If you play online poker at PokerStars, you may have noticed a new game being spread in the “Other Games” section in recent months. That game is Badugi . It is not uncommon to be sitting at a table, and have either an observer or even someone new to the table ask “How do you play this game”? As I don’t recommend putting up your money before you even know the rules of a game, this article is meant to explain the basics of this very simple, yet exciting game, and give you some strategy tips to help you understand how to play it profitably.
Badugi is a drawing game, where each player is dealt four cards to start. It is played with a small and big blind, just like hold’em, and can be spread as a limit, pot limit, half-pot limit or no limit game. The object of the game is to make as LOW a four-card hand as possible, with each of the cards being of a different suit with no pairs. Since aces are considered low in this game, the best possible hand is the A-2-3-4 of different suits. Any hand that meets the qualification of having no pairs and all four suits represented is called a BADUGI.
The game is played in a triple draw format, with betting rounds after the deal and after each of the three draws. Players can take between zero and four cards on each draw. At the showdown, the hands are rated as follows: If ONLY one player has made a Badugi, that hand is the winner, since even a K-Q-J-10 of different suits is considered a better hand than something like 
due to the duplication of the hearts. If more than one player makes a Badugi, they are first compared by who has the lower HIGH card, so, for example, a 6-5-4-3 is better than a 7-3-2-A. If the two high cards are the same, you move on to the second highest, and so on.
If no one has a Badugi, the best three-card hand is the winner, meaning the hand where three qualifying cards (no pairs, different suits) are the lowest. So 
would be better than 
because the deuce of hearts in the second hand is counterfeited by the ace, making the three card hand an 8-3-A, not as good as the 7-6-3 of his opponent. If there is no valid three-card hand, the best two-card hand wins (this almost never happens, but it does happen on rare occasions in heads-up situations).
As with any poker game, probably the most important decision facing someone playing Badugi is which starting hands to play. You will find that many beginning players see the first draw with almost any four cards, figuring “Hey, I can draw three times; surely I can make a good hand”.
My first piece of advice is this: Sit at tables with these types of players, but don’t BE one. Although the object of the game is extremely simple, it is actually quite challenging to wind up with a Badugi of any kind, let alone a really good one (seven or lower), even with three draws.
Let’s say you started out with 
-x, where “x” is a card that matches one of your suits. This is the best non-Badugi starting hand you can be dealt. But how good are your chances to complete your hand? To make any Badugi AT ALL, you have 10 outs (cards that will help your hand) on each draw, which are the 13 diamonds, MINUS the three that pair your A, 2 or 3. Since there are 48 cards in the deck you haven’t seen (52 minus your starting hand), it is almost 5:1 against your making a Badugi on any single draw, and you have slightly less than a 50-50 shot at making ANY Badugi by the end of the hand. To make a seven or better, you only have FOUR outs on each draw, so your percentage chance to make a really good hand is even smaller. This reality is why a dealt Badugi of any kind is such a strong starting hand. You should raise and re-raise with a Badugi before the draw to try and eliminate as many players as possible, since the more players that remain in the hand, the greater the chance that someone will draw out on you.
If you are not fortunate enough to be dealt a pat hand (and any Badugi would qualify, although many players will break up something like A-2-3-K to try and hit a really big hand, knowing their three-card might hold up anyway), you will do well drawing to any three-card hand that is seven or lower, and, especially in late position, two cards that are five or lower. Be careful, however, if there are a lot of raises put in before the draw at a table where people are playing conservatively, as you are likely up against at least one made hand and/or better draws than yours, and you should fold all but the best drawing hands.
Playing after the first draw is largely dependent on 1) whether you hit your hand, 2) the betting action at the table, and 3) your position in the hand. As in any game with blinds, the player on the button has the advantage of seeing what every other person has done before they act, giving him or her the option to either take free cards or try to drive out other players with a bluff. One of the most common plays, especially in a heads-up situation, is for the player who acts last to bet after the first or second draw and then stand pat, representing a made hand, hoping to get his opponent to fold after the next draw. Since, as I pointed out above, it is difficult to finish a Badugi on any one draw, this can be a very effective play when used judiciously. Of course, if you are caught trying this, it is likely you will get more action later on when you actually make a hand, so either way, you can use this play to your advantage. In a pot-limit game, you can also use position to make a large bet to drive a drawing opponent off his hand.
Badugi is not a game for those who tilt easily, as you can run into long stretches of play where none of your great drawing hands hit and your opponents seem to always draw out on your marginal Badugis. It can be an extremely frustrating game at times, but as long as you keep good notes on the other players’ styles, knowing who the loose and tight players are, and knowing who to try and push off a hand and who will call at the end with anything, and as long as you play only solid starting values and avoid chasing lost causes, in the long run, you will come out ahead.
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