A Novel Mixed Tournament Format

Recently a mixed game tournament was offered with a very compelling twist. Everyone was dealt four cards and the first player to act (i.e. under-the-gun) had the option to call either Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO), Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better (PLO8), Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better, or Limit Badugi.

For those unfamiliar with Badugi, it’s a triple draw lowball game where the goal is to obtain four different ranks with all different suits. For example, 8 6 5 2 is an eight badugi, and a reasonably strong made hand. Aces are considered low, thus the best possible holding is 4-3-2-A of all different suits. When no one makes a badugi, the best three-card hand (e.g. a four high “tri” such as 4 2 A) takes the pot.

This is a nice mix of variants to choose from as high-only, lowball, split pot, big bet, and limit games are all represented. And as expected, allowing the player dealt into the worst initial position to call the game generated much online interest and chatter.

One player indicated that it would be weird to call the game and fold, but that should be relatively commonplace. Assuming there are six or seven players at the table; early position would typically play around 15% of their hands, depending on the specific game, table lineup, and stack sizes.

With four different games in play we’d certainly expect to be able to play more than this, however, there’s going to be many overlapping hands, most notably between the pot-limit and limit versions of Omaha eight-or-better. And we wouldn’t want to stretch our opening standards too far simply because we called the game.

Just for fun, I took a deck of cards and dealt myself 50 hands while also considering what game I would have called, and in this trial run would have played exactly 15, or 30% of hands.

So, what do you call when you fold? In the early stages it’s not that big of a decision; however, the big bet games might bust open a few noses which can help facilitate a loose and gambling atmosphere. Further on in the tournament, stack sizes and ladder positioning would play a large role.

It occurred to me that I probably would have called PLO with all of the pure high hands, an understandable tendency, but one that may require further consideration.
A good high hand has much more value in PLO than it does in split pot games, however, your opponent has quite an informational and playing advantage when able to eliminate pure high hands from a range given that one of the split pot games was called.

Thus, there might be an opportunity to create a false impression with your holding and call PLO8 with a fistful of high cards. Perhaps you may get lucky, hit a flop that a pure low hand would have completely missed, and induce an aggressive opponent to pile in the chips resulting in a huge payoff. That might be optimistic, but could be worth trying with a good but not outstanding high hand as not to waste a premium PLO hand. Regardless, this dynamic would be something to keep in mind on both sides of the equation.

As an aside, even in this solver age there is still tremendous value in rolling up the sleeves, taking a deck of cards, and dealing out hands whenever you are preparing for a unique situation or learning a new game. It’s how I taught myself Badeucey over a decade ago before it was available online. I’d simulate a full table of dealt hands and act on them all considering what would be the best course of action at every decision point and why. In one five-hour flight to Vegas, it’s possible that I played out as many situations that would have been seen in a year of slow-moving mixed games.

Back on topic, one experienced grinder asked if we should ever be calling Badugi without a pat hand, and the simple answer to that is yes, and actually more often than not.

There shouldn’t be anything materially different in your Badugi opening strategy due to the fact that you have the ability to call other games. While an early position raise indicates strength, that would also be the case if you were playing a round of Badugi in a normal mixed cash game.

A 4 6 9 would only be a good first position open in Badugi, and is a clear top 10% holding in that game. There may be some interesting debates to be had with holdings such as A 3 6 9 and A 2 6 9 where most would look down at an A-2 or A-3 combination and automatically default to one of the Omaha hi-lo games. However, the A 3 6 9 is better situated for Badugi, and that would almost certainly be the case for the A 2 6 9 as well.

A-2-6 is a legitimate top 5% Badugi holding and this specific dry A-2 version would have substantially less value in either of the Omaha split variants. Six- or seven-handed, the A 2 6 9 is a mediocre holding as it would often get stuck in the middle of a three- or four-way pot, mostly just hoping to win the low and not get quartered.

In terms of Badugi strength an A-2-7 is weaker, but still worthy of an open from any position. It can make a strong badugi and failing that, has a possible path to a win by reducing to A-2-3, A-2-4, A-2-5, or even A-2-6. However, since it’s closer the fourth card could decide the issue. With A 2 7 9 I’m calling Badugi, but when looking down at A 2 7 K the chosen game would be Omaha eight-or-better.

The question asked might also give the impression that the majority, if not all of dealt badugis are playable, but that’s certainly not the case. Playing rough queen or king badugis from first position at a six- or seven-handed table might be one of the biggest mistakes you can make in any game. And unless you have a premium draw underneath, most dealt jacks should probably be mucked as well.

It might seem tight to open-fold J 10 6 2; however, a little less than 15% of the time a better badugi will be lurking behind you, in which case you would typically be putting in multiple bets with essentially zero chance to win. And even when not bumping up against a superior hand before the first draw, multi-way pots are difficult to navigate especially against aggressive players.

The best attribute of this format is that it makes the worst position at the table eminently more interesting. There are, however, a few potential minor drawbacks.

It does open the door for some potential collusion, but that’s not a big concern at a lower buy-in. Proceedings might also move a little slow at times if players routinely make a big production out of what game to call. But it’s a nice change of pace and always appreciated when tournament directors attempt to be innovative, and have the courage to try something new. ♠

Kevin Haney is a former actuary but left the corporate job to focus on his passions for poker and fitness. The certified personal trainer owned a gym in New Jersey, but has since moved to Las Vegas. He started playing the game back in 2003, and particularly enjoys taking new players interested in mixed games under his wing and quickly making them proficient in all variants. Learn more or just say hello with an email to [email protected].