Poker Players Guide arrow Badugi Poker
Badugi Poker
Sometimes spelled incorrectly as Padooki or Badougi, Badugi is a four card ace-to-five low lowball variant where traditional poker hand rankings are changed. A Badugi is a four card hand where all the cards are of different ranks and suits. Any cards which match another card in rank or suit does not play and the first criteria for evaluating hands is the number of cards which are playing. The following is the ranking of several example of hands from best to worst:
  1. Ace of spades, 2 of clubs, 3 of hearts, 4 of diamonds: 4 card 4 high best possible Badugi
  2. 4 of spades, 6 of hearts, 8 of diamonds, J of clubs: 4 card J high Badugi
  3. Ten of clubs, J of hearts, Q of Diamonds, K of hearts: 4 card worst possible Badugi
  4. Ace of hearts, Ace of diamonds, 4 of clubs, 5 of spades: 3 card hand, 5 high
  5. Ace of clubs, Ace of spades, 4 of spades, 6 of spades: 2 card hand, 4 high

Badugi is usually played triple-draw, with a 1-1-2-2 betting structure, although it is sometimes played in pot limit or 1/2 pot limit structures.