How to Play Badugi
Badugi is a four-card lowball draw game with its own unique hand evaluation. The goal is to make a Badugi -- four cards of different suits and different ranks. A four-card Badugi always beats a three-card hand, which beats a two-card hand.
Hand Evaluation
Four-Card Badugi (Best)
All four cards have different suits and different ranks. Best Badugi: A-2-3-4 of four different suits. Aces play low.
Three-Card Hand
One card must be discarded from evaluation (due to matching suit or rank). The best three-card hand still loses to any four-card Badugi.
Two-Card and One-Card Hands
Progressively weaker. A one-card hand loses to any two-card hand.
Within the same class (e.g., two four-card Badugis), the hand with the lowest highest card wins. Aces are the lowest rank.
Gameplay
Badugi uses the same triple-draw format: blinds, four cards dealt, betting round, draw, betting, draw, betting, draw, final betting, showdown. Fixed-limit betting with three draws.
On SPN
SPN evaluates Badugi hands automatically, correctly identifying the number of cards in each player's Badugi and comparing within the same class at showdown.