Badugi Strategy Tips

Badugi is a type of poker, not yet very popular in the U.S or on online poker sites . It is a form of draw poker. It involves three betting rounds and three drawing rounds where a player will have three chances to improve their badugi hand.

Rules

The dealer deals each player four cards. They have the option of drawing zero to four cards before a betting round ensues. This will continue for three betting rounds. After the last betting round, the showdown ensues. The object is to get four cards, with no duplicate suits or pairs. For example, a good hand is 6d, 7h, 10c and Js. This would is a four-card badugi hand. You arrange the cards with the lowest coming first. The best possible badugi hand is As, 2c, 3d and 4h. You need to represent each suit needs in the lowest possible order, and the last card is the card you represent. In the last example, a player would have a four-high badugi, which is the highest hand in the game.

If a player has one or more pairs, or cards that are suited, they must forfeit one of the suited cards or pairs at the showdown. For example, a hand that looks like this: 3s, 3h, 6c and 7d will have to forfeit one of the pairs to transform into a three-card hand with a seven-high. A four-card hand will always beat a three-card hand, just as a three-card hand will always beat a two-card hand.

If there are two hands with the same number of cards, then the lowest of the last cards wins the hand.

Strategy

To develop a badugi strategy, the first thing a player must do is fully understand the rules of the game. Badugi isn’t a very popular form of poker and there isn’t any poker odds calculator that can help you improve your strategy. Instead, you have to practise the game to fine tune your badugi skills.

Badugi is similar to draw poker in many ways, including strategy. Since this is a betting game with multiple rounds, be weary of players who are not drawing cards. In addition, this is a game of bluffing. In that manner, position is important. Players who act last have the biggest motivation to bluff because they have seen the action unfold. Badugi strategy depends on how many players are at the table. Bluffing with a two- or three-card hand is not a good idea if there are many players at the table. If there are only a few players at the table, bluffing with a three-card hand may very well go the distance. Getting a four-card badugi is not as easy as it sounds, so if you get a four-card hand, try not to meddle with it too much.