Badugi

The betting structure and overall play of the game is identical to a standard poker game using blinds, but, unlike traditional poker which involves a minimum of five cards, players' hands contain only four cards at any one time.

Badugi is often a gambling game, with the object being to win money in the form of pots.

The winner of the pot is the person with the best badugi hand at the conclusion of play (known as the showdown).

[1] Although it hasn’t had its own tournament per se at the WSOP, it is featured in the Dealers Choice events as well as in the Triple Draw Mix.

[citation needed] Bill Rosmus reports that in the 1980s in Winnipeg, Canada it was played under the name Off Suit Lowball in the back room of pool halls and back room poker clubs.

[citation needed] Bryan Micon says he has been told by several Korean players that it was also played in South Korea in the 1980s.

[2] Another ancestor of badugi is displayed in a game played in Toronto in the 1970s and 1980s, "off on high low", and its variant "leapfrog".

"Leapfrog" made this much more difficult with the stipulation that the cards must be non-contiguous (must not "touch" each other), in terms of pip value (for example 5 & 6).

Each player must either call the amount of the big blind (put in an amount equal to the big blind), fold (relinquish any claim to the pot), or raise (put in more money than anyone else, thus requiring others to do the same or fold).

[1] After all participants have either contributed an equal amount to the pot or opted out (folded), the game advances to the draw phase.

Here players are free to check (not put in any money, but also remain in the hand) until someone bets.

Again betting proceeds until all players have put in an equal amount of money or folded.

Furthermore, among hands of the same size, those with a lower rank of cards are considered superior, aligning with the principles of lowball poker.

The hand with the lower high card is deemed superior, following lowball rules.

The players' individual hands will not be revealed until the showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during play: Compulsory bets: Alice is the dealer.

First betting round: Alice deals four cards face down to each player, beginning with Bob and ending with herself.

Carol's blind is "live", so she has the option to raise here, but she checks instead, ending the first betting round.

Like other card games with a fixed order of play, position can be an important component in badugi strategy.

Overall, people tend to play Badugi tighter than other draw games, meaning they fold more hands pre-draw.

When playing with fewer than 4 people, bluffing becomes potentially more effective with a three-card hand.

[8] In badugi, the pot odds often justify or contradict making a call or folding a hand.