Draw poker variant
A best hand in badugi, a four-high badugi.
Badugi (also known as
badougi, paduki or padooki) is a draw 💴 poker variant similar to triple draw, with
hand-values similar to lowball. The betting structure and overall play of the game 💴 is
identical to a standard poker game using blinds, but, unlike traditional poker which
involves a minimum of five cards, 💴 players' hands contain only four cards at any one
time. During each of three drawing rounds, players can trade zero 💴 to four cards from
their hands for new ones from the deck, in an attempt to form the best badugi 💴 hand and
win the pot. Badugi is often a gambling game, with the object being to win money in the
💴 form of pots. The winner of the pot is the person with the best badugi hand at the
conclusion of 💴 play (known as the showdown). Badugi is played in cardrooms around the
world, as well as online, in rooms such 💴 as PokerStars.[1] Although it hasn’t had its
own tournament per se at the WSOP, it is featured in the Dealers 💴 Choice events as well
as in the Triple Draw Mix.[2] The 2024 WSOP event does have a Badugi tournament
scheduled.
Origin 💴 [ edit ]
Game origin [ edit ]
There is some controversy over the
origin of this game, which has been played 💴 at least since the 1980s.[citation needed]
Bill Rosmus reports that in the 1980s in Winnipeg, Canada it was played under 💴 the name
Off Suit Lowball in the back room of pool halls and back room poker clubs.[citation
needed] Bryan Micon 💴 says he has been told by several Korean players that it was also
played in South Korea in the 1980s. 💴 The name of the game means “black and white spotted
dog” in Korean. The game Go has a similar name 💴 in Korean, “baduk”, derived from the
same word.[2]
Another ancestor of badugi is displayed in a game played in Toronto in
💴 the 1970s and 1980s, "off on high low", and its variant" leapfrog." In both games the
objective was to make 💴 a 5 card hand, with a pair being mandatory. Either an "off" hand
(all 4 other cards different suits), or 💴 an "on" hand (all 4 other cards of one suit).
"Leapfrog" made this much more difficult with stipulation that the 💴 cards must not
"touch" each other, in terms of pip value. Oftentimes, the pot would "stay," making for
a juicy 💴 start to the next hand.[citation needed]
Etymology [ edit ]
Nick Wedd reports
that the Korean word baduk, or badug refers to 💴 a black and white pattern—a black and
white pet dog may be called "badugi"—which gives rise to the Korean name 💴 baduk for the
board game Go, played with black and white stones.[3]
Play of the hand [ edit ]
Play
begins with 💴 each player being dealt four cards face down. The hand begins with a
"pre-draw" betting round, beginning with the player 💴 to the left of the big blind (or
the player to the left of the dealer, if no blinds are 💴 used) and continuing clockwise.
Each player must either call the amount of the big blind (put in an amount equal 💴 to the
big blind), fold (relinquish any claim to the pot), or raise (put in more money than
anyone else, 💴 thus requiring others to do the same, or fold).[1]
Once everyone has put
the same amount of money in the pot 💴 or folded, play proceeds to the draw. Beginning
with the first player still in the pot to the left of 💴 the dealer, each player may
discard any number of cards and receive an equal number of replacement cards (called
the 💴 "draw"). Replacement cards are dealt before the next player chooses the number of
cards to draw. The discarded cards are 💴 not returned to the deck but are discarded for
the remainder of the hand unless the deck becomes depleted, at 💴 which point the discards
are reshuffled to reform the deck (this could be in the middle of a draw request, 💴 but
the deck should first be depleted, then reformed after which the draw may continue from
the reformed deck).[citation needed]
The 💴 first draw is followed by a second betting
round. Here players are free to check (not put in any money, 💴 but also remain in the
hand) until someone bets. Again betting proceeds until all players have put in an equal
💴 amount of money or folded. After the second betting round ends, there is another draw
followed by a third betting 💴 round. After that there is the final draw, followed by a
fourth betting round and the showdown, if necessary.[citation needed]
If 💴 at any time
all players but one have folded, the sole remaining player is awarded the pot. If there
is 💴 more than one player remaining at the conclusion of the final betting round, the
hands of those players are compared 💴 and the player with the best badugi hand is awarded
the pot.[citation needed]
Hand evaluation [ edit ]
Badugi ranks cards low 💴 to high as in
traditional poker, except with aces being low. Thereafter, there is a different ranking
of hands than 💴 traditional poker, with hands having distinct sets of ranks and suits
being superior. Then, for sets of equal size, hands 💴 with lower rank of cards are
superior (as in lowball).
