Badugi how hand is scored

[Northern Hillbilly]

I know lowest hand wins. which is the lowest hand in this situation


A239

2345
does the A beat 2 or does 5 beat 9




which one wins


a356
a257

[HalfSugar]

In lowball games, read from the highest card down so 2345 beats A239 because the highest cards are 5 and 9. HOWEVER, and this is the biggest thing in Badugi, suits affect the hand.

If both hands are rainbow (no two cards the same suit) then what I said above applies and both hands are a 'badugi'. One is a 'nine badugi', the other is a 'five badugi'.

If two cards are suited, the highest one is ignored and instead of holding a four card badugi, you hold a three card hand. In the example above, let's say in both cases the 2 and the 3 are both spades but the other cards are a diamond and a heart. The hands are three card hands and are 5-4-2-x and 9-2-A-x. The three card five still wins because it still beats the three card nine.

Now let's say that the A239 is a badugi and the 2345 has the 2 and 3 of spades. The A239 now becomes the best hand because it is a badugi whereas the 2345 has now become a 3 card hand of 5-4-2-x. A badugi always beats a non-badugi, even if it is KQJT which is the worst kind of badugi (straights do not matter).

In your bottom example, A356 beats A257 provided both are badugis. A six badugi beats a seven badugi because the top card is lower. In the event of the top card being the same, just like with flushes in stud hi games, you go down the cards until the cards differ. It is therefore very unlikely that you would split a pot in badugi unless hands were identical.

A final point in assessing hand strength - pairs are bad. Similar to suited cards, when a pair is made one of the cards is ignored (it doesn't matter which although obviously if one of the pair also suits another card, that one would be ignored) leaving a three card hand. Obviously trips and quads are a disaster as they leave a player with a two or even one card hand!

In terms of strategy, a badugi is obviously a strong hand, the skill comes with knowing when to hold a bad badugi vs drawing to a better one and also knowing (generally in a short handed game) when a seemingly bad hand, such as a three card hand, is a winner.

Good luck.

[Northern Hillbilly]

In lowball games, read from the highest card down so 2345 beats A239 because the highest cards are 5 and 9. HOWEVER, and this is the biggest thing in Badugi, suits affect the hand.

Thanks very much that was my exactly what I couldn't figure out. High card down, And I should of been more explicit the hands I exampled were meant to be taken as rainbow. I understood the ranks and suits part Again ty very much

[Northern Hillbilly]

and ofc 3 cards beats 2 cards right ? I am 99% sure but havent yet seen it play

[xDiamond_CutteRx]

and ofc 3 cards beats 2 cards right ? I am 99% sure but havent yet seen it play

Yes, all 4 card Badugis beat all 3 card Badugis, all 3 cards beat 2 cards, etc.

K Q J T
beats
A 2 3 4

And as Geno said (good post), always count lowball hands from the top down.

5-4-3-2 beats 6-3-2-A