P
poker d player
Visionary
Silver Level
I just discovered Badugi a bit ago and am wondering if others out there could share their strategies and experiences.
I have found it to be a very interesting game, but the 3 draws presents an element new to me. Possibly people have links to sites that present strategies that they might share.
Here is a discription/ rules for those who are not familiar with it:
Badugi is a four card variant of poker which is played in a very similar manner to triple draw. The aim is to draw the lowest possible hand, with no pairs or cards of the same suit, therefore the best Badugi hand is 432A with all cards being of differing suits (aces are low). Hands are also compared from higest to lowest, so a Badugi 7654 beats 832A, and a good rule of thumb is to only decide to progress a hand if you can draw to a 7-low or better. Having a good Badugi or drawing hand is the key to success, so drawing three or four cards per drawing phase is generally not a winning strategy. It can generally played in any of the limit, half-pot-limit, pot-limit and no-limit betting formats, although limit and half-pot limit appear to be more common. Strategy for each of these differs slightly and will dictate on how you play your hand, but the rest of the game structure is common to all formats. Format of the Game As in many variants, initially the small and big blind forced bets are placed before the deal. All players are then dealt four cards each, face down, that only they may observe and make a decision about whether to play. The first, pre-draw, round of betting then takes place beginning with the player in first position to the left of the big blind and rotating clockwise around the table. Each player must either call (matching the big blind), fold or raise as they see fit based on the stength of their hand. Once all players have either matched the largest bet or folded their hand, the first draw occurrs. Each player, starting with the small blind position and rotating clockwise, may discard anywhere between zero (known as standing pat) to all four cards from their hand and replace them cards drawn from the remaining deck. A second round of betting takes place where each remaining players may check, fold or bet until one player places the first bet, and then they may call, fold or raise until either everyone has matched the largest bet or folded their hand. There follows another draw and a third round of betting, then, the third and final draw phase occurs, followed by the fourth and final betting round. Once complete, if more than one player remains then all players reveal their hands for the showdown. If at any time there is only one player remaining in the hand uncontested, that player wins the pot. The Showdown The winning hand at the showdown generally consists of the four lowest cards, one of each suit, and without any of the same face value (that is, no pairs, trips, and so on). If there are no qualifying four card hands, three card hands are compared to find the winner. If there are no three card hands (a very rare occurance), two card hands are compared.
I have found it to be a very interesting game, but the 3 draws presents an element new to me. Possibly people have links to sites that present strategies that they might share.
Here is a discription/ rules for those who are not familiar with it:
Badugi is a four card variant of poker which is played in a very similar manner to triple draw. The aim is to draw the lowest possible hand, with no pairs or cards of the same suit, therefore the best Badugi hand is 432A with all cards being of differing suits (aces are low). Hands are also compared from higest to lowest, so a Badugi 7654 beats 832A, and a good rule of thumb is to only decide to progress a hand if you can draw to a 7-low or better. Having a good Badugi or drawing hand is the key to success, so drawing three or four cards per drawing phase is generally not a winning strategy. It can generally played in any of the limit, half-pot-limit, pot-limit and no-limit betting formats, although limit and half-pot limit appear to be more common. Strategy for each of these differs slightly and will dictate on how you play your hand, but the rest of the game structure is common to all formats. Format of the Game As in many variants, initially the small and big blind forced bets are placed before the deal. All players are then dealt four cards each, face down, that only they may observe and make a decision about whether to play. The first, pre-draw, round of betting then takes place beginning with the player in first position to the left of the big blind and rotating clockwise around the table. Each player must either call (matching the big blind), fold or raise as they see fit based on the stength of their hand. Once all players have either matched the largest bet or folded their hand, the first draw occurrs. Each player, starting with the small blind position and rotating clockwise, may discard anywhere between zero (known as standing pat) to all four cards from their hand and replace them cards drawn from the remaining deck. A second round of betting takes place where each remaining players may check, fold or bet until one player places the first bet, and then they may call, fold or raise until either everyone has matched the largest bet or folded their hand. There follows another draw and a third round of betting, then, the third and final draw phase occurs, followed by the fourth and final betting round. Once complete, if more than one player remains then all players reveal their hands for the showdown. If at any time there is only one player remaining in the hand uncontested, that player wins the pot. The Showdown The winning hand at the showdown generally consists of the four lowest cards, one of each suit, and without any of the same face value (that is, no pairs, trips, and so on). If there are no qualifying four card hands, three card hands are compared to find the winner. If there are no three card hands (a very rare occurance), two card hands are compared.
