend pro Sam Farha, and becoming World Champion of Poker along with a serious prize pool of 2.5 million dollars, for a ridiculous 40$ entry invested into a satellite on PokerStars.
1978 World Series of Poker winner Bobby Baldwin, left, is seen at Binion's Horseshoe in this Las Vegas News Bureau file photo from May 16, 1978. Photo/Las Vegas News Bureau
Better access to Internet Poker with multiple offers from various sites was another pivotal element in the boom. It led to massive arrival of people at the virtual tables, that turned into live players and tournament qualifiers. The “Moneymaker” story had quite the effect on the poker world, and one could think that with such a name, it was his fate within our flourishing industry.
Let's also remember that the pocket cams - that allow you to see the players' cards - were a major breakout for poker. This mastermind game being broadcasted on television quickly caught the eye of the public. We all love poker in North America and playing cards is often a family thing. Lots of people started to play at a young age. Mainstream TV brought a whole new dimension to this game. We were no longer playing our cards; we were playing the players.
The rest of the boom is history.
What about OFC? Will Pineapple poker conquer the world as Hold’em did?
What explains the fact that Open Face Chinese poker, which we also call Pineapple poker, a game that I love so much, is not a big thing yet? Why isn’t there OFC on Pokerstars, GG Poker, PartyPoker or Winamax? And why isn’t there more Pineapple poker in the casinos?
As far as live games are concerned, a very pragmatic way to explain the situation is the fact that live OFC is limited to 3 people maximum per table (up to 4 players could play in the turbo format, but this format is not the most popular nor the most exciting one). So, it’s a whole entire dealer needed, for 3 or 4 players max. That is not profitable for the casino owner. Add to that the fact that poker dealers are not trained yet in this variant that implies heavy mental calculations to rapidly know the final scores of each single hand, score including multiple bonuses on top of winning/losing rows.
So ok, I’ve played tournaments in the past and counted my own points as well as my opponents’ points. We both agree on the total and we pay off each other. We can play without a dealer counting for us, and anyway it will most likely take the dealer longer than ourselves to do so. So, we can manage that part. As far as cash games, if it’s not during a peak hour, any poker room or casino usually has 2 or 3 dealers on hand that could be dispatched to OFC cash games. And what do you know, maybe these games in some sort of high stakes forms will end up paying off enough rake to justify keeping a few running. It’s definitely an attractive offer these days since there are not many venues out there proposing Pineapple poker.
Let's also remember that the pocket cams - that allow you to see the players' cards - were a major breakout for poker. This mastermind game being broadcasted on television quickly caught the eye of the public. We all love poker in North America and playing cards is often a family thing. Lots of people started to play at a young age. Mainstream TV brought a whole new dimension to this game. We were no longer playing our cards; we were playing the players.
The rest of the boom is history.
What about OFC? Will Pineapple poker conquer the world as Hold’em did?
What explains the fact that Open Face Chinese poker, which we also call Pineapple poker, a game that I love so much, is not a big thing yet? Why isn’t there OFC on Pokerstars, GG Poker, PartyPoker or Winamax? And why isn’t there more Pineapple poker in the casinos?
As far as live games are concerned, a very pragmatic way to explain the situation is the fact that live OFC is limited to 3 people maximum per table (up to 4 players could play in the turbo format, but this format is not the most popular nor the most exciting one). So, it’s a whole entire dealer needed, for 3 or 4 players max. That is not profitable for the casino owner. Add to that the fact that poker dealers are not trained yet in this variant that implies heavy mental calculations to rapidly know the final scores of each single hand, score including multiple bonuses on top of winning/losing rows.
So ok, I’ve played tournaments in the past and counted my own points as well as my opponents’ points. We both agree on the total and we pay off each other. We can play without a dealer counting for us, and anyway it will most likely take the dealer longer than ourselves to do so. So, we can manage that part. As far as cash games, if it’s not during a peak hour, any poker room or casino usually has 2 or 3 dealers on hand that could be dispatched to OFC cash games. And what do you know, maybe these games in some sort of high stakes forms will end up paying off enough rake to justify keeping a few running. It’s definitely an attractive offer these days since there are not many venues out there proposing Pineapple poker.
