How to Play Badugi Poker
Badugi is an old poker game that is reminiscent of triple draw, but in actuality it has quite a few differences. The first, and most important difference, is that you only have four cards in your hand at a time, not five. Also, the hand rankings are different from traditional poker, so that is another important factor to keep in mind. We'll take you through the rules of Badugi, then tell you where you can play Badugi online.
Objective of Badugi
Badugi players attempt to win money by either betting the other players out of the pot, or showing down the best hand at the end of the game. To become a profitable Badugi player you should focus on getting as much money in the pot as possible when you have a great hand, and avoid putting money in the pot when you have a mediocre hand. Read on to learn the rules of the game, and to find the best poker sites for playing Badugi online.
Badugi Poker Structure
Badugi is usually played at a table with a maximum of eight players. The reason it doesn't have nine like most other games is because in Badugi players receive more cards (with the draws), so nine players would exhaust the deck too often. The game is almost always played in a fixed limit structure, and uses a "blinds" system instead of an ante system.
Tables are referred to based on their betting stakes. For example, a $10/$20 Badugi table has a small bet of $10 and a big bet of $20. Blinds at a $10/$20 table would be $5 for the small blind and $10 for the big blind. Small bets are used before the draw, and after the first draw. Big bets are after the second draw and after the third draw.
Rules of Badugi
Ok, now we'll give you the full rules of the game, and walk you through a hand of Badugi.
Shuffle Up and Deal
The game begins when the blinds are posted. The blinds are two forced bets to create pre-draw action, and there is a small blind and a big blind. The small blind is posted by the player directly to the left of the dealer, and the big blind is posted by the player directly to the left of the small blind.
The small blind is typically 1/2 the size of the small bet at the table, and the big blind is typically the size of a small bet at the table. So, at a $10/$20 table the small blind would be $5 and the big blind would be $10. Here is an image showing how the table should be set up:
After the antes are posted, each player receives four face-down cards. The dealer deals the cards out one at a time, starting with the player to the left of the dealer and continuing clockwise around the table. Once each player has their cards the first betting round begins.
Pre-Draw Betting
The first betting round starts with the player directly to the left of the big blind. He/she can either fold, call the big blind, or raise to two small bets. After that player acts, the rest of the players have a few options. They can either fold, call the big blind, or raise the big blind. Also, if someone has raised in front of a player, that player can re-raise to three small bets. Raising is capped at four small bets, and from there on out players can only call or fold.
The first betting round ends when each player has either called the biggest bet or folded. One thing to keep in mind is that if the blinds aren't raised, and action is on the big blind, he/she can check and the round ends.
The First Draw
After the first betting round players have their first draw. The draw begins with the player directly to the left of the dealer, and continues around the table clockwise until each player has had a turn to draw. When it is your turn to draw, you have a few options:
You can either stand pat, draw one, draw two, draw three, or draw four. If you stand pat, that means you like your hand how it is and you don't want to draw any cards. Alternatively, you can return one, two, three, or four cards from your hand, and get new ones from the deck.
First Draw Betting
After each player receives their draw, you have another round of betting. This round starts with the player directly to the left of the dealer, and continues clockwise around the table. Players can check, call, bet, raise, or fold, depending on what the previous players have done. Just like before, you use small bets during the first betting round, and the raising is capped at four total small bets. Once each player has either called the largest bet or folded, the game moves on to the second draw.
The Second Draw
The second draw works exactly the same as the first draw. Starting with the player directly to the left of the dealer and moving clockwise, each player can draw either 1, 2, 3, or 4 cards, or can stand pat and draw no cards. Once everyone has had their chance to draw, you have another betting round.
Second Draw Betting
After the second draw is completed, there is another round of betting. This round is exactly the same as the previous round, but this time big bets are used instead of small bets. So, if you were at a $10/$20 table, you'd use a $20 bet and $20 raises for this round of betting. Of course, the raising is capped at four big bets.
The Third Draw
This draw is exactly the same as the last draw. Each player has a chance to draw or stand pat, and the draw begins with the player to the left of the dealer and continues around the table clockwise. Once everyone has had their chance to draw, there is a final round of betting.
Final Betting Round
The final betting round works just like the previous round. Each player, starting with the player to the left of the dealer and moving clockwise, can either check, bet, call, raise, or fold, depending on previous players' actions. Big bets are used for this round, and betting is capped at four big bets. Once this round is over, any players still remaining in the hand will have a showdown.
The Showdown
If you go to a showdown, all remaining players flip up their hands to see who has the best hand, and thus wins the pot. However, Badugi uses special hand rankings that are totally different than Texas Hold'em. Here is all the info on Badugi hand rankings:
Badugi Hand Rankings
The hand rankings in Badugi are vastly different than normal hand rankings, so pay attention. The first thing you need to know is that in the event of a showdown, any suited cards in your hand or any paired cards in your hand are removed. So, if you have three suited cards, you end up with a one card hand, or if you have a pair in your hand, you end up with a two card hand.
Rule #1 - ALL four card hands beat two card hands which beat one card hands, and so on.
| Hand Rank: | Hand: | Example Hand: |
| #1 | Four Card Hand | Ad-9s-5c-3h |
| #2 | Two Card Hand | Th-Tc-6s-4d |
| #3 | One Card Hand | 3s-4s-5s-Ac |
| #4 | No Card Hand | Ac-2c-3c-4c |
If two hands have the same number of cards in them, you evaluate the hands based on the cards in the hand. Just like in other games, you look at each hand's highest card. Whichever hand has the lowest high card is better.
Rule #2 - Evaluate the hand's highest cards - whoever's highest card is lowest wins.
| Hand Rank: | Hand: | Example Hand: |
| #1 | Eight Low | 8s-7c-6h-5d |
| #2 | Nine Low | 9s-5c-3h-2d |
| #3 | Jack Low | Js-9c-7h-3d |
| #4 | King Low | Kd-Jh-9s-3c |
If they both have the same high card, you look at the second highest card in each hand. Whichever has the lowest second highest card in each hand wins. This trend continues down until the lowest card, if necessary.
Rule #3 - Evaluate the hand's other cards
| Hand Rank: | Hand: | Example Hand: |
| #1 | Eight Low | 8s-5c-4h-2d |
| #2 | Eight Low | 8s-5c-4h-3d |
| #3 | Eight Low | 8s-6c-5h-3d |
| #4 | Eight Low | 8s-6c-5h-4d |
Where to Play Badugi?
Not many online poker sites offer Badugi, and even fewer live casinos do. If you want to play online, you should sign up at Pokerstars - they're our #1 rated Badugi poker site.