Badugi Poker

Badugi Poker Rules

How To Play Badugi Poker

Welcome to our website about Badugi poker. Badugi poker is also sometimes called "Badougi poker" or "Padooki" poker. It's basically a four card variation of triple draw lowball poker. Badugi poker uses a traditional betting structure, but the hand rankings differ from those of regular poker.

This guide to playing Badugi poker assumes you have some poker experience already.

Dealing Badugi Poker - Badugi Poker Betting Rounds - Badugi Poker Rules

Each player gets four cards face down. Then there's a round of betting starting with the player to the left of the big blind. This is followed by three consecutive drawing rounds, between each of which is another betting round. After the final betting round is a showdown in which the player with the best Badugi hand wins the pot.

Badugi Poker Hand Rankings - Badugi Hands

Badugi poker hands are considered rainbow hands, because they always consist of cards of different suits and of different ranks. At the end of the drawing rounds and the betting, the player has to discard any paired or suited card from his hand, leaving one, two, three, or four cards of different suits and ranks.

Any four card Badugi hand beats any three card Badugi hand. Any three card Badugi hand beats and two card Baduig hand. And so on.

A four card Badugi hand is sometimes called a "Badugi".

When two players have the same number of cards, the winner is determined by who has the lowest card. (Aces count low.) If they tie for the lowest card, they compare the next highest card in their hand. If they tie again, they compare the next card, and so on.

The best possible Badugi poker hand is 432A. The 2nd best Badugi poker hand is 532A, then 542A, then 543A, then 5432, and so on.

If you're having trouble with comparing low hands, the easiest trick I've ever learned for comparing these hands is to treat them as a number. So instead of thinking of 432A as four cards, think of it as the number 4,321. That's lower than 5,321, so it's the winner.

And 5,421 is higher than 5,321, so it would lose. (I learned this playing Omaha 8.)

Badugi Poker Strategy - How To Win at Badugi Poker

Avoiding Tilt

Badugi poker can be very frustrating. On the third drawing round you might be only one card away from having a four card Badugi. But the chances of receiving the one card you need is only 1 in 4 on that round because of the suits, and that's actually even lower because it also has to be a different rank than the other three cards in your hand.

So to be a winning Badugi player requires a certain even temperament. If you tilt easily, Badugi's not for you.

Understanding Badugi Rules

Another strategic consideration is understanding the rules thoroughly. People who don't really know what's going on in the game are more likely to lose to someone who does understand what's going on. So learn the Badugi poker rules before playing for meaningful stakes. You can play free games online to get a feel for the game before risking real money on the game.

Position and Bluffing in Badugi

Position is important in most poker games, and Badugi is no different in that respect. Being in late position in the betting rounds gives you the opportunity to see how the other players are feeling about their hands. This can help you decide whether to bet or fold.

Bluffing is a bad idea in a 6 person game but a good idea when you're headsup.

Drawing a card on the final drawing round is often a less effective strategy than standing pat and bluffing with an inferior hand. Drawing a card on that final round displays a lot of weakness, and experienced players understand that it's hard to make that final card.

Badugi Starting Hands

If you start with four cards that are ranked 7 or lower, then you have a good Badugi starting hand. If you start with two cards that are ranked 5 or lower, then you have a good starting hand too. Cards ranked 8 or above are bad for your hand.

If you have a good hand in early position, raise aggressively to drive out other players and to get more money in the pot when you have a good shot at winning.

Badugi Poker Online

You can play Badugi poker online at Doyles Room.