1. What is Badugi?
Badugi is a triple draw lowball variety of poker. Each player is dealt 4 cards and must make their lowest possible hand over 3 draws. It is a lowball game where Ace is low and therefore the best possible hand is A234 of all different suits.
2. Can I play for play money?
Yes. We offer a full variety of stakes from play games to real money games
3. Are there different limit variations?
Yes. Badugi is available as a limit game, a pot limit game and a half pot limit game.
4. How do you play Badugi?
Please refer to our Game rules page.
5. What are discards?
Discards are the cards that each player chooses to swap for new cards on each drawing round.
6. How do I select which cards I want to discard?
As the action comes to you will be able to either pre-select or wait for your turn. You simply click on the cards you wish to discard and a semi transparent 'Discard' image will appear over those chosen cards.
7. Can I deselect those cards?
Yes. If you have pre-selected the cards you wish to discard you will be able to deselect them before the action gets to you.
8. How many draws do you get?
It is a triple draw game; therefore each player gets 3 draws.
9. Why can't I raise again a 5th time?
In a limit game each round of betting can only be up to a maximum of 4 incremental bets. If you play pot limit or half pot limit the betting structures will vary and you will be able to bet larger amounts per round.
10. What is a Badugi?
A Badugi is a 4-card hand of all different suits and values. E.g. Ac2h3d4s, 4d6c9hTs, 3h4c8d9h
11. What is a 3-card hand?
A 3-card hand is a hand that has one card counterfeiting another, either by suit and/ or by value, therefore reducing the overall value of the hand to simply 3 active cards. E.g. AcAh2d3s, 2d3h5c6c, 4d6c7d8h
12. What is a 2-card hand?
A 2-card hand is a hand that has 2 cards counterfeiting the other 2, either by suit and/ or value, therefore reducing the overall value to simply 2 active cards. E.g. 2d2h3d3h, 4c5c6d6s, Ac45s7s9c
13. What is a 1-card hand?
A 1-card hand is the worst possible hand whereby the overall value of the hand is reduced to simply one card due to counterfeiting by suits and /or value. e.g. AAAA, Ah2h3h4h, 4c5c8cTc
14. Why isn't my hand a Badugi, I have 4 different cards?
To be a Badugi all cards must be both different suits and different values. Most likely your current holding has either a pair or 2 of the same suit.
15. Can I play Badugi tournaments?
We do not currently offer Badugi Tournaments.
16. How many cards can I draw on each round?
You can draw anything from zero to four cards on each round.
17. What are the top ten best starting hands?
Please refer to our hand rankings page.
18. Is there a No Limit Badugi game?
Due to the nature of the game, with it having 3 draws, a No Limit version would reduce a lot of the skill in the game. Therefore we do not currently offer a No Limit version.
19. What stakes do you offer for this game?
We currently offer Badugi in the following formats: Limit, Pot Limit, and Half Pot Limit.
20. What happens if there are not enough cards for everyone to redraw?
In this case all discards from previous rounds are reshuffled into the remaining deck and re-dealt to players as required. When this happens you will see a notice at the table advising players that discards are being reshuffled.
21. What does it mean that it is a lowball game?
A lowball game means that the aim of the game is to get the lowest possible hand.
22. Is an ace high or low?
Ace is low in Badugi
23. How many people can play?
Usually a maximum of 6 players can play a game of Badugi at once.
24. How are hand rankings determined, highest to lowest or lowest to highest?
Hand values are determined from highest card down to lowest card. E.g. Ac3s4h6d beats Ad3h4s9c, 5c6c7d8d beats 6h7s7h8h, 4444 beats 8888
25. What happens if there is a tie?
In the case of a tie at the showdown, where both players hold the same value hand, then the pot will be split evenly between the tying players. In the case of there being an extra cent in the pot it will be given to the active player closest to the left of the button.
26. What are incremental bets?
Incremental bets are the units of betting in all limit games. Players can only raise by a specified unit, (unit varies depending on stakes), rather than being able to bet a range of bets as is possible in pot limit and no limit games.
27. What is a draw?
A draw is the round after every round of betting whereby players can exchange their hole cards for new ones. Badugi has 3 rounds of drawing.
28. What is a limit game?
A limit game is one in which bets are made in incremental units.
29. What is a pot limit game?
A pot limit game is a game whereby players can bet any amount on any round ranging from the minimum bet (value of Big Blind) up to the total value of current pot.
30. What is a half pot limit game?
A half pot limit game is a game whereby players can bet any amount on any round raging from the minimum bet (value of Big Blind) up to the value of half the current pot.
Badugi
A Badugi is a 4-card hand with no pairs and none of the same suit. Examples of Badugi’s would be 2345, 2467, A358, all with none of the same suit. The best possible Badugi is A234 all off suit as there is no other possible hand lower than this.
Paired Hands:
If you hold a hand such as A244 (all different suits) then your hand value is really A24 as you can only use one of the cards you have paired. This is known as a three-card hand.
Other examples would be A224 that is finally A24, KKQJ that is finally KQJ, KJ55 that is finally KJ5. A Badugi beats any 3 card hand.
Similarly a hand such as A222 would only hold a final value of A2, a two-card hand, as the other 2 cards are counterfeited. A three-card hand beats any 2-card hand. Other examples of 2 card hands would be A444, AA88, 7766, 5669 etc.
Suited hands:
Suited hands work similarly to paired hands. If you hold a hand such as A456 (where both the 5 and 6 are hearts) then you should choose to play the lower of the two suited cards. In this example then you would hold A45 as the 6 is counterfeited. Other examples would be As9d5s8h where the final value would be A98 as the 5s is dropped. 3h4s9dKh where the final value would be 349. JhQdK2d where the final value would be 2JK.
Suited and paired hands:
Occasionally you may be dealt a hand containing both pairs and suited cards. This is usually not a good situation to be in as it means your final hand value will be very weak. For example, KhKc9cTs would have a final value of 9cTsKh as the King of clubs is counterfeited. Other examples would be:
· 2h3h4s6d where the final value would be 246 as the 3 of hearts is counterfeited.
· Td9s7s5s where the final value would be T5 as the 7 and 9 of spades are counterfeited.
· JsQh3s9s where the final value of this hand would be Q3 as the 9 and J of spades are counterfeited.
Therefore double suited double-paired hands are not good starting hands.
Another rare example would be when you hold 4 of a kind, e.g. 4444 or 9999 giving you a final hand value of either 4 or 9 respectively. This is known as a 1-card hand and is the worst possible type of hand to hold.
Furthermore, you could be dealt a hand such as KdKcJdJc where the final value would be either KcJc or KdJd. NB: there is no ranking of suits. So for example you could hold KhJhKcJc versus your opponent’s KsJsKdJd, whereby both of you have a final value of KJ, therefore resulting in a split pot.
Order of hand value from best to worst:
1) Badugi
2) 3 Card hand
3) 2 Card hand
4) 1 Card hand
NB: If at a showdown there are 2 Badugi’s or 3 card hands or 2 card hands or 1 card hands obviously the lowest one will win. E.g. Ah2s3d4c beats 3h4d5s6c, and 3c3s7d9c beats 3d8d8s9h, and 4c4d6c6d beats 5s8s8h5h, and 4444 beats 5555.
Multi-way pot example:
Player 1 holds 3h5s7d9c
Player 2 holds 7s7h5c6d
Player 3 holds 3h4s7c8d
Player 4 holds AhAs4dTs
Player 3 would win this pot as he/she holds the lowest hand with a 3478 Badugi. Although player 1 also holds a Badugi 3579, player 3’s is lower.
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