Badugi Strategy

Since Badugi is relatively new to the world of online gambling and to the west in general, there isn’t a lot written about Badugi strategy. There are some guidelines that will help you keep playing a strong game. As in most poker games, you’ll need to stay aware of your position and your competition.  You also need to be very aware of how many cards your opponents are exchanging depending upon your position. The betting limit is also a significant factor in strategy.

The first thing you need to be aware of is the value of a hand and the rules of badugi. For example, if you hold a hand with four different suits, no pairs, and all of your cards are seven or below, you have a great hand. If you have cards of the same suits or the same rank, your hand may be weaker than you think.

Your position determines a lot about your play. If you have a weak hand but you’re on the button or one of the blinds, then you can guess how much it will cost you to stay in for the first draw. If you’re in an earlier position, you need to be careful with your betting. If your hand is fairly weak, then you might be better off folding in an early position rather than being challenged with raises later on in the round.

It’s important to remember that if you’re not on a blind, folding your first four cards doesn’t cost you anything. If you don’t have at least two unsuited under six, you should probably fold in an early position. If you’re sitting on the big blind, however, you may have the option of just checking to make it to the first draw. If you don’t have to pay much, getting to the first draw can really change your hand radically. The other thing you need to be aware of with your position is that you can use an early position to scare other players into folding. If you hold a reasonable hand, some quick raises can eliminate or at least thin the competition.

Being aware of how many cards each player has drawn is crucial. It’s especially important to note if any of your opponents have chosen to stand pat, particularly in an early round. It you see players standing pat, you should assume that they have a very good hand. However, if staying in for another draw is cheap, you may want to stay in anyway, especially if you have three different suits, no pairs, and relatively low cards.

If you’ll have to pay a lot to stay in, though, it’s best to drop out rather than risk not drawing a helpful card. Folding early makes sure that you have cash to play more hands, and some of those may be much better hands. Always be aware of the betting limits. A fixed limit game allows you to play much less carefully than a pot limit or a half pot limit game.