Badugi Poker Guide

Badugi poker (called Padooki in some regions) is one of the more exciting versions of draw poker out there. Badugi poker is a triple draw variation of lowball poker that utilizes a traditional betting style; however, the way that hands are ranked in Badugi differs from that of other triple draw lowball poker matches. Becoming a profitable and masterful Badugi poker player takes practice, patience, and knowledge of the rules of the game in order to develop a solid Badugi strategy to call on during game play.

Badugi poker Basic Rules

Badugi poker rules are a bit more complex than other games that you might have become accustomed to playing. Badugi is a chip or button game, which means that a chip or dealer button will indicate who is dealing the hand of cards. Badugi is not an ante game, but instead utilizes the small blind/big blind style of play. Each player in Badugi poker is dealt four cards, after which a betting round occurs during which time players have the option to check, raise, or bet. After the betting round, players may discard up to four cards (their entire Badugi hand) and have new cards dealt to them. Play goes in a clockwise motion based on where the dealer chip or dealer button is located. Players who do not wish to improve their hands can choose to take no cards, which is known as standing pat. Once everyone remaining in the Badugi hand has received their new cards, a second betting round occurs. This second betting round is followed up with another round of discarding and drawing. There are two more drawing/betting rounds; however, the third and fourth rounds will see bets at the higher limit of betting. Depending upon the number of players, it may become necessary for the dealer to reshuffle the Badugi deck of discarded cards in order to have a sufficient number of cards for the whole game – usually after the second drawing round. Once the final bets are in, the showdown will determine the winner of the hand. Players may opt to muck or show their hands. Badugi hand ranking is used to determine the winner of the game.

Badugi Hand Values

Unlike most poker games, a Badugi poker hand is built with just four cards. A four card Badugi hand is called a “Badugi”, although players may win the Badugi game with a three card or lower hand. The best Badugi hand is the actual “Badugi”, which is made up of the standard fifty-two card deck’s lowest cards – ace, two, three, and four – each of a different suit. A Badugi hand like this would outrank one where the elements are there – ace, two, three, and four – but two or more of the cards are of the same suit. While it is rare to score an actual “Badugi”, calculating hand values in Badugi poker is fairly straightforward. By simply converting the face value of the cards into a number, you can easily see which player has the best hand. As an example, the Badugi hand mentioned about would be converted (starting with the highest card first) to the number 4,321. A player holding the cards two, three, four, and five would have a conversion of 5,432. The lowest hand is the winner in Badugi, which makes the 4,321 hand combination the winner. This simple method is easy to understand and quick to use during play.

Our web site about Badugi poker will help you learn how to play Badugi at home games or online poker rooms. We have a section dedicated to Badugi poker strategy to teach players how to win more hands.

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