Why should you learn how to play Badugi poker when it’s a niche game that isn’t like other popular variants? The fact that it’s a niche game is exactly why I learned how to play Badugi a few years ago.
With the average skill level in Hold ’em and Omaha increasing every year, I’ve been searching for an edge in games that fewer people play. Badugi is a unique lowball variant that’s not only fun but offers some twists you can use to your advantage.
So, if you’re searching for a new way to play poker and increase your EV, here’s an overview of how to play and some useful Badugi poker strategy tips.
What is Badugi Poker?
Badugi poker is a lowball variant that’s similar to Draw Poker. Having said that, it’s also different from anything you might have played before. I’ll talk more about the game’s nuances and why it’s different from other variants in the “Badugi Poker Rules” section of this guide.
For now, let’s build a foundation. The first thing to know about Badugi is that every player holds four cards throughout the game. This, in turn, means ranked hands contain four cards instead of five, as is the case in variants such as Texas Hold ’em and Omaha.
High-Hands vs. Lowball Poker
Other than having four hole cards, Badugi is a lowball variant. In poker, lowball games have a different ranking system to high-hand variants such as Hold ’em. In lowball games, low-value cards trump high-value cards.
For example, in Razz, a popular lowball variant, the best-ranked hand is A-2-3-4-5. Contrast that with the best hand in Hold ’em, a royal flush (A-K-Q-J-10 suited), and you can see how lowball variants differ from their high-hand counterparts.
Like Razz, the best Badugi poker hands contain low-value cards. Specifically, the best Badugi poker hand contains four unsuited and unpaired low-value cards. I’ll give you the top 10 Badugi poker hands later, but I’ll tell you now that the best holding is A-2-3-4 unsuited.
Why do players love Badugi poker?
Many poker players enjoy Badugi because it’s a fast-paced variant. The fact that you have four cards makes the drawing process slightly faster than five-card draw variants.
Badugi poker strategy is also interesting because there are opportunities to bluff. I’ll go into more detail soon. The point here, though, is that it’s hard to make a four-card Badugi (i.e., a strong hand). Therefore, if you’ve got two or three low-value cards and position on an opponent, bluffing can be a profitable play.
How to Play Badugi Poker
You’ll be able to master the basics of Badugi poker if you’ve ever played Hold ’em or Draw. I say that because the betting structure is identical to Hold ’em, and the way you make hands is identical to Five-Card Draw.
I wouldn’t say that Badugi is a cross between the two aforementioned variants. However, if you keep them in mind as I walk you through the rules of Badugi, it’ll be much easier to understand how the game flows.
Badugi Poker Rules
Before I walk you through an example hand, here are the Badugi poker rules you need to know:
The Set-Up
- A betting round starts with one player posting the small blind and the player immediately to their left posting the big blind.
- The player immediately to the right of the small blind has the button. This player is the last to act after the initial betting round.
- The blinds continuously move clockwise around the table.
Betting Structure
- Badugi poker games typically use a Fixed Limit betting structure. The first two betting rounds use the value of the Big Blind as the minimum bet; e.g., in a $1/$2 game, the minimum opening bet is $2. The minimum opening bet increases to double the value of the Big Blind for the third and fourth betting rounds.
- Every player receives four cards dealt face-down after the blinds have been posted.
- The player immediately to the left of the big blind is first to act.
The Action
- Every player has the option to call the last biggest bet, raise, or fold. Additionally, players can check if a bet hasn’t already been made (the blinds count as a bet during the initial round of action).
- Players can hold or discard as many cards as they like. Discarded cards aren’t put back into the deck.
- There are three drawing rounds in total, and players must match the last biggest bet to remain active in a hand. Each draw is followed by a betting round, giving you four betting rounds in total.
Winning Hands
- A player wins the pot by being the last active person in the hand (i.e., they’ve made everyone else fold) or by having the best four-card hand at a showdown.
- Aces are low according to standard Badugi poker rules.
- Pairs and suited cards count against your hand. Therefore, the aim is to have low-value, unsuited, and unpaired cards.
Badugi Hand Rankings
Forget everything you thought you knew about poker hands rankings because Badugi turns everything upside down and inside out.
As I’ve said, Badugi is a lowball variant, which means low-value cards are better than high-value cards. The other caveat to remember is that pairs and suited cards count against the value of your hand.
The final rule governing the ranking of Badugi poker hands is what I call the four-three-two hierarchy. The best possible hand in Badugi is A-2-3-4. However, any four-card hand is desirable because it always beats a three-card or two-card hand.
Similarly, a three-card hand always beats a two-card hand, even if the two-card hand contains four low-value cards. To illustrate this point, here are three Badugi poker hands:
- Hand 1: A♠️3♣️4♥️5♦️
- Hand 2: 5♠️6♥️8♣️9♥️
- Hand 3: 3♠️4♣️4♥️4♦️
Hand 1 is the best because all four cards are unsuited and unpaired. That’s a four-card Badugi. Hand 2 is the second best because it contains three low-value cards. However, it’s only a three-card Badugi because it contains two hearts.
Finally, Hand 3 is the worst hand, even though all four cards are lower in value than Hand 2’s. It’s the worst hand because it contains three fours. Badugi poker rules state that pairs must be ignored. That means Hand 3 is a two-card Badugi consisting of the 3♠️and 4♣️.
