It doesn’t matter if you call it Badugi or Padooki, this Korean-sourced poker game is making headway on internet poker sites. I recently started playing at PokerStars.com and I find the game challenging, frustrating and most of all fun.
If you are not familiar with Badugi, you can read a description of the game on Wikipedia. Basically each player is dealt 4 cards and has three draws to make the lowest possible hand. Only cards of different rank and suit are counted when comparing hands to determine a winning hand. Since aces always count as low in Badugi, the best hand in Badugi is 4-3-2-A with no suited cards. Badugi’s worst hand is having all 4 kings.
Starting hand strategy
The various strategies that players can use when playing Limit Badugi are what make the game so challenging. Let’s say you were dealt 5 ♦ 7 ♣ K ♣ K ♥ as your starting hand. If you keep your 3-card hand and discard the King of Clubs, the odds of getting a usable spade to complete your 4-card Badugi are just under 50%. There are only 10 spades available that can help your hand, as the 5, 7, and K of spades would match the cards you already have and therefore would not improve your hand. If you hit your Badugi in a draw, the odds are still against you winning the pot if multiple players stay in the hand until the end. Your Badugi K-high would lose to any Badugi with a higher card lower than the King. If you don’t draw cards to improve your hand, you’ll end up with a 3-card K-7-5, which is a sure loser. Knowing this to be true, most players would rule out both Kings in the example above. This strategy leaves them with the need to draw 2 usable cards to complete their Badugi and does not guarantee that they will have a low Badugi. The player who chooses to keep the 3-card hand can still end up with a winner, as they could draw a low heart to replace the K in an early draw, then hit a usable low spade in a later draw. Complicated, huh? In my experience, you should aim for a Badugi 8 height or less. Nine or 10 high is risky and any higher value will likely be lost if there are multiple players in the hand.
Betting strategy
Players love chasing hands in Low Limit Badugi, more so than in No Limit Texas Hold’em. I am guilty of chasing more often than I should. You can use this to your advantage to increase the size of your winning jackpots. You have to pay attention to how many cards the players are drawing in each round. Are they drawing 2 or more cards or are they drawing just one? Did they draw fewer cards in the second round than in the first? Is someone standing still and not drawing cards? These are all clues that you can use to determine your hand’s chances of winning. A player who stands his ground in the first or second draw probably has a Badugi, but may not be a low Badugi. If you have a 3-card hand of 7 or less, you’ll want to stay in the game until after the third draw in hopes of landing a lower Badugi. Many players will be left with even higher 3-card hands and are the ones who usually end up losing their chips. The key to success in Badugi is making players pay to stay in one hand when you are strong. If everyone keeps drawing cards and you have a 3-card hand of 5 or better, or you have a Badugi, then you should bet and raise. Don’t let anyone get free cards. Any player you can fold with your aggressive bets increases your chances of winning the pot.
Bragging can also be effective on Badugi, especially when in position. I will talk about lanterns in a future article. This post is far from a complete guide to Badugi poker. I suggest you go to an online site like PokerStars.com and test the game at a play money table. This is a great way to learn the game and develop your own strategy.