| Badugi
is an action game that originated in Asia and is quickly
making its way through North America (and into online
card rooms.) Badugi is a triple draw lowball game. You’re
dealt four cards and you draw three times. Wagering
takes place after the initial deal and after each of
the three draws. You don't want high cards, you don't
want pairs and you don't want matching suits. When you
hold four cards of different rank and suit, then you’re
holding a BADUGI!
Badugi
Primer
Since
Badugi is a lowball game, a good hand is one in which
your 4 cards are low valued (with four different suits.)
Aces are low, so the best possible Badugi hand is A-2-3-4
of all different suits (straights do not count against
you.)
When
there are no “Badugis” (rainbow hands) the
best hand is deduced by removing the higher of any two
suited cards and/or any paired cards from the four.
This generates a hand of one to four cards. Any four
card hand beats a three card hand. Three cards hands
beat two card hands and two card hands beat a one card
hand. Here’s a little more info:
Paired
Hands: If your hand is Ah-2d-4c-4s this is known as
a three-card hand (as you can only use one of the cards
you have paired) and your hand value is really Ah-2d-4c.
A full 4 card Badugi beats any three-card hand. Similarly,
a hand such as A-2-2-2 would have a final value of A2
(a two-card hand) as the other two cards are counterfeited.
A three-card hand beats any two-card hand. Another rare
example would be when you hold four of a kind, e.g.,
4-4-4-4 or 9-9-9-9 giving you a final hand value of
either 4 or 9 respectively. This is known as a one-card
hand and is the worst possible type of hand to hold.
Suited
hands: Suited hands work like paired hands. If you hold
a hand such as Ac-4d-5h-6h (where both the 5 and 6 are
hearts) then, your best hand would be a three card hand:
A-4-5
Suited
and paired hands: Occasionally, you may be dealt a hand
containing both paired and suited cards. (Ex: Kd-Kh-4d-4h
So, your hand is K-4) This is bad situation and unless
you’re in an unraised pot playing from the big
blind, hands like this should be mucked before the wagering
begins.
One
Card Hands: On the rare occasion someone holds four
of a kind: A-A-A-A, this is known as a one card hand
(and should rarely, if ever, reach showdown.)
If
at showdown there are two Badugis (or two 3-card hands
or 2-card hands) the lowest one will win. Here are a
few examples:
Badugi vs Badugi: Ah-2s-3d-4c beats 3h-4d-5s-6c
3 card vs 3 card: 3c-3s-7d-9c beats 3d-8d-8s-9h
2 card vs 2 card: 4c-4d-6c-6d beats 5s-8s-8h-5h
Top
10 Badugi Hands
*when all cards are different suits
1:
4-3-2-A
2: 5-3-2-A
3: 5-4-2-A
4: 5-4-3-A
5: 5-4-3-2
6: 6-3-2-A
7: 6-4-2-A
8: 6-4-3-A
9: 6-4-3-2
10: 6-5-2-A
The
worst Badugi you could hold would be K-Q-J-10
(this is still a ‘decent’ hand with winning
potential)
Badugi Game play
The
game begins with a small blind and a big blind (just
like in Texas Holdem, though, that’s where the
similarities between the two games end.) Each player
gets four cards; the cards are dealt one at a time in
a clockwise direction starting with the player in the
small blind. When everyone has their 4 cards the action
begins with a round of betting.
In
the first betting round, the initial player to act is
the player to the left of the big blind. This player
may fold, call, or raise in increments of the low stake
(the value of the small blind.) Play continues clockwise
with succeeding players choosing to bet, call, raise,
or fold. Once everyone has had their turn and all bets
have been made, you move on to the first draw.
In
the first drawing round, players are offered the opportunity
to draw zero to four cards. This action takes place
clockwise from the first player to the left of the dealer
button (the original small blind.) Drawing zero cards
is called 'standing pat'.
Once
players have completed their initial draws, the second
betting round takes place. Again, the bet increment
uses the low stakes. The second drawing round is the
same as first (zero to four cards may be drawn, or a
player may stand pat.)
