Badugi Rules: How to Play Badugi

 Badugi Rules: How To Play Badugi

You must first be familiar with the rules before you can play your first Badugi hand. If you do not have this knowledge, other players can exploit your inexperience and take advantage of your bankroll. Badugi is a relatively new game for many poker players. Many people will sit down at a table and ask about the rules once they have purchased in. Be a player who can distinguish that player's money from your own.

Badugi, a variation of triple-draw poker, allows each player to draw as many cards as they want up to three times before a showdown. The goal of this game is to create the lowest possible four card hand. It must contain one card from each suit, and there are no pairs. Badugi is played in a small blind or big blind similar to Texas Holdem. There are limit stakes where players can place a bet or raise up to a particular value, according to the house rules. Pot limit stakes allow players to wager up to the current pot value at any time. No limit stakes allow players to take on all the risk of losing any amount.

The deal is made before the small blind (the left-hand player) places a wager equal to 50% of big blind. However, in some cases it might be less. Each player then gets four cards each, one after the other. Assuming it is a limit-game, the player to their left has the choice to fold, call the large blind amount, or raise the same amount. Each player has the same options, with the house rules limiting the number of raises per round. If the pot does not reach the small blind before the action is returned to it, the player will need to place his original bet up to the amount of big blind to keep his hand. Assuming that no other raises have been made, the bigblin has the option to check or raise.

The first round of betting has ended. After that, the remaining players may draw up to four cards. This continues in a clockwise direction until all players have had a chance to draw.

The first draw is followed by another round of betting. This round sees the first player with cards start the betting action by either checking out or betting. The second round of betting continues in the same fashion as the first.

The second draw is now in the same order as before. A third round of betting follows, in which the limit doubles. Note that in both pot limit or no limit games, the betting remains the same throughout each round. After this round, a third draw takes place. One final round of betting at the higher limit completes it.

* The hands will be compared. The following is how the hands are ranked:

* Only one player must make a Badugi (a card from each suit without any pairs) to win the pot.

* If more players have a Badugi than one, the highest card from each hand is compared. The player with the lowest high cards wins (with aces considered low).

* If more players have the same highest high card, the second-highest cards will be compared.

Straights are not considered against the hand. The best hand is the 4-3-2A of all suits. If there is no Badugi, the hand that has the lowest number of qualifying cards (based on who has highest possible high card) will be declared the winner. For example, if one player has A[s]-2[s]-3[h]-10[d], he would lose to 6[h]-7[d]-9[c]-K[c], because the first player would have to play the 10-2-A, while the second would have a 9-7-6, since the king would not play in the latter hand, while the 10 would have to be used in the former. Based on the same comparison, the best hand with two cards would win even if it was not possible to have a hand with three cards. If more than one player has a similar best low hand, they will split the pot.