Badugi Poker Strategy Articles | Poker

By: Richard Bleuze

Badugi Poker Strategy

A winning Badugi poker strategy involves an aggressive, high risk approach to the game.  The game of Badugi poker originated in South Korea.  Most Badugi poker strategy bloggers post about how the South Koreans play this game more aggressively than anyone else.  However, these Badugi poker strategy bloggers often fail to mention that the South Koreans have been playing it for years and know the ins and outs of Badugi poker. 

The Badugi poker strategy that is often recommended standing pat without a Badugi, bluffing and playing a calculated high risk, high reward style. Badugi poker takes nerves of steel.  If you want to win at Badugi poker, you must be able to snow (standing pat without a badugi) the other players at the right times. 

The best advice that can be given when thinking of playing Badugi poker is to scout your table in advance.  Scouting the table allows you to find both a desirable seat position and to get to know your opponents.  You will want a good seat.  A good seat is where you will have position on the most active player at the table.  Generally, you will find that the active players are the ones that are snowing more often, and they will give the Badugi poker strategy below the most trouble.  Just remember to make sure that you have position on these players. 

A few questions that you might consider when finding a good Badugi poker strategy seat are: 

1.  Which player is making the most basic mistakes?

2.  Which player is the tightest at the table?

3.  Which player value bets 3 card hands before showdown?

4.  Which player limps into a lot of pots and then draws one?

5.  Which players have been caught snowing? (standing pat without a Badugi)

6.  Which player has attempted to pick off a snow? (calling without a Badugi against an opponent who has stood pat)

The above is all information that is necessary to form a good Badugi poker strategy against each opponent.  

Badugi Starting Hands

As a beginner, the Badugi poker hands that you need to know are: 

1.  Early Position: Play any 3-card Badugi of six and under, and play 3-card seven-low badugis that includes two wheel cards (A,2,3,4).

2.  Mid Position: Play all 3-card Badugi of seven and under, and two card hands five or under that include an Ace or a Duece.

3.  Late Position: In late position you can open with a wide range of hands including any two cards under five, or thee card hands under eight.  If the above does not suit you, you could simply open with a bunch of suited low cards with the intent to win with a snow/bluff on later streets.

Understanding Badugi Poker Draw Odds

The odds of completing a one card draw to a jack high Badugi is about 15% on each draw.  The odds to complete the same with two draws remaining is 27% while the odds to completing it over the course of three draws is 38%. Thus, having position on and bluffing your opponents is often profitable.

Badugi Poker Strategy – The Snow (standing pat without a badugi)

Know when and how to snow is an important part to a winning Badugi poker strategy.  As a reminder, in Badugi poker “a snow” is a bluff that involves standing pat despite having not made a badugi hand.

In Badugi poker, you want to snow fairly often.  However, you do want to avoid getting caught at snowing for as long as possible since you do want to reduce the chances that you will get looked up by others as a person who snows.  Thus, this is the reason why it is important to observe the players at the table a while and note which opponents have attempted to pick off a snow in the past.  However, should you get caught in a snow, this still helps you in the long run, as it will force our opponents to call you down more often.

When to Snow in Badugi Poker

The most obvious time to snow is when your opponent is weak, such as when your opponent on the second draw draws two.  When this happens, it should be an automatic snow.  By doing this, your opponent has revealed that he is weak; we know it, he knows it and he knows we know it, so why continue any longer.  In this situtation, you stand pat, bet and most you will often take the pot right then.

Another time that you should snow is when you are dealt four suited cards pre-draw.  If your opponent is drawing at a Badugi in the same suit and discounts the K-Q, assuming that you also do not have the K-Q, he has only four outs to making a jack high badugi or better.

The third draw snow is often the difference between a winning and a losing player.  This snow is correctly used when you take a card and hope to outdraw your opponent.  Now on the other hand, if you were the aggressor throughout and he has not given us the indication he has a premium 3-card hand, then standing pat is far more natural, and a snow is often the optimal play.

When you are caught red handed in a snow, avoid adding additional chips in the pot.  In this situtation, you are going to save the bet by giving up the snow even if it means showing down the fact you were bluffing all along.

Badugi poker strategy is still an evolving topic among Badugi poker players.  Badugi poker requires strong poker skills, such as observation skills, odds calculation, understanding things such as the gap concept, when to bluff, odds such as pot odds, implied odds, reversed implied odds, fold equity, etc.

Badugi poker is not really that difficult and ultimately a poker player with a good understanding of poker theory, fundamentals and advanced strategy should pick up Badugi poker strategy after spending a little time at the tables.

To get started playing Badugi poker online, visit the PokerStars website.

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