The
third drawing / betting round is the same as second,
with one exception: In this round the high stake is
used for the betting increment.
*Note: a reshuffle of discards may take place as is
necessary.
The
fourth and final betting round follows the same rules
and leads to a showdown if more than one player remains
standing.
The
Showdown: After the final betting remaining players
show their hand to see who won. The winning player scoops
the pot.
Badugi Wagering Variants
Badugi
can be played Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit, or even Half
Pot Limit
In
Limit Badugi all bets are made in incremental units.
During the first two rounds players bet the lower unit.
So, in a $1/$2 game the bet for the first two rounds
would be $1. On Rounds 3 and 4, players wager the higher
level (in a $1/$2 game the bets would be $2.) Betting
is capped at four bets per round as is standard in all
limit games.
In
Pot Limit Badugi players can bet/raise any amount ranging
from the value of the big blind, up to how much is in
the pot. All subsequent bettors can bet/raise the pot
by the total value of the current pot.
Half
Pot Limit Badugi is very interesting. Half Pot Limit
plays just like Pot Limit. The only exception is: the
maximum a player can raise is the value of half the
current pot.
The
half pot variant is a mega-action game. The structure
tends to keep people in the hand. Even on the final
round, action is often multiway (so the pots can get
gigantic… even at lower limits.)
No
Limit is just that… there are no limits on what
a player may bet. If the money is in front of them,
it can go into the pot (and often will.) Tread these
waters carefully.
Badugi
Tips and Strategy
Here
some info that could/should help put a few extra chips
in your stack
Badugi
is new to the online poker world, so there are lots
of players who don’t understand the game and will
easily ship a great deal of money your way. Just knowing
“the basics” and playing a straightforward,
intelligent game will put a nice chunk of change in
your pocket at the end of a Badugi session.
As
a general rule of thumb: You have a playable hand if
you have three cards to a seven low (ex: 7s-4c-2h-kh)
and/or two cards to a five low (ex: 5h-2s-10s-Qh)
If
you have a good hand (especially early in the betting
rounds) you want to thin the field by betting &/or
raising at every opportunity. Free cards/draws are a
no-no.
If
you are dealt three cards to a Badugi, you will only
hit your will draw 48% of the time (after drawing three
times.) Your chance of hitting your hand gets worse
on each drawing round. Make sure the pot odds warrant
drawing/chasing.
As
in most poker games, position is important. The closer
you are to the button, the looser you can be with your
preflop starting hand standards.
Dealing
with frustration is crucial in Badugi. Having three
cards to a Badugi and missing the fourth card on all
three draws can drive anyone bonkers. Emotional / Tilt
control is key.
Badugi
is a game that offers some great bluffing opportunities,
especially when playing shorthanded. Note: the more
people there are at the table, the more likely someone
holds a Badugi. Bold bluffs are not advisable at a full
table and/or in multiway pots. It’s best to reserve
you bluff attempts for pots that are heads up.
Drawing
on the last round against an opponent who is standing
pat is generally a mistake. Cut your losses and move
onto the next hand.
Anything
worse than an eight low Badugi (e.g. 8c-7d-6h-4s) probably
isn't worth paying off a big bet @ show down (especially
against a player who understands the game.) Although,
if you’re playing limit, you’ll usually
want to call a single bet with most/any made Badugi
hand.
Well,
there ya go… that’s the bare-bones of Badugi.
Note: I’ve just brushed the surface of this intriguing
game. As with most poker games, the best way to learn
is through experience. I highly suggest you give yourself
the chance to experience Badugi. Try it, I think you’ll
like it. And, the sooner ya try it, the sooner you’ll
have a leg-up on the pool of players that are discovering/playing
this game. Those numbers will be growing over the next
few years. Get a head start on the craze and start developing
your Badugi skills now!
Badui 101 was authored by Doug Conn
Doug is a full time poker pro who represents the Online
Shark Satellite Tour
Interested
in playing Badugi?
Download Doyles Room and give it a try - Click here.
|