Une game d'OFC en live
As far as tournaments are concerned, I very most see in the near future prestigious events similar to Heads Up matches. That would be so refreshing and exciting to participate in and even to witness. The very best players in the world would face each other in this mastermind game and winning it would be as high esteemed as getting an Oscar. OFC can be very gratifying and would be a fascinating game to comment and to watch on television. It includes risks and rewards, you are always in action, and it’s a new form of chess that includes a gambling’s constituent.
In the world of internet, we could wonder why OFC is not more popular. There are no issues of profitability when played online, so what are the reasons behind this lack of software development?
We can’t neglect the fact that No Limit Hold'em has "taken the poker market" or at least a good portion of it. Everybody who wanna play poker plays No Limit Hold’em. Hard to compete. Moreover, the lack of “drama” at OFC can be seen as a disadvantage. Here is an example of the drama I’m referring to; It’s the final table of the Sunday Millions on PokerStars, the short stack goes all-in hoping to double up and gets called by another player. After a long time, a third player with a huge stack goes all-in and gets paid by a fourth player, the table's chip leader! That’s the drama No Limit Hold’em can bring that OFC can’t. And incidentally outside of the online world, that’s also why NLH is the most spectacular game on TV.
But outside of that, the lack of offers out there can only be explained by the fact that not enough players know the game by now. It’s only a question of time and a question of education. Pineapple poker is a marketable game, and it only needs more exposure to become mainstream. It is completely addictive! Great apps allow players to engage in OFC and I’m sure the game will conquer the hearts of millions of amateur players who will be in need for something more. Something mentally challenging and significantly deeper than the No Limit drama.
In all cases, I strongly believe that Pineapple Poker is here to stay. It’s been around among pro players for more than two decades and even though it is still played in a somehow confidential way (for how long? nobody knows) I believe it will start rising and shinning. The first WSOP at Binion’s was in 1970; it took over 30 years before poker went mainstream after this first tournament. In the end, it's all about cycles. NLH is at its peak of hype, but as soon as interest vanishes, players will turn to exciting new variants such as Pineapple poker. That's my bet!
In the world of internet, we could wonder why OFC is not more popular. There are no issues of profitability when played online, so what are the reasons behind this lack of software development?
We can’t neglect the fact that No Limit Hold'em has "taken the poker market" or at least a good portion of it. Everybody who wanna play poker plays No Limit Hold’em. Hard to compete. Moreover, the lack of “drama” at OFC can be seen as a disadvantage. Here is an example of the drama I’m referring to; It’s the final table of the Sunday Millions on PokerStars, the short stack goes all-in hoping to double up and gets called by another player. After a long time, a third player with a huge stack goes all-in and gets paid by a fourth player, the table's chip leader! That’s the drama No Limit Hold’em can bring that OFC can’t. And incidentally outside of the online world, that’s also why NLH is the most spectacular game on TV.
But outside of that, the lack of offers out there can only be explained by the fact that not enough players know the game by now. It’s only a question of time and a question of education. Pineapple poker is a marketable game, and it only needs more exposure to become mainstream. It is completely addictive! Great apps allow players to engage in OFC and I’m sure the game will conquer the hearts of millions of amateur players who will be in need for something more. Something mentally challenging and significantly deeper than the No Limit drama.
In all cases, I strongly believe that Pineapple Poker is here to stay. It’s been around among pro players for more than two decades and even though it is still played in a somehow confidential way (for how long? nobody knows) I believe it will start rising and shinning. The first WSOP at Binion’s was in 1970; it took over 30 years before poker went mainstream after this first tournament. In the end, it's all about cycles. NLH is at its peak of hype, but as soon as interest vanishes, players will turn to exciting new variants such as Pineapple poker. That's my bet!
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