Badugi.

A different kind of perfect four.

2–6 players in this guide6 min to learn

THE DEFINING TWIST

Make four distinct ranks in four different suits; lower is better.

Four-card lowball

Illustrative hand · explore the result in Read the Table

YOUR GUIDE TO THIS VERSION

Know your table.

Practical guide: 2–6; repeated exchanges can require a reshuffle, not an additional deck.

Prepare. Use 52 cards, button, blinds and fixed limits.
Heads-up button posts small blind.
Deal four. Deal four private cards each.
No shared cards.
First betting. Start after the big blind.
Call, raise or fold. Heads-up: the button acts first before the draw/flop.
First draw. Burn; replace zero to four cards, starting after the button. Bet.
Keeping all cards is standing pat.
Second draw. Burn; replace zero to four cards again. Bet.
Use the larger fixed bet from here.
Final draw. Burn; offer the third exchange. Bet.
Use an agreed reshuffle procedure if needed.
Count valid cards. Choose the largest subset with distinct suits and ranks.
Four valid cards beat any three; three beat two; two beat one.
Read the low. Within equal-size subsets, compare highest card downward; lower wins.
Aces low; straights irrelevant. Best: A–2–3–4, all different suits. Split identical values.

Established poker game; not a Deal Different invention. Explanatory presentation and examples by Deal Different.

Curated by Maanas Chopra · reviewed October 2026 · session times are estimates