Preflop this game looks just like Crazy Pineapple. Each player receives three hole cards and betting proceeds just like Hold’em.
The reason it’s called Double Hold’em is because you must create two separate down-hands with your three cards.
You do this by selecting what’s called a “Point Card” after the flop is dealt. This is the card that will be shared by both of your two-card combinations.
Let's look at an example. You might be dealt A-A-K, the pre-flop nuts in Double Hold'em. After the preflop betting is complete, and the flop has been dealt, you'd be well advised to select one of the aces as your Point Card.
This will make your two hands A-A and A-K. If you misclick and select the king as your Point Card you're going to end up with two different A-Ks. Get it?
Early Thoughts on the Game
Like we said before, people love novelty and this game certainly is that. We’re not sure whether it will stand the test of time but right now players are responding positively.
The proponents of Double-Hold’em are praising it as an action-heavy game that acts as a gateway to Pot-Limit Omaha.
Critics have panned the game for being too similar to pineapple and having low traffic. We don’t see its similarity to a great game like Pineapple as being a problem and there’s plenty of time for the traffic to increase as more players become familiar with it.
One big downside is that the game is unavailable to U.S. players as PartyPoker, at this time, is a non-USA room.
At the time of posting there are numerous Double-Hold’em tables running. If you like action and could do with a bit of novelty to spice up your online poker session, head over to our PartyPoker review and get yourself a seat.
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