The badugi hand can consist of 1–4 cards of distinct rank 💴 and
suit. Any duplicated suit or rank in a hand is disregarded.[citation needed] Any
four-card badugi hand beats a three-card 💴 badugi hand, a three-card hand beats a
two-card hand, and a two-card hand beats a one-card hand.[4] A four-card badugi 💴 hand
that consists of all four suits is called a "badugi".[5]
Two badugi hands containing
the same number of cards are 💴 evaluated by comparing the highest ranking card in each
hand (where ace is low). As in lowball, the hand with 💴 the lower ranking high card is
superior. If there is a tie for the highest card, the second highest card 💴 (if there is
one) is compared. If the ranks of all the cards in the badugi hand are the same, 💴 the
two hands tie. Suits are irrelevant in the comparison of two hands.
The best possible
hand is A234 of four 💴 different suits. The worst possible hand is K♣ K♦ K♥ K♠.
Here are
a few additional examples:
2 ♠ 4 ♣ 5 💴 ♦ 6 ♥ beats A ♠ 2 ♣ 3 ♦ 7 ♥ (both are four-card
hands) since the highest card 💴 is compared first and the 6 ♥ is smaller than 7 ♥ .
beats
(both are four-card hands) since the highest 💴 card is compared first and the is smaller
than . 4 ♠ 5 ♣ 6 ♦ K ♥ beats 2 💴 ♠ 3 ♠ 4 ♦ 7 ♥ since the former is a four-card hand and
the latter is a three-card 💴 hand. (The 3 ♠ is disregarded as a duplicate spade, so the
hand is a three-card 247.)
beats since the former 💴 is a four-card hand and the latter is
a three-card hand. (The is disregarded as a duplicate spade, so the 💴 hand is a
three-card 247.) A ♠ 5 ♦ 9 ♦ 9 ♥ beats A ♣ 2 ♠ 2 ♣ 💴 J ♦ They reduce to the three-card
hands A59 and A2J.
beats They reduce to the three-card hands A59 and A2J. 💴 2 ♠ 3 ♠ 4 ♦ 7
♥ beats 4 ♠ 5 ♠ 6 ♦ K ♥ both are three-card 💴 hands, but the highest in the former is the
7 ♥ while the highest in the latter is the K 💴 ♥ .
beats both are three-card hands, but
the highest in the former is the while the highest in the latter 💴 is the . A ♠ 2 ♣ 3 ♦ 3
♠ and A ♦ 2 ♥ 3 ♣ K ♣ 💴 are of the same strength, since both of them reduce to the
three-card hand A23. The redundant ( 3 ♠ 💴 and K ♣ ) do not affect the strength of the
hands as they are disregarded.
and are of the same 💴 strength, since both of them reduce
to the three-card hand A23. The redundant ( and ) do not affect the 💴 strength of the
hands as they are disregarded. 5 ♦ 7 ♣ K ♣ K ♥ beats 2 ♠ 3 💴 ♦ K ♠ K ♦ as the former is a
three-card hand (after disregarding the K ♣ ) while the 💴 latter is a two-card hand (both
kings are disregarded since each is the same suit as another card in the 💴 hand).
If one
can construct two (or more) different badugi hands with the same four cards (as in the
final example), 💴 the better badugi hand is evaluated against the other hands. This
occurs when there are at least two cards of 💴 the same suit; one of which is paired.
Here, disregarding the paired, suited card generates a better hand than disregarding
💴 any other card.
Example hand [ edit ]
The blinds for this example hand
Here is a sample
deal involving four players. The 💴 players' individual hands will not be revealed until
the showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during play:
Compulsory 💴 bets:
Alice is the dealer. Bob, to Alice's left, posts a small blind ofR$1, and Carol posts a
big blind 💴 ofR$2.
