Badugi Poker Sites

Badugi is a relatively new form of poker but it has caught on quickly at PokerStars, which also happens to be our top pick for the best Badugi poker site. If you would like to try something completely different than the norm, Badugi is worth a look. The rules are significantly different than for almost every other poker variant.

There are not many Badugi poker sites to choose from, so PokerStars automatically gets our first pick as the best Badugi site. The lack of poker sites that offer Badugi poker made it easy to give PokerStars our number one pick. Not only does PokerStars offer Badugi games, but it is the largest and most trusted online poker site in the world.

• Location: Netherlands
• Established: 2004
• Marketing Code: BPSORG
• Traffic: 235,929 Players
• Mac Friendly: Yes

Visit PokerStars.com PokerStars Review

PokerStars

#1 Ranked Poker Site for Badugi!

PokerStars receives our pick as the number one Badugi poker site because PokerStars offers both Badugi ring games and tournaments. The Badugi ring game lineup is all offered in fixed-limit format and the stakes range from $0.25/$0.50 to $400/$800. The traffic for Badugi ring games at PokerStars is pretty consistent at the low and medium stakes games but can be spotty at high stakes.

(Please note - Pokerstars does not accept US players. Please see this page for a list of US-friendly poker rooms)

PokerStars also hosts about a dozen Badugi poker tournaments every day. The buyins run as low as $2.20 and go up to about $215. The biggest regular Badugi tournament at PokerStars is the weekly $5,000 guaranteed every Sunday. In addition to that, PokerStars features several Badugi tournaments in the PokerStars Championship of Online Poker with prize pools that range from $5,000 to $75,000.

We haven’t found any other Badugi poker sites other than PokerStars that are worth mentioning. The good news is that the Badugi action at PokerStars is pretty consistent. If you’re interested in trying Badugi, PokerStars is easily your best bet.

Use PokerStars marketing code:
MIK500
for a 100% up to $600 Bonus!

Start Playing Now at:
PokerStars

Besides PokerStars, there really aren't any other Badugi sites with worthwhile player traffic. There are one or two other Badugi poker sites, but PokerStars is by far the best option because the other Badugi poker sites hardly ever have any games running.

How to Play Badugi Poker

Badugi is quite a bit different than most forms of poker. In Badugi, hands consist of four cards rather than the usual five cards. The goal is to get the lowest four card hand that contains no two cards of the same rank or suit. Aces count as low and straights are ignored. The best possible hand in Badugi is A-2-3-4, with each card being of a different suit. Also note that any hand that consist of four unpaired cards of different suits is called a “Badugi.”

If a player’s final hand consist of a pair or two cards of the same suit, that player must discard cards to eliminate the doubles. For example, if a player has 2s-4s-6h-7d, the player would have to discard one of the spades. That player would then have a three card hand. At the showdown, any four card hand beats any three card hand, any three card hand beats any two card hand and any two card hand beats any one card hand.

Badugi is played with blinds just like Texas Hold'em games. The first player to the left of the dealer must pay the small blind and the next player to the left must pay the big blind. The small blind is equal to half a minimum bet and the big blind is equal to one full minimum bet.

Deal and First Betting Round

The dealer begins the hand by giving each player four cards face down. After all the cards have been dealt, there is a round of betting that begins with the player to the left of the big blind. The players may call the minimum bet, fold or raise.

First Draw and Second Betting Round

Now the players have a chance to discard as many cards as they want and receive that number of new cards from the deck. If the deck runs out of cards during any round of betting, the discarded cards may be reshuffled and used to start a new deck.

After all the players have had an opportunity to draw, there is another round of betting. This round of betting and all subsequent rounds will begin with the first active player to the left of the dealer. The players may check, bet or fold. If any player bets, the other players no longer have the option to check; they will instead have to either call that bet, raise it or fold.

Second Draw and Third Betting Round

Next, the players have another drawing round just like the previous round. This is followed by another round of betting. From here on out, the upper betting limit is used for all bets and raises.

Third Draw and Fourth Betting Round

There is one more drawing round just like the previous round. Next, the players have one last round of betting just like the previous round. If there are two or more players left after this round of betting, those players proceed to a showdown.

Showdown

The remaining players now flip over their cards. The player with the best hand wins the pot. Remember that any players with pairs or multiple cards of the same suit must discard until their hands contain no doubles. Hands are ranked starting from the highest card and working down. Remember also that four card hands automatically beat three card hands (and so on).

Check out our How To Poker Blog for a further discussion on how to play Badugi poker as well as a few Badugi tips.