Poker Expert
One lesser-known version of poker is the game known as Badugi. This is an exciting alternative with rules similar to those of Lowball Triple Draw. So, what is Badugi poker, and how do you play? Our Badugi poker game guide will take you through the rules, the game’s unusual hand rankings, and some solid starting strategy.
All You Need to Know
- In Badugi poker, players aim to form the lowest possible four-card combination.
- In Badugi hand rankings, cards must contain different suits and be unpaired, so the highest Badugi hand is A-2-3-4 offsuit.
- Badugi strategy emphasises proper hand selection according to position, value betting, and bluffing postdraw.
- You can read other players based on their drawing patterns and bets.
What Is Badugi Poker?
Badugi is a poker game, but probably not as you know it. A variant of Lowball Triple Draw, the aim is to make the lowest four-card hand according to the Badugi hand rankings. Badugi is a Lowball poker game, which can be confusing to players accustomed to classic games like Texas Hold’em.
In Badugi poker games, players are dealt an initial starting hand and have three opportunities to redraw, with a betting round before the first draw and after each subsequent draw.
The hand ranking system in Badugi poker is significantly different. Hands are made using just four cards, which is a big change from learning how to play Five Card Draw poker. The best hands in Badugi are those that have cards of all different suits, with low cards and no pairs.
Badugi poker is thought to have originated in Asia and is named after the Korean word “baduk” or “badug”. This generally translates as a black and white pattern, or, in the case of “badug”, a black and white spotted dog.
Badugi Poker Rules
Although the initial Lowball, suit-based hand rankings system may seem intimidating, the poker rules for Badugi are actually very simple, especially for anyone already familiar with other poker formats.
Here’s a quick rundown of how to play Badugi:
- Each round of Badugi poker games starts with players posting their blinds. These are forced bets that rotate around to ensure each player has a turn and to guarantee that there is a stake to be won. The small blind is to the left of the dealer, and the big is to their left. The small blind’s bet is usually half the value of the big blind.
- Once the blinds are posted, each player is dealt four cards face down in a clockwise order. Players can look at their cards but not reveal them.
- A round of betting then proceeds. Badugi poker rules are nearly always Fixed Limit. Players can bet or raise a set amount, call, or fold.
- Players who remain after the betting round have their first opportunity to draw. This means you can discard any cards you don’t want and receive new ones from the deck. Badugi rules state that any number of cards can be discarded and redrawn, up to a maximum of all four. If you do not wish to discard any cards, you have the option to “stand pat”, which means to draw nothing.
- Following this, there is another betting round, where you can choose to either bet, raise, call, or, if possible, check. Once this round of betting is complete, there’s a second draw, followed by a third betting round.
- This is followed by the third draw and final round of betting, making four betting rounds in total, one before the first draw and one after each of the three draws. If two or more players remain in the pot, the hands are revealed. The player with the winning hand, according to the Badugi hand rankings, takes down the pot.
Badugi Hand Rankings
Now that you know how to play Badugi, you need to know the best Badugi hands. Aces are low in a Badugi poker game, and suited cards or paired cards don’t count towards our hand; in fact, they work against you. So, you’re looking to make the lowest combination possible that has all different suits and no pairs.
If no players make a four-card Badugi, the winning hand will be the lowest three-card combination. If nobody makes a valid three-card hand, the winner will be the lowest two-card combination, and so on. When ranks or suits duplicate, fewer cards count toward your hand.
When several players have the same hand type and the same highest card, the player with the lowest second, third, or fourth card wins the round and the pot.
Let’s look at some potential Badugi poker hand examples to better understand how to win at this complex game.
What Are the Best Hands in Badugi?
There are four types of Badugi hands that can be made. Below are the Badugi hands ranked from best to worst.
Badugi
4♦3♥2♠A♣
The best hand you can get in Badugi is four low cards that are not of the same suit and are of different ranks. If multiple players have a Badugi, then the player with the lowest high card wins. So, 4♦3♥2♠A♣ beats 8♦3♠2♥A♣ because the four is lower than the eight.
Three-card hand
3♣3♠2♥A♦
When a hand has cards with identical suits or ranks, they are not counted. The hand above has two 3s – one must be discounted, so there are only three unique cards that can be played. Our example is the best three-card hand possible, A-2-3.
Two-card hand
4♥3♥2♥A♣
The Badugi hand example here is a two-card hand of 2-A because it consists of only two cards that are unique in both rank and suit. It’s the best two-card hand available to make, but is beaten by any three-card hand.
One-card hand
K♥K♣K♦K♠
In this hand, only one card counts, as they are all of the same rank. This is the worst one-card hand available in Badugi. Remember, according to Badugi poker rules, aces are low and kings are the highest-ranking card.
Badugi Strategy
Now that you know the Badugi rules and hand rankings, you need to know some basic Badugi strategy.
Position
Just as with many other games, position is extremely important in Badugi poker. Having the chance to be one of the last to act when at the tables gives you an advantage because you get more information on your opponent and the chance to act last.
In Badugi strategy, acting last means you are able to see how many cards your opponents are drawing and whether or not they are betting. They will help you to decide on your own relative hand strength, decide how many cards to draw, and make bluffs against players who are drawing many cards.