First betting round: Alice deals four cards face down to each player,
beginning with Bob and ending with herself. Ted 💴 must act first because he is the first
player after the big blind. He cannot check, since theR$2 big blind 💴 plays as a bet, so
he folds. Alice calls theR$2. Bob adds an additionalR$1 to hisR$1 small blind to call
💴 theR$2 total. Carol's blind is "live", so she has the option to raise here, but she
checks instead, ending the 💴 first betting round. The pot now containsR$6,R$2 from each
of three players.
First draw: Each player may now opt to draw 💴 up to four cards in an
attempt to improve his hand. Bob, who is to the dealer's immediate left, is 💴 given the
first chance to draw. Bob discards two cards and receives two replacement cards from
the top of the 💴 deck. Bob's discarded cards are not added to the deck, but removed from
play. Carol now also chooses to draw 💴 two. Finally, Alice chooses to draw one.
Second
betting round: Since there are no forced bets in later betting rounds, Bob 💴 is now first
to act. He chooses to check, remaining in the hand without betting. Carol bets,
addingR$2 to the 💴 pot. Alice and Bob both call, each addingR$2 to the pot. The pot now
containsR$12.
Second draw: Bob draws one. Carol 💴 opts not to draw any cards, keeping the
four she has (known as standing pat). Alice draws one.
Third betting round: 💴 Bob checks
again and Carol betsR$4. Alice, this round, raises making the total betR$8. Bob folds
and Carol calls the 💴 additionalR$4. The pot now containsR$28.
Third draw: Since Bob has
folded, Carol is now first to act. She opts to draw 💴 one. Alice stands pat (does not
draw).
Last betting round: Carol checks and Alice betsR$4. Carol calls.
Showdown: Alice
shows 2♠ 4♣ 💴 6♦ 9♥ for a nine-high badugi (or four card hand). Carol has 3♠ 5♦ 7♣ 8♥, an
eight-high badugi. Carol 💴 wins theR$36 pot.
Betting structures [ edit ]
In casino play,
it is common to use a fixed limit and two blinds. 💴 The limit for the first two rounds of
betting is called a small bet, while the limit for the third 💴 and fourth betting rounds
is called a big bet and is generally double the small bet. The small blind is 💴 usually
equal to half of a small bet, and the big blind is equal to a full small bet.
This game
💴 is also played pot-limit, half-pot-limit, and rarely, no-limit. These structures allow
for more range in the amounts bet.
Strategy [ edit 💴 ]
Like other card games with a fixed
order of play, position can be an important component in badugi strategy.[1] Players
💴 who are last to act often have an opportunity to bluff since they are able to observe
the actions of 💴 other players before they act. In addition, players in late position are
able to determine the strength of their hand 💴 more accurately by observing the actions
of other players. Overall, people tend to play Badugi tighter than other draw games,
💴 meaning they fold more hands pre-draw. This seems to be advisable to everyone.
When
drawing one card, there are only ten 💴 cards which will fill the badugi, the members of
the fourth suit which don't pair the other three cards. A 💴 player holding a badugi can
use this to estimate odds. For example, a player with an 8 high hand, knows 💴 at most 5
cards (A to 8, less the three pairs) will fill an opponent's hand.
Another aspect of
the strategy 💴 of badugi involves the number of people at the table. The more people
there are at the table, the more 💴 likely there is to be a 4-card badugi. Bluffing with a
2 or 3 card hand is not usually advisable 💴 when playing at a 6-player table. When
playing with fewer than 4 people, bluffing becomes potentially more effective with a
💴 three-card hand.[citation needed][6]
If a player has a three-card badugi such as A♣ 2♠
3♦ 3♥ in the first round, the 💴 probability of making a four-card badugi by the final
draw is 51%. With a one-card draw, the chance of making 💴 a badugi is approximately 21%
per draw.[7]
In badugi, the pot odds often justify or contradict making a call or
folding 💴 a hand.[8]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
