Badugi is a draw game where the lowest hand wins, and a hand only counts if every card is a different suit and a different rank. You get four cards and three chances to swap them. It feels nothing like Hold'em, which is a big part of its charm.
How a hand plays
- Blinds. Small and big blind.
- Four cards each. Dealt face down. Round of betting.
- First draw. Everyone still in throws away as many cards as they like, from none to all four, and gets the same number of new ones. Round of betting.
- Second draw. The same again, then a round of betting.
- Third draw. The same again, then a final round of betting.
- Showdown. The best Badugi hand wins.
On Bink, Badugi is played pot-limit for 2 to 6 players. Keeping all your cards is called standing pat.
What counts as a hand
Your hand is the biggest group of your cards where no two share a suit and no two share a rank.
- A♠ 2♥ 3♦ 4♣ is a four card hand: four suits, four ranks. This is a badugi.
- A♠ 2♠ 3♦ 4♣ has two spades. Only one of them counts, so you keep the lower one, the A♠. Your hand is the three card A 3 4.
- 5♥ 5♣ 7♦ 9♠ has two fives. Only one counts. Your hand is the three card 5 7 9.
Aces are low, so the ace is the best card you can have.
Which hand wins
- More cards beat fewer. Any four card badugi beats any three card hand, and any three card hand beats any two card hand.
- Then lower beats higher. Compare the highest card in each hand first. The lower one wins. If those match, compare the next card down, and so on.
So:
- 7 5 3 2 beats 8 3 2 A, because 7 is lower than 8.
- 8 4 3 2 beats 8 5 2 A, because the highest cards match and 4 is lower than 5.
- K Q J 10 in four suits beats A 2 3, because four cards beat three.
The best possible hand is A 2 3 4 in four different suits.
An example hand
You're dealt A♣ 3♦ 6♥ 6♠. The two sixes clash, so your hand is the three card 6 3 A. You throw one six and keep A♣ 3♦ 6♥, drawing one card for a spade.
You get the J♠. You now have a four card badugi, J 6 3 A. It's not a strong four card hand, but it beats every three card hand. You could stand pat, or throw the jack and try for a lower spade on the next draw.
Tips
- Start with low cards. Aces, twos, threes and fours in different suits are what you want.
- Watch how many cards each player draws. Someone who stands pat early probably has a badugi. Someone drawing two is a long way off.
- A rough badugi is still a badugi. A high four card hand beats any three card hand, so don't always break it to chase a lower one.
- Mind the suits as well as the ranks. Drawing to a hand where your new card must be one particular suit and low is harder than it looks.
Play it
Play Badugi on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. The table works out every hand for you, so nobody has to count suits at showdown.