For example, if an out-of-position opponent draws four cards and then checks, they will usually have a weak hand that you can attack. On the other hand, if you are one of the first to act, you’ll be the one with a disadvantage, so you’ll need stronger hands to continue.
Starting Hand Selection
One Badugi strategy to keep in mind is that it is difficult to actually make a strong hand in Badugi. If you are dealt a three-card hand before the first draw, the chances of making a four-card Badugi by the final round are around 51%. With a two-card hand, this drops to roughly 20%, so it’s rare you’ll end up with the best Badugi hand.
What does this tell us about playing Badugi poker? Choosing the right starting hands is key to long-term success. You should value starting hands that have good “Badugi potential”, such as made four-card Badugis (such as A-2-3-4 of different suits) or made three-card Badugis (such as A-2-3 or A-2-4).
On the other hand, hands with high cards (like 9s or above), pairs, or multiple cards of the same suit are generally weak and should be folded, especially from early position. You won’t be able to continue paying for draws with a one or two-card hand, so getting out of the pot is usually the best way to go.
Your Badugi strategy should involve loosening up slightly from late position, entering the pot with a wider selection of hands to steal blinds, and bluffing pots post-draw when other players are drawing multiple cards. In these spots, you can apply pressure with decent three-card Badugis or even solid two-card draws.
Tip: In general, avoid chasing weak draws. It’s often better to fold early than to keep drawing to a bad Badugi hand that will rarely win at showdown. Always remember that the fewer cards you need to improve, the stronger your starting hand tends to be.
Drawing, Bluffing & Standing Pat
With the first betting round over, it’s time to tell you how to play Badugi poker games on the draw and post-draw. As we’ve already touched on, the number of cards you should draw depends on the strength of your current hand.
Drawing one card is fine, but drawing two, three, or four shows weakness, especially if you are still discarding two or more during the second or third draw. Badugi strategy tells you that you should probably have already folded these weak one or two-card hands if faced with betting action.
Of equal concern in a Badugi poker game is how many cards your opponents discard. If they are drawing two or three cards, then they are probably weak, allowing you to play more aggressively for value and look for spots to bluff.
Drawing no cards is known as “standing pat”. This obviously implies strength and possibly a made four-card Badugi. However, you can also stand pat for deception, to send out a message that you have the best hand when you are actually weak. This can then be combined with a bluff bet, known as “snowing”.
Because it’s difficult to make a strong four-card hand, bluffing plays a huge role in Badugi strategy. However, you should also be careful not to play passively and make sure you bet for value with your four-card and strong three-card hands.
Where Is Badugi Played?
Badugi poker is played in cardrooms worldwide and is featured on many online poker sites, including many popular offshore poker sites. Badugi features in several mixed-game events at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), including variations of Dealer’s Choice and Mixed Triple Lowball formats.
In 2023, Badugi was added as a bracelet event at the WSOP, a $1,500 buy-in event. The inaugural version was won by Michael Rodrigues of Portugal. The most recent champion is Aloisio Dourado of Brazil, who outlasted a record field of 534 entries to win the 2025 event for $138,114.
Some may still be unaware of Badugi, especially as it is not a part of the traditional H.O.R.S.E game rotation. Still, Badugi poker has grown in popularity in recent years and is likely to continue gaining supporters. It is worth familiarizing yourself with this exciting variation of the game.
Similar Games to Badugi
Now that you have got to grips with Badugi poker rules and strategy, it’s time to introduce some other similar games. If you thought Badugi was unique, prepare to mix up the traditional rules of poker even more.
Badeucy
Badeucy poker combines Badugi poker rules and 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw. Badacey poker rules feature three consecutive rounds of drawing and four betting rounds. The game splits the pot between the best Badugi hand of four cards and the best five-card 2-7 hand.
In Badeucy poker rules, Aces are high, so the best hand would have to start with a deuce. A player with the cards 2♣3♥4♠5♥7♠ would have the best possible hands in both Badugi and 2-7 rules, so they would scoop the full pot.
The extra card dealt in Badeucy makes it more probable that you’ll make a low Badugi hand, so higher hands will win less often. It’s a challenging game, to say the least.
Badacey
A close cousin of Badeucy, Badacey poker is another split pot game, which can be described as a fusion of Badugi and Ace-5 Lowball Triple Draw. The aim is to make the lowest Ace to Five and the best Badugi.
In Badacey, Aces are always low. Flushes and straights do not count against you for the Ace to Five hand, so the best hand is A-2-3-4-5 of any suit. However, as we know, they do count against you according to the Badugi rules. So, for that half of the pot, the best Badugi hand is still A-2-3-4 in all different suits.
So, the best possible hand in Badacey would generally be A-2-3-4-5, with all different suits, giving you the strongest possible combination for both portions of the pot.
Conclusion
Badugi poker games are an exciting alternative to standard variations, such as Texas Hold’em and Draw. After reading this Badugi poker guide, you should be well-equipped to take to the tables and try out some basic strategy for yourself.
But, if you’d rather some classic Hold’em action, you can join an online poker room such as CoinPoker. And, if you use the bonus code POKERSCOUT, you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus.
