Badugi Rules

Badugi Rules Are Easy to Learn

Badugi is not complicated to play since there are clear and easy to understand rules which shall be discussed in this article. To start off, bear in mind that Badugi is a 4-card, triple-draw lowball poker. Usually, a maximum of six persons can play a set of Badugi.

Betting Round Rules
Betting depends on the whether Badugi is played as a limit, pot limit or a half-limit game. In a limit game, players can only raise the bet based on a specified or incremental unit per round. On the other hand, a pot limit game allows players to bet any amount from the minimum, equal to the big blind, to the maximum equal to the current pot value. In a half pot limit, the maximum bet in any round is equal to half of the pot value.

During the betting round, the players may choose to call the bet, check, raise or fold the card and leave. A player’s betting decision depends on the kind of card combination or hand.

Card Drawing Rules

Badugi players have three card drawing rounds. In each round, you may maintain the existing hand or replace from one to four cards. The aim of each player is to have the lowest badugi. A badugi is a 4-card hand where there are no cards with the same value or from the same suit. If you are not fortunate to have a badugi, discard cards as follows:

1. Hand I : Aclub,Adiamond,3spade,7heart . Club and diamond are both aces, so discard one such only one ace remains. The result is a 3-card hand: Aclub,3spade,7heart.

2. Hand II: Aclub, 5diamond, 3diamond, 7club. The higher diamond and club shall be discarded. The result is a 2-card hand: Aclub, 3diamond.

Badugi Hand Evaluation and Ranking

1. A Badugi is the best hand and wins over the 3-,2- or 1-card hands. However, if there are two or more players with badugis, the one with the lower badugi wins. The same rule applies if the top ranking hands are 3- or 2-hand hands- the lower one shall win.

2. In case of a tie, the players share the pot.