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 ]
