Playing Badugi Poker

Because there are 3 draw rounds in Badugi, a lot of players new to this poker game might be seduced into playing every starting hand they get, no matter how horrible it is. I know I sure did when I played my first few games, but I soon learned the hard (expensive) way that you need to play Bedugi with almost as much prudence as, say Texas Holdem.

Lets start off with the worst possible starting hand, the Badugi equivalent of Texas Holdem's 7-2 offsuit, can you guess what it is? Since card ranks in Badugi go from Ace being the lowest, to King being the highest, and you want to avoid any pairs or sets or worse, the worst possible starting hand in Badugi Poker is four of a kind: Kings.

At the other end of the starting hands scale, the best possible hand to start out with (or end up with, for that matter), is a Badugi (rainbow) hand consisting of A234. This is the hand of the lowest possible ranks without any duplicate rank or suit. I hope when I get this starting hand the other players are either really loose

Badugi Hand Ranks

The best hands will be 4 card Badugi hands. But it isn't always a 4 card hand that wins. 3 card hands (those with a pair or two of a suit) often win. In order of rank, although it really goes without saying, are: A Badugi, 3 card hands, 2 card hands, 1 card hand (Why would anybody ever be in a showdown with a 1 card hand...seems unlikely).

The more cards you need to swap, the more you should consider folding. If you've been dealt a set, you have to swap 2 right off the bat, more if there are duplicate suits. Swapping 2 isn't bad and it's done all the time in the game. Swapping 3 or 4...well, there is a fold button for a reason.

  Some tips

Just like in other poker games, pay close attention to the playing style of the other players. There are loose and tight players playing Balugi, just like there are in Holdem or Stud.

Remember, if you're holding a pair or more than one card of a suit, you're not holding a full Badugi, since only the lowest, cards that are unmatched in rank or suit are taken into consideration. Therefore,
     becomes    - a 3 card hand.
     becomes   - a 2 card hand only.