BADUGAHA

Overview

Badugaha is a split-pot hybrid that combines Omaha's community-card structure with Badugi's low-hand evaluation. Each player receives four hole cards, shares a five-card community board, and gets two draw rounds — up to 2 cards after the turn and up to 1 card after the river — to build a better Badugi hand. The pot splits between the best Omaha high hand (exactly 2 hole + 3 community) and the best 4-card Badugi hand (exactly 4 hole cards, Badugi rules, aces low).

Split Pot: Omaha High Half

Use exactly 2 hole cards and exactly 3 community cards to make the best 5-card high hand (standard Omaha rules).

Split Pot: Badugi Half

Use all 4 remaining hole cards under Badugi rules: remove any card that shares a rank or suit with another, leaving as many cards as possible with unique ranks and suits. Lowest 4-card Badugi wins. Aces count low. 4-card Badugi beats 3-card; if no player has a 4-card Badugi, best 3-card wins.

Draw Rounds

• After the turn betting: Draw up to 2 hole cards (replace from the deck)
• After the river betting: Draw up to 1 hole card
• Drawn cards go into your hole card hand and are used for both Omaha and Badugi evaluation

Strategy Tips

• Start with four cards of different suits — any two low ranks give you both Omaha and Badugi equity
• The draw rounds are primarily for Badugi improvement; track suits and ranks to plan your draws
• Scooping requires at least a 4-card Badugi AND a strong Omaha high hand — a tall order worth targeting
• Watch opponents' draws: drawing 2 after the turn signals a weak Badugi; drawing 0 suggests they like their start