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Badugi hand values
In Badugi the aim of the game is to hold a lower hand than your opponent
holds. Aces are considered the lowest card in the deck. Therefore A234 (all
different suits) is the best possible hand in the game.
A badugi is just one of four possible hand
values. The four, from best to worst, are:
1)
Badugi
2) 3 card hand
3) 2 card hand
4) 1 card hand
If a player does not hold a badugi it is
because they either have paired, suited or paired and suited hands. (see below)
Badugi
A Badugi is a 4-card hand with no pairs and none of the same suit. Examples of
Badugi’s would be 2345, 2467, A358, all with none of the same suit. The best
possible Badugi is A234 all off suit as there is no other possible hand
lower than this.
Paired Hands
If you hold a hand such as A244 (all different suits) then your hand value is
really A24 as you can only use one of the cards you have paired. This is known
as a 3 card hand.
Other examples would be A224 that is finally A24, KKQJ that is finally KQJ, KJ55
that is finally KJ5. A Badugi beats any 3 card hand.
Similarly a hand such as A222 would only hold a final value of A2, a
two-card hand, as the other 2 cards do not count. They are referred to as
being counterfeited. A
three-card hand beats any 2-card hand. Other examples of 2 card hands
would be A444, AA88, 7766 etc.
Suited hands
Suited hands work similarly to paired hands. If you hold a hand such as A456
(where both the 5 and 6 are hearts) then you should choose to play the lower of
the two suited cards. In this example then you would hold A45 as the 6 is
counterfeited. Other examples would be As9d5s8h where the final value would
be A98 as the 5s is dropped. 3h4s9dKh where the final value would be 349.
JhQdK2d where the final value would be 2JK.
Suited and paired hands
Occasionally you may be dealt a hand containing both pairs and suited cards.
This is usually not a good situation to be in as it means your final hand value
will be very weak. For example, KhKc9cTs would have a final value of 9cTsKh as
the King of clubs is counterfeited. Other examples would be:
* 2h3h4s6d where the final value would be 246 as the 3 of hearts is
counterfeited.
* Td9s7s5s where the final value would be T5 as the 7 and 9 of spades are
counterfeited.
* JsQh3s9s where the final value of this hand would be Q3 as the 9 and J of
spades are counterfeited.
Therefore double suited double-paired hands are not good starting hands.
Another rare example would be when you hold 4 of a kind, e.g. 4444 or 9999
giving you a final hand value of either 4 or 9 respectively. This is known as a
1 card hand and is the worst possible type of hand to hold.
Furthermore, you could be dealt a hand such as KdKcJdJc where the final value
would be either KcJc or KdJd. There is no ranking of suits in Badugi so, for example, you could hold KhJhKcJc versus your opponent’s KsJsKdJd.
Both of you have a final value of KJ and would therefore split the pot.
NB: If at a showdown there are 2 Badugi’s or 3 card hands or
2 card hands or 1 card hands the lowest one will win. E.g. Ah2s3d4c
beats 3h4d5s6c, and 3c3s7d9c beats 3d8d8s9h, and 4c4d6c6d beats 5s8s8h5h, and
4444 beats 5555.
Showdown example:
Player 1 holds 3h5s7d9c
Player 2 holds 7s7h5c6d
Player 3 holds 3h4s7c8s
Player 4 holds AhAs4dTs
Player 3 would win this pot as they hold the lowest hand with a 3478 Badugi. Although player 1 also holds a Badugi 3579, player 3’s is lower.
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