Badugi Poker Hand Rankings
There isn’t space in this guide to list every possible Badugi hand because I’d need to rank every four-card, three-card, and two-card combination. What I can do, however, is give you the top 10 Badugi poker hands.
| Rank | Example |
| 1 | A♦️ 2♣️3♥️4♠️ |
| 2 | A♦️ 2♣️3♥️5♠️ |
| 3 | A♦️ 2♣️4♥️5♠️ |
| 4 | A♦️ 3♣️4♥️ 5♠️ |
| 5 | 2♣️3♥️ 4♠️5♦️ |
| 6 | A♦️ 2♣️3♥️6♠️ |
| 7 | A♦️ 2♣️4♥️6♠️ |
| 8 | A♦️ 3♣️4♥️6♠️ |
| 9 | 2♣️3♥️4♠️6♦️ |
| 10 | A♦️ 2♣️5♥️6♠️ |
The way Badugi poker hands are ranked is based on the highest-value card. If two hands contain the same high-value card, the next highest card is taken into account. That’s why A♦️ 2♣️3♥️5♠️ beats A♦️ 2♣️4♥️5♠️.
This rule applies all the way down, so take this into account when it comes to all holdings, including three-card and two-card Badugi hands.
Badugi Poker in Action
Those are the rules of Badugi poker. Let’s see how they work in context:
- Blinds = $1/$2
- Number of Players = 6
- Small Blind = Seat 1
- Big Blind = Seat 2
- Button = Seat 6
That’s the set-up. Here’s an example hand using the above table dynamics:
- Seat 3 folds
- Seat 4 raises to $4
- Seat 5 folds
- Seat 6 calls
- Seat 2 folds
- Seat 1 calls
- Seat 1 draws two cards
- Seat 4 draws one card
- Seat 6 draws two cards
- Seat 1 checks
- Seat 4 bets $2
- Seat 6 calls
- Seat 1 folds
- Seat 4 draws one card
- Seat 6 draws one card
- Seat 4 bets $4
- Seat 6 calls
- Seat 4 stands pat (holds all of their cards)
- Seat 6 draws one card
- Seat 4 bets $4
- Seat 6 calls
- Seat 4 has A♠️3♦️ 5♥️6♣️
- Seat 6 has 2♥️3♥️4♣️5♠️
Result = Seat 4 wins with a four-card Badugi
Badugi Poker Strategy
Like all types of poker, Badugi is a game of timing, logic, deception, and luck. I won’t claim to be an expert in Badugi poker strategy. That being said, I’ve had a decent amount of success in cash games using universal poker strategy concepts such as position and bet sizing.
With this in mind, here are my top Badugi poker strategy tips for beginners:
1. Start Strong, Not Weak
A strong starting hand in Badugi has very few suited cards or pairs. This means the very best starting hands don’t contain any matching suits or pairs.
My decision-making hierarchy for assessing starting hands is as follows:
- Does it contain at least two low-value cards?
- Does it contain no more than two suited cards or a pair?
If the answer to those two questions is yes, I’ll play. If the answer to question #1 is yes, but the answer to question #2 is no, I’ll make a judgment call based on my position at the table and any previous betting action.
One final thing to note is that you should always be aiming for a four-card Badugi hand. Even if you shoot for the stars a miss, you could still end up with a strong three-card hand that might win a showdown. I’ll discuss this more with my next tip.
2. Know Your Badugi Poker Odds
If we look at some Badugi odds, you can see that you’re more likely to have a three-card hand on the first draw than anything else:
- Four-card Badugi hand = 6.3%
- Three-card Badugi hand = 57.0%
- Two-card Badugi hand = 35.6%
- One-card Badugi hand = 1.1%
You’ve got a 51% chance of turning a three-card hand into a four-card Badugi by the final draw. However, in all likelihood, you’ll finish with a three-card hand. That’s where you need to think about the cards you’re holding.
If we assume that, on average, you’ll finish with more three-card hands than any other, you should make sure the three cards are as low as possible.
3. Position is Power in Badugi Poker Strategy
Play more hands in position than out of position. It really is that simple. Playing in position, i.e., in a spot that’s close to the button, gives you the power of information. Getting to watch other players act gives you a better idea of what they might have and, in turn, what might happen in the future.
Let’s say you’re on the button with a weak hand, and everyone before you folds. At this point, there are only two players behind you (the blinds), and they’ve been forced to put money into the pot.
You could raise in this spot knowing that the blinds are going to have random hands and that they’ll be playing out of position and, therefore, more likely to fold.
In contrast, if there’s been a bet, raise, and re-raise before the action gets to you on the button with the same hand, it’s an easy spot to fold. What I want you to take from this is that you should have a tight range in an early position but be willing to widen that range the closer you are to the button.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Bluff
The secret to bluffing in poker is being able to tell a consistent and convincing story. Position is also important, but you can tell a convincing story from any spot at the table if you’re willing to play a high-risk strategy.
My personal preference is to raise pre-flop from a late position and stand pat. This signals to your opponents that you’ve got a strong hand, even if you’ve got four weak cards. Starting on the front foot allows you to continue being aggressive on subsequent betting rounds, adding to the consistent story you’re telling (i.e., that you’ve got a good hand).
I’m not saying this play works every time. However, if you choose the right time and opponents, bluffs like this have the potential to pay off.
How to Play Badugi Poker: Key Points
Badugi is a fun variant. Although it’s not as widely available as Hold ’em and Omaha, the best online poker sites do run events from time to time.
Given that it’s not as popular as other variants, most players don’t know basic Badugi poker strategy. Therefore, if you can remember what I’ve outlined in this guide, you stand a good chance of being ahead of the curve.
With that, I’ll let you head off and enjoy the ups and downs of this unique lowball draw variant.