Playing Badugi

Playing Badugi

By Clearspine

Every once in a while, a variation of poker seems to come out of nowhere and suddenly gain popularity. Such was the case many years ago with a little game called Texas Hold’em, and I think you know where that fad ended up. Recently, more and more people are playing a form of low triple-draw called Badugi. While it is hard to imagine this simple, fun game ever gaining anywhere near the popularity of Hold’em, it is being spread in more live and online venues, and is worth learning about, especially since many of the people playing it have no idea of what they are doing, and can be easy prey for informed players. This article is meant to explain the basics of Badugi, and describe some basic strategy to help you understand how to play it profitably.

As previously mentioned, Badugi is a game of triple-draw (three separate drawing rounds), where each player is dealt four cards to start. There are betting rounds after the deal, and after each of the draws. It is played with a small and big blind, and can be played in limit, pot limit, half-pot limit or no limit format. Poker Stars, for example, has limit ring games and limit and pot limit tourneys. The object of the game is to make as LOW a four-card hand as possible. The twist to the game is that each of the four cards needs to be a different suit with no pairs. Since aces are considered low, the best possible hand is the A-2-3-4 of different suits. Any hand that has no pairs and all four suits represented is called a BADUGI.

Players can take between zero and four cards on each draw. After all three draws and betting rounds are complete there is a showdown. If only one player has made a Badugi, that hand is the winner, since ANY Badugi is considered a better hand than a hand that either pairs or has more than one suit, regardless of how low the cards are. If more than one player makes a Badugi, they are judged by who has the lower HIGH card, as in razz or hi/lo stud so, for example, 8-7-6-5 is better than a 9-3-2-A. If the two high cards are equal, the next highest cards are compared, and so on. If there is no Badugi, the best three-card hand is the winner, which would be the hand where three qualifying cards (no pairs, different suits) are the lowest. Rarely, a hand with only two qualifying cards will win, particularly in a heads-up game, but this is highly unusual except with very loose players.

What you will find at many low-stakes tables is that players will bet or call with almost any hand they are dealt, knowing that they have three draws to improve. Since you are a better player than that, it is important to know which starting hands are worth taking to the draw. Most of strategy of the game will follow almost automatically, once you refrain from playing garbage to begin with. If you are not fortunate enough to be dealt a pat hand (and any dealt Badugi can serve as a hand to stand pat with, the reason for which you will soon see), you will do well drawing to any three-card hand that is seven or lower, and, especially in late position, two cards that are five or lower. Be careful, however, if there are a lot of raises put in before the draw at a table where people are playing conservatively, as you are likely up against at least one made hand and/or better draws than yours, and you should fold all but the best drawing hands.

The reason a dealt Badugi is so powerful is that it is not that easy to draw to a Badugi of any kind, let alone a really good one (seven or lower), even with three draws. As an example, your starting hand is :Ac :2s :3h-x, where “x” is a card that matches one of your suits. This is the best non-Badugi starting hand you can be dealt. You will, of course, raise with this hand before the draw. But notice that there are only 10 cards on each draw that will turn your three cards into ANY Badugi, the 13 diamonds, MINUS the three that pair your A, 2 or 3. Since there are 48 cards in the deck you haven’t seen (52 minus your starting hand), you will make your hand only once in five times on any single draw, and you are slightly less than even money to make any Badugi by the end of the hand. To make a really good hand, you have even fewer outs, since you need to also subtract the higher cards in the suit you want to draw. When you are dealt a Badugi, you should raise and re-raise before the draw to try and eliminate as many players as possible, since the more players that remain in the hand, the greater the chance that someone will draw out on you. However, you can mix up the play with stronger pat hands, sometimes jamming the pot and occasionally smooth calling, since these are so hard to run down.

Strategy after the first draw is fairly straightforward, depending mainly on whether or not you hit your hand, and your position at the table. Be aware of which players have drawn fewer cards than you, and which, if any, have stood pat. Keep good notes on the other players, to see which of them can be pushed into breaking up a weak Badugi, see whether people show very weak draws at the end, and who always has the hands they represent, and act accordingly.

Make certain to take advantage of your position when you are on the button. A very common play, especially in a heads-up situation, is for the player who acts last to bet after the first or second draw and then stand pat, representing a made hand, hoping to get his opponent to fold after the next draw. Since, as I pointed out above, it is difficult to finish a Badugi on any one draw, this can be a very effective play when used judiciously. Of course, if you are caught doing this, it is likely you will get more action later on when you actually make a hand, so win or lose, you can use this play to your advantage. In a pot-limit game, you can also use position to make a large bet to drive a drawing opponent off his hand; in fact, as in all pot-limit games, position is often more important than the cards you are dealt, if you use it properly.

Like other forms of low-ball, Badugi is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who get easily frustrated by stretches of time where great starting hands never hit, and others make impossible draws against you seemingly at will. However, playing a solid basic strategy as described above will allow you to profit against the many players who are just randomly throwing chips around, and experience will teach you how to vary your style to compete effectively with better players over time.