Badugi

How to play Badugi

A draw poker game where low cards of four different suits win.

1. The goal. A badugi is four cards with four different suits and four different ranks, like A♠ 3♥ 6♦ 9♣. Aces are low, so A‑2‑3‑4 of four suits is the best hand there is.
2. Your hand only counts its biggest clean set. Pairs and repeated suits don't help: from 2♠ 5♠ 7♥ 7♦ only three cards count (2♠ 7♥ … or 5♠ 7♦ …, whichever is lower). Any 4-card badugi beats any 3-card hand, which beats any 2-card hand.
3. Same size? Lowest wins. Compare the highest cards first: a 7-high badugi beats an 8-high one. If they tie, compare the next card down: 7‑5‑3‑2 beats 7‑6‑2‑A.
4. Blinds. The two players after the dealer put in 1 and 2 chips before the cards are seen. Heads-up, the dealer posts the 1.
5. Betting. On your turn: fold (give up the hand), check (if nobody has bet), call (match the bet), or bet / raise. Bets are always a fixed size: 2 chips in the first two rounds, 4 in the last two. Each round allows one bet and three raises.
6. Three draws. After each betting round, everyone still in throws away any cards they don't want and gets new ones. Drawing none is standing pat, and everyone sees how many you took. A betting round follows each draw.
7. Showdown. After the fourth betting round the best hand wins the pot. If everyone else folds, the last player in wins without showing.
8. All-in. If you run out of chips in a hand you stay in for what you put in. The others play for a side pot.
9. The game.

Tips

Watch how many cards each player draws: someone who stands pat probably has a badugi, and someone drawing two is a long way off. A 3-card hand with low cards (like A‑2‑3) and draws to come is strong. A badugi with a King or Queen on top often loses; good players sometimes break it with two draws left. Fold weak hands early: the bets double after the second draw.

Controls

The cards that count glow green, and the line under your hand says what you have. In a draw, tap the cards to throw away (Select extras picks the ones that don't count), then press Draw. Hint suggests a move and your chance of winning.