Badugi

The popular game of Badugi which originated in Asia is a variant of draw poker and is becoming increasingly popular amongst online players.  It’s very similar to when playing lowball since the player with the lowest hand will win. However, it is greatly different from many other popular poker games since the hand ranking is quite a bit different. The normal strongest hands are the ones that have no pairs and four low cards which has one card of each suit. This is the overall concept behind the game. It may take a bit of practice to learn the game but you can do so by playing for free on Poker Stars or 888 Poker.

When playing Badugi, you will have forced blinds meaning that the player that is sitting to the left of the dealer will need to post the small blind while the player to their left will need to post the big blind. The big blind is usually the same amount as the max bet for the table with the small blind being only half of that. This is how the game is similar to other popular games such as Texas Holdem or Omaha when it comes to betting, but differs in the actual game play.

Each player will receive four cards face down when playing Badugi. Never share your 4 hole cards with any other players otherwise they will have an advantage on you. Once all the players have received their cards, the first round of betting will take place. This is when all players can choose to check, raise or fold. The players that are left in the hand after the first round of betting will now have an option to draw if they choose to. The idea behind it is that players can discard as many cards as they want in order to improve their hand overall. Once each player has chosen what cards to discard, a second round of betting will take place.

In Badugi you will have different rounds of draws unlike when playing five card draw. In this round of betting, players again will have the chance to check, raise or fold based on their cards. Once the round of betting is complete the players that are still in the hand will have another draw which will allow them to better their hand once again. This will lead to another round of betting followed by one find draw and betting round from all players left in the hand. With several draws available many players choose to wait it out until the end hoping to make the best five cards hand possible.

Once all of the players in Badugi have had their final draw and the betting round has started, this is considered the showdown which will help to determine the winner of the hand. The first player to expose their hand will be the one who raised in the betting round. The rest of the players can either choose to expose their hand as well or place it in the muck if they know they have a losing hand. The player who has the lowest hand will actually win the pot. In the event that two or more players have the same hand they will split the pot between them equally.

The basic strategy behind the game of Badugi is to make the best 4 low card hand with different suits without having a pair. The best possible hand that any player can get is A (ace), 2,3,4 (one being a spade, one being a heart, one being a diamond and one being a club). Those who are just learning to play the game can learn how to play for free on Full Tilt Poker, William Hill Poker, Bet365 Poker, Party Poker and Bwin Poker. It gives you the time to study the game and learn how to play without the pressure of worrying about losing your hard earned money. Once you have mastered the game you can choose to play for real money at different levels based on what you are comfortable with.

All Badugi hands are ranked by the highest card, with aces being played as a low card and straights being nonexistent. A player that has 6-5-4-2 of different suits would lose to a player that is holding 5-4-3-2 of different suits. Just like a player who has 7-5-4-2 would lose to a player that has 6, 4, 3, Ace because they have a lower hand. There are many different hands that are great starter hands and may help you to win the entire hand. However, keep in mind that even if you have low cards the same suit will hurt you. You need to have the four lowest cards possible of different suits.

When it comes to the showdown and no player has a four card Badugi then the next best hand will win. The player who has the best three cards or two cards of different suit will win the pot. For example, if you hold 6d-4h-3s-ad, you will have two diamonds so your highest one would be ignored and you would have a strong three hand in the case that no other player has a great low four card hand to win with. The game may be a bit confusing for those players who are just learning how to play the game but after practicing for a while for free on a few of the major poker sites such as Bet365 Poker or  Poker Stars you will eventually get the hang of it.

Badugi is often referred to as a specialty game even though tons of the online poker sites such as Party Poker, Bwin Poker and William Hill Poker all have the game now. With more and more people taking up the game, more and more tournaments and ring games being created just for those who enjoy playing it. You can enjoy playing this and all of your favorites online for free or at any limit that you desire to play.

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