Badugi is a form of draw poker which is action-packed and gaining popularity these days. It is also known as Badougi, paduki or padooki. Badugi uses a dealer button and blinds like Holdem with hand values similar to lowball. There are three rounds of draw and players can trade up to four cards during each round.
Origin
There is no confirmed theory of the origin of Badugi Poker. Some people in Vegas say the game originated with poker pro Paul “Eskimo” Clark, who reportedly brought the game back with him from his military service in Vietnam. Some say it came from North America as it was reportedly played as “Offsuit Lowball” in the 1980s in Winnipeg.
Game Play
Four cards are dealt face-down with betting starting from the left of the dealer
After the first round of betting, players can exchange up to four cards for new ones.
There are a total of three draws followed by a final betting round.
The lowest unsuited, unpaired hand wins.
Aces are considered low and the best possible hand is Ace-2-3-4 of all different suits.
Pros and Cons
Pros
The gameplay is quite similar to 2-7 Triple Draw.
Easy to play if you know the game of 2-7 Triple Draw
Cons
Finding live Badugi table is very rare
Not many platforms offer this game
Variations
Baduci is a mixture of Badugi and 2-7 Triple Draw. Here’s how it is played –
Each player gets five cards
The gameplay is similar to 2-7 Triple Draw and Badugi.
In the end, the pot is split with half going to the best 2-7 lowball hand and half going to the best Badugi hand.