Badugi is a draw poker game that is very similar to the low and the lowest hand wins. The best hands are those that are single and have four low cards, each with a stick. This is known as badugi.

HowtoPlay Badugi

Badugi is played with antes known as blinds. The player to the left of the dealer posts a small blind and the player to the left of both is the big blind. The small blind is usually half the big blind.

Each player is dealt four cards face down. Then follows the first round of betting and they can call, raise or fold. The remaining players in the hand after the first round of bets have the option to dismiss. The idea is that you can discard the cards you do not want and replace them with ones that will improve your hand. If you want, you can choose to discard four cards and then begins a second round of betting wherein players have the option to bet or fold. If there is no bet, you can spend. Once this round of betting ends then another round of betting and discarding begins. This second round is followed by a final round of betting and discarding, after which, if more than one player remains, they proceed to a final showdown and the player with the best hand wins the pot.

Strategy

The objective is to make a badugi: a hand of four cards of four different suits low and without partners. The best possible starting hand is; therefore, 4-3-2-A (each letter of a different suit). In Badugi, hands are ranked by their highest card with the ace always remaining low and ignoring the stairs. A player with a hand of 9-8-4-3 of mixed suits (a “nine-badugi”) loses to an opponent with a hand of 8-7-3-2 (a ” badugi eight”) of different suits. Also, 6-3-2-A (a “badugi six”) loses to a 5-4-3-2 (a” badugi five”). If multiple players tie with the highest card in his hand, consider the next highest card, and so on. Consequently, a 6-5-4-A (a “badugi six-five”) loses against a 6-4-3-2 (a “badugi six-four”).

If a hand reaches the showdown without any player achieving a badugi; then the player with the best hand of three or two cards wins the pot.