Badugi

 See also

Badugi is a rather unique type of game, played with low hands with very peculiar hand rankings. Badugi is played by a maximum of six persons. The object of the Badugi is to achieve the lowest possible hand without having any cards of identical value and none of the equal colour.

A hand with 4 cards of different ranks and colors is known as a badugi. The perfect low hand therefore is A-2-3-4 off suited. But Badugi combination can compose of 4, 3, 2 or just single card.

Betting. Badugi can be played as a normally limit game, a pot limit game, in the more infrequent half-pot limit betting style or no limit badugi. In a limit game, the first two series of betting employ the low limit, while the another 2 rounds increase to the high limit.
A pot limit game permits the gamblers to bet up to the size of the current pot.
In a half pot limit Badugi, the higher stake in any round is equivalent to half of the pot value. No-limit badugi does not utilize any betting limits.

Blinds. Badugi is played with forced betting called a Big Blind (BB) and a Small Blind (SB). Before the cards are received the first 2 persons to the dealer’s left position must put in the small blind and the big blind.
The SB is ordinarily equal to 1/2 of the big blind.

Betting and drawing round. After the blinds are placed, the dealer gives each of the participating player four hidden cards in a clockwise manner beginning from the small blind.
Afterwards, the 1st betting round, referred to as the pre-draw round, commences with the player to the left of the blinds. Each badugi player has the same choices as the other variant of game which includes; bet, raise, call, fold.
Once pre-draw betting has finished, the 1st draw starts. All players are given the opportunities perspective to change cards. Remaining players replaces from 0-4 cards from their hands.
When the players have received the replacement cards, the second series of betting happens, beginning with the first persons to the left of the dealer and proceeding clockwise.
In total, there are 4 rounds of betting and three possibilities to replace cards.

Showdown. At the showdown, the remaining person with the best badugi combination takes the pot. In the event that 2 or more opponents have equal ranking hands, the money is split between these players.