How to Play Badugi Poker
What is Badugi Poker?
Badugi is a four-card lowball poker variant where players must make the best 👏 "badugi" - four cards with no duplicates in rank or suit.
More commonly found in cash games, it is on rotation 👏 for high-stakes mixed games and is part of other mixed-game variants like badeucy and badacy.
It is believed that badugi originated 👏 in Canada during the 1980s under the name 'Off Suit Lowball'.
The name allegedly comes from the Korean word baduk or 👏 badug which refers to a black and white pattern, with badugi a common name for a black and white spotted 👏 dog. The board game Go was called baduk in Korean
Here we go over the poker rules for Badugi.
How to Play 👏 Poker for Beginners Check out the rules and basic strategy to all the popular poker formats Click Here
How to Play 👏 Badugi
Badugi is played with a button as well as a small and big blind. Badugi is usually played as fixed 👏 limit, and there is a betting round before the first draw, where players may choose to discard between zero (standing 👏 pat) and four cards.
Each player in turn decides how many cards they want to draw. Discards are not returned to 👏 the deck and kept separate.
There is a second betting round, followed by another draw. The third betting round precedes the 👏 final draw. After the final draw there is a fourth and final betting round, after which the hand goes to 👏 showdown.
Read More: George Danzer Discusses Betting and Bluffing in Badugi
Badugi Strategy
Just like many poker games, position is very important in 👏 badugi.
This is because:
You get to see how many cards your opponents are drawing
You get to see how much your opponents 👏 are betting
You get to decide whether to bluff by "standing pat" or drawing zero cards
You get to put in an 👏 extra raise if you want
Of similar importance is making sure you don't draw too many. WSOP bracelet winner George Danzer 👏 says that you shouldn't be drawing three or four from early position, otherwise you'll be putting yourself at a disadvantage.
Also, 👏 you should be aware that it can be difficult to make a badugi. 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%.
Therefore, 👏 it can be prudent to try and bluff with some ofo your good three-card badugis.
Badugi Opening Ranges
Here are some two- 👏 and three-card badugi starting hands that you can use the next time you're playing badugi.
Three-Card Badugi Starting Hands
In badugi, starting 👏 off with three cards of different suites under five is a really strong position. Hands like the following should be 👏 played from any position, drawing one after the first round of betting:
A ♣ 2 ♠ 3 ♥
A ♦ 2 ♣ 👏 4 ♦
2 ♦ 4 ♠ 5 ♥
2 ♥ 3 ♦ 5 ♣
2♠4♣5♦
Two-Card Badugi Starting Hands
Although not as strong as a 👏 three-card starting hand, you can often play very strong two-card badugi starting hands from late position, drawing two after the 👏 first round of betting:
A ♣ 2 ♠
2 ♥ 3 ♦
A ♥ 3 ♠
2 ♣ 4 ♥
A♣4♦
Read More: Badugi WSOP Mixed 👏 Games Strategy
Badugi Hand Rankings
In badugi, any four-card badugi beats a three-card hand. For example K♦Q♠J♥10♣ beats A♣2♠3♥3♦.
Here are some sample 👏 hands:
4 ♠ 3 ♥ 2 ♣ A ♦ - 4-high, four-card rainbow hand = 4-high badugi
- 4-high, four-card rainbow hand 👏 = 4-high badugi 6 ♥ 5 ♣ 4 ♦ 3 ♠ - 6-high, four-card rainbow hand = 6-high badugi
- 6-high, 👏 four-card rainbow hand = 6-high badugi 9 ♣ 7 ♦ 6 ♠ 2 ♥ - 9-high, four-card rainbow hand = 👏 9-high badugi
- 9-high, four-card rainbow hand = 9-high badugi K♦Q♠J♥10♣ - King-high, four-card rainbwo hand = King-high badugi
Here are the 👏 top ten Badugi hands, assuming that each card is a different suit.
Rank Hand Nickname 1 Ax2x3x4x Wheel 2 Ax2x3x5x Five 👏 Perfect 3 Ax2x4x5x 4 Ax3x4x5x 5 2x3x4x5x 6 Ax2x3x6x Six Perfect 7 Ax2x4x6x 8 Ax3x4x6x 9 2x3x4x6x 10 Ax2x5x6x
Read More: 👏 Thinking Outside the Hold’em Box: Badugi
Badugi at the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
Although there is no badugi bracelet event, badugi 👏 does feature in three mixed game events at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) - theR$1,500 Dealer's Choice, theR$10,000 Dealer's 👏 Choice and Mixed Triple Draw Lowball.
WSOP Mixed Triple Draw Lowball Winners
Year Entries Prizepool Winner Payout (USD) 2024 236R$536,900 Chris VitchR$136,854 👏 2024 225R$506,250 Jesse MartinR$130,948 2024 321R$722,250 Johannes BeckerR$180,455 2024 296R$666,000 Dan ZackR$160,447
Badugi Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a "rough badugi"? 👏 Any badugi that is unlikely to be a winner in a multi-way pot e.g. K♥Q♣9♠7♦ or Q♦J♣10♠3♦ What does "stand 👏 pat" mean? A player may choose to stand pat or draw zero cards when they are happy with their hand, 👏 or want to bluff.
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