Badugi is a real test for poker players who have only been used to No Limit Texas Hold Em (NLHE). Fear not, this article is going to give you some pointers on where to find out the rules and how to start becoming competent at the game. The game will be played as a fixed limit game in the weekly cash game that will start soon at Portomaso Casino, Malta, so here I will talk about that version of the game: for those who want to find out more, Pot Limit Badugi is available on Pokerstars as a tournament game.
Turning back to Fixed Limit Badugi, here are some of the things NLHE players will need to get used to when playing this game for the first time:
Fixed Limit betting
No community cards - the players receive four cards, all face down. Players can change cards three times, and ultimately have to make a Badugi hand from the cards in their own hand
The hand ranking system is entirely different to standard poker. Players must try to make a hand that contains four cards of four different suits that are unpaired and as low as possible. Ace counts as the lowest card, so the best possible hand is 432A of all four suits.
A search of the web has found some useful resources for those keen to learn the game:
Here is the Poker: All The Games episode on the game
A short video guide from PokerStars that will help get used to recognising the types of hands to play
A fun video guide from Lee Przytula that contains some pretty advanced ideas put across in a very lighthearted way
Badugi is a fun game and once you start learning mixed games, this one can help you start to train your mind to understand some of the more unusual games that you can come across!