Badugi is a new game taking the live poker world by storm. It is an action-packed game combining the most exciting elements of poker with a new spin on hand values and psychology.
Badugi is a triple draw four card low-hand wins game! The best low hand is comprised of four cards, with none of the same suit and none of the same rank; i.e., ace, two, three, four, all of different suits, is the best possible hand!!
When you find yourself holding 4 cards of different rank and suit, then you are holding a . . . BADUGI.
How the Dealing Works:
Each player is dealt 4 cards in a clockwise direction starting from the player on the Small Blind. Cards are dealt to each player one card at a time.
Once everyone has their 4 cards, the action begins with the player to the left of the big blind and continues around the table in a clockwise direction.
How the Betting Works:
Badugi can be played as either a Limit game, a Pot Limit game or even a Half Pot Limit game. No matter what level of action mixed with skill you like best, there is a game to suit you!
Limit Badugi:
All bets are made in incremental units. On rounds 1 and 2, a player can bet the lower level bet (e.g., in a $2/$4 game, the bet for rounds 1 and 2 would be $2). On rounds 3 and 4, players can bet the higher-level bet (e.g., in a $2/$4 game, the bet for rounds 3 and 4 would be $4).
Betting is capped at 4 bets per round, as is standard in all Limit games.
Pot Limit Badugi:
In Pot Limit Badugi, players can raise any amount at any stage, ranging from the minimum bet (i.e., the big blind amount) up to how much is already in the pot. E.g., if the pot is comprised of the small blind($2), the big blind ($4), and one caller ($4), then the next active player can bet any amount from $4 up to the total value of the current pot (on top of his initial call), in this case, the maximum bet would be $18: ($2 + $4 + $4 + $4).
All bettors can raise the pot by the total value of the current pot as it stands when it is their turn to act. So in Pot Limit Badugi there is no limit to the amount of betting allowed on any particular round, as opposed to it being capped in the Limit version.
Half Pot Limit Badugi:
The same rules apply to Half Pot Limit Badugi as they do to Pot Limit Badugi. The only exception is that the maximum a player can raise is the value of half the current pot; e.g., if the pot is comprised of the small blind ($2), the big blind ($4), one caller ($4), the next player to act can bet any amount from $4 up to a maximum of $11: ($2 + $4 + $4 + $4 /2) = 7, so it would be a call of $4 and a raise of $7, making a total bet of $11. So in this case, the player can bet any amount from $4 to $11.
