🃏 How to Play Badugi: A Beginner’s Guide to the Four-Card Lowball Showdown
Badugi is a quirky and exciting poker variant that flips everything you know about traditional poker on its head. It’s a triple draw lowball game where the worst hand wins — and four cards are all you get.
If you love games like 2-7 Lowball and want to dive into something even stranger (and arguably more fun), Badugi is your game.
🔍 Objective of Badugi
The goal in Badugi is to make the lowest four-card hand possible — with all cards being:
• Different suits
• Different ranks
This hand is called a Badugi. If no one has a complete four-card Badugi, the best three-card (or two-card) hand wins.
Best possible hand? 🂱🃁🂱🃁
That’s A♣ 2♦ 3♥ 4♠ — all different suits, all different ranks = a “4-high Badugi.”
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🕹️ How to Play Badugi
1. The Deal
Each player is dealt 4 hole cards, face down.
2. First Betting Round
Starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
3. First Draw
Players may discard 0–4 cards and draw replacements from the deck.
4. Second Betting Round
Just like the first — you bet, raise, or fold.
5. Second Draw
Another chance to trade cards.
6. Third Betting Round
Just like the second — you bet, raise, or fold.
7. Final Draw
Your last chance to perfect that low hand.
8. Final Betting Round and Showdown
Show your hand — best Badugi wins!
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💣 Key Badugi Tips
• Pairs, same-suit cards, and high cards are BAD. (This is one of the few times you’ll hear that in poker.)
• A hand with 4♣ 4♠ 8♠ K♦? That’s a one-card hand. Trash.
• Position is power. You’ll need info to guess who’s drawing and how much.
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🤔 Why Play Badugi?
Badugi is all about reading your opponents, knowing when to bluff, and resisting the urge to chase. It’s fast, fun, and full of swings. It’s also a great equalizer in mixed games, since most people think they know what they’re doing.
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💬 Final Thoughts
Badugi might sound confusing at first, but once you play a few hands, you’ll be hooked. It’s one of the wildest games in the mixed-game rotation — and it deserves a spot in your next home game or tournament lineup.
