Badugi is a unique and lesser-known form of draw poker that comes from Asia and has gained a following for its twist on traditional hand rankings. The goal in Badugi is to make the lowest possible four-card hand with one card of each suit and no pairs. That’s very different from most poker games where you’re chasing high hands or familiar combos like flushes or straights.
It’s played as a triple draw game, meaning you get three chances to discard and draw new cards. Each player starts with four cards, and after each round of betting, you can swap as many cards as you like.
The best possible hand in Badugi is called a “4-card Badugi”: A♦ 2♣ 3♥ 4♠. All different suits, all low cards, no pairs.
If you don’t have four usable cards (because of a pair or repeated suit), you only have a 3-card hand or worse, which loses to a complete Badugi.
Badugi shakes up the usual poker rhythm—it rewards low cards, careful discards, and attention to suits. If you’re used to chasing straights and flushes, this game flips the script in a fun